Why I Run in the Rain
by Dennis Trujillo
Because waterlogged shoes are a small
Penalty for the primal privilege of striding
Through the wet harvest of clouds
With squinted eyes. Because dashing
Through puddles with mud-splattered legs
Shatters the stress of job deadlines
And the twenty-four hour news channel.
Because a drizzle elicits golden
Isolation–sane runners with soft spleens
Take to treadmills–leaving trails open
For hearts of reckless abandon and startled
Fat earthworms fleeing inundated abodes.
And finally because the caress of a soft
Cotton towel and a sip from a hot cup
Of tea are the same bounty reserved
For angels after an ebullient run in the rain.
Author’s Comment: I have been a runner my entire life and enjoy the challenges of nature during my runs—and yes, I never run on treadmills. This past summer I experienced an unusually high number of rainy day runs and felt the urge to write a poem about them, but I couldn’t find the words. Then one day while running in a cool rain, I noticed that my only company was the occasional earthworm—that’s when the words for this poem came streaming out.
Wild Goose Poetry Review 
lovely, makes me want to run again. and I love “primal privilege” and “water-logged shoes.”