Dark Clouds had been gathering since morning
When I had left the safety
Of my room behind
Now the thunder cut the din
Of the passing cars and the rumble of the train
A loud warning of impending downpour
My tardy feet had gotten me stuck
In the rain
It started slow enough
So I shouldn't complain
After all it was refreshing
In the afternoon heat
Upon the desert plains
That were Nebraska
Upon my arms and face
In my hair and upon my glasses
The cool drops touched

As the lines of moisture
Became more distinct
I noticed I was not alone
On my silent trek
There was another
Riding circles and zig-zags
On the street
With his bike

My unknown companion
Looked to be no more than twelve
Give or take a year or two
His shirt was long
Down to his knees almost
Past shorts even
Upon his feet were
A battered pair of Nikes

His hair was blond and bleached
From sessions in the pool
And under the sun his skin
Had undergone the same effects
Being a golden brown
That all the beach boys wear

One hand gripped the handle bars
Of his bike while the other
Dragged an aluminum baseball bat
Every now and then it would
Touch down to the street
And make a ringing sound

The boy didn't seem to care
About the falling of the rain
His life, it would appear, was simple
Lived from day to day
And I envied him
As I reshouldered my pack,
For he had not a care
About summer classes and the writing of poetry
Or the study of economics
The books in my pack weighing a ton
Costing five dollars per pound,
Only the day and the adventures therein
No monotonous work to dull the mind
He could take the leisure to go to the park
And swing his bat at dirt clods
And ride his bike
So lackadaisically
In the rain

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