Early Rain

“He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers [that] water the earth.” Ps 72:6

It’s night in the jungle. My leg muscles are burning after a half a day of moving lumber and an afternoon standing on tiptoe to reach the washboard in the creek, now in flood stage after all the rain. I sleep, but without rest: delirious, tossing to and fro in a sea of interesting but incoherent dreams.
It is the 6th hour of the morning when I am awakened by a gentle rain. I spring out of my restless, troubled bed. The pain is gone from my legs, and in the east the sun is bursting out to make the day, shining all golden glorious behind the gentle showers. There is so much to be done today. Campus must be cleared of the encroaching jungle. It only took two months of neglect for a nearly complete takeover.
My first work is to hone both edges of my rust-crusted machete. An unused blade does not stay sharp long in these parts, but it still cuts, as my hand can attest. With my weapon spiffed up, I sally forth to do battle with the brush. After merely ten minutes I’m sweating profusely and need a rest. Apparently two months have done me the same as my machete and the advantage is with the jungle. As I pause for a breather I reflect on the encroaching vegetation. Funny how green has always been my favorite color. Today I think I’m beginning to feel a bit differently about it as I look upon choking vines and thickets where once were ordered rows. Some plants have survived, but are nearly destitute of fruit. I salvage three somewhat shriveled red peppers. A few bright pumpkins also catch my eye, but when I grab them my fingers sink into rotten bottoms. I lament the garden that could have been.
In the afternoon, cloudy columns billow upward on the horizon, promising a downpour. The distant rumble of thunder ensures that this is the real thing. I can soon hear the rain coming, drumming on the jungle canopy a drum-roll that swells to a deafening roar. That’s when it hits me. There is still a chance for beautiful fruit and a bountiful bumper crop! But it’s time to swing that machete, break up the ground, plant the seed, and work like crazy. Because when the rain ends, that’s it.