Pitter-patter, pitter-patter, pitter-patter…
Puddles form on the ground.
Leaves of all shapes and colors fall into them and float around.
The sky is gray and cloudy.
The smell of ozone lingers in the air.
It’s just another gloomy day.
I hope it’s bright and sunny tomorrow.
The Junction Journal 
Hey Justina,
I was very moved by your piece “Rain” because of how well you conveyed the quiet depression of a rainy day. The repeating “pitter-patter” attracted me right away since it has a rhythm similar to the rain and makes a peaceful but thoughtful feeling. I was reminded by reading your poem that, depending on your mental state, rain may both seem soothing and depressing.
“The smell of ozone lingers in the air” was the statement that caught my attention the most. The statement is so intense that I could really smell the unique freshness that’s before or after a storm. Throughout, you use basic, yet compelling words and the few phrases reflect the ease and quiet of the situation you’re describing.
Also, I loved the small tone change at the end: “I hope it’s bright and sunny tomorrow.” It gives your feelings a hint of hopefulness, even though you’re accepting that, like the weather, depression will pass.
Thank you for sharing this—it’s a small, beautiful reflection that made me slow down and notice the details of an ordinary moment.
Best
Ary
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This poem spoke to me because it really resonated with how I personally feel on rainy days. The imagery (“The sky is gray and cloudy” and “Leaves of all shapes and colors fall into them and float around.”) really captures the melancholic but calming mood of a rainy day. It made me think about the times I’ve been outside when it was raining and it’s usually not a positive experience. My clothes always get drenched and if I step into a puddle, I have to walk in wet and uncomfortable shoes. My mood is always ruined when this happens. However, when I’m inside, the rain can be very calming, especially at night if I’m trying to fall asleep.
The sentence that spoke to me most was “I hope it’s bright and sunny tomorrow” because it shifts the mood of the poem from something depressing to something hopeful and optimistic. I find myself thinking this sentence almost everyday because personally, I just feel like my days are better when it’s sunny outside. Another sentence that stood out to me that I just had to include was “The smell of ozone lingers in the air” because this was such a unique way to describe the smell after the rain. It was so specific that I imagined that clean and sharp scent the moment I read it.
Discussion Questions:
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Hello Justina ,
I find this piece very interesting for a number of reasons. What originally drew me to this piece was how short it actually is. My first thought when looking at this piece (before reading) was ” how could something so short carry any type of substance.”, but then I actually read the poem my doubt turned into admiration. I easily understood the main idea of the poem while also being able to take away a life lesson. This poem encapsulates exactly how I feel on rainy days. The gloominess you feel when it rains, and the hope you feel for the days to come. I even believe a message of always looking forward to a bright future no matter how things are right now can be found just in the very few lines in the poem.
Reading this poem makes me think about my childhood too. I think about how much has changed yet also stayed the same. When I was a kid I used to wish the rain would go away so we could play in the yard for recess, and now as a college student I wish for the rain to go away so busses run better and I can get to campus on time. So I found this to be an endearing charm as well.
In this poem, there are multiple lines that stand out to me, for starters the line “Leaves of all shapes and colors fall into them and float around.” created such vivid images and memories in my head that it became almost nostalgic. But the lines that really stood out to me the most were the lines “It’s just another gloomy day.” and “I hope it’s bright and sunny tomorrow.”. There’s a lot of things to unpack here. When you put these two lines together they work in contrast of each other. One line is basically the author giving up on the day but the next line creates a sense of hope for what’s to come. But if you separate these lines the meanings completely changed. I imagined to myself what if the poem ended at “It’s just another gloomy day.”, the meaning would totally flip! Instead of being a poem about having hope for the future, it would portray a message of giving up and just dealing with things as they are. Intended or not I found this to be an interesting part of the poem as well.
Again, this poem is so much more than it looks and I’m very impressed with it. Great job Justina!
Sincerely,
Daijon Ffrench
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This poem presents a very clear and soothing image of Valley Rain. See how it begins with “pitter-patter,” and you can almost hear the rain? And that immediately creates a soothing mood. The writer does a good job carrying along the description of the puddles, the floating leaves (which you can’t help but imagine), etc. All is tranquil and a little bit mournful, as if it were one of those days when you sit in the house thinking.
I like how the poem describes a gray, cloudy sky and the air smelling like rain. Those nitty-gritty little details make it feel real and relatable. You can practically see and smell what’s going on. It’s methodical, but that’s the point — it doesn’t put on airs, it simply reflects what you’re feeling.
The last line, “I hope it’s bright and sunny tomorrow,” adds a touch of hope, too, signaling that even in the apparent gloom there’s still a wish for better days. (That, at least, ends the poem well. All in all, a nice quiet poem that gives you pause to consider how small things — rain or puddles — can make you feel peaceful and make you think too.
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Hello!!
This is going to be a very informal comment, so bear with me.
Off topic, but when I first read your piece, my immediate thought wasn’t about how it related to me, but how it related to a certain fictional character, Acheron, from Honkai Star Rail. Her connection to the rain and your writing about the rain immediately reminded me of her, but I digress. Back to the topic of rain.
Rain always had a symbolism for sadness, yet for some, it carries a different feeling, peace. For me, rain is more peaceful than gloomy. It’s during this peace, that I often reflect on my past. Whenever its raining, my thoughts always drift to sentimental questions like “Am I proud of where I am now?”, “Is what I am now truly the person I want to be?”, “How do I get closer to living the life I want?” And ending it on a hopefully note is exactly how my spiral of sentimentality goes most of the time. No matter how hopeless it might look, there is always a hope for a better future, hope to be better than yesterday, hope of a sunny day after a heavy rain.
Sentimentality aside, as many have already have mentioned, the stanzas like “I hope it’s bright and sunny tomorrow.”,”pitter-patter”, “It’s just another gloomy day.” and others, all have hit us, the readers, very deeply. But I would like to do something differently and talk about this stanza “Puddles form on the ground.” Interesting choice I know, but hear me out. Puddles have a symbolism for reflection. Whenever we look at a puddle, we can see ourselves, all of our past actions, past inactions, good days, bad days, happy days, sad days, and what we are right now. The whole poem is about sad days and a hope for a brighter future, and a puddle could be interpreted as a mirror to look at and say “I have been through rainy days, and I will go through this one too”. Of course, it is also possible that I am overthinking it, but I really liked the symbolism of rainy days and sunny days.
Навіть самі найтемніші хмари будуть рано чи пізно роздуті вітром, і сонечко посвіте на наші лиця.
Я в тому впевнений.
-Some random college student
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Hey Justina
I really enjoyed reading your poem. It spoke to me because it gave off such a peaceful and cozy feeling that reminded me of fall which is my favorite season. The repetitive use of the words “pitter patter” reminds me of the sound rain makes as it falls and hits the windows. I also like the way you spoke about the colorful leaves before speaking about the gloomy and gray sky because although it gives a “depressing” vibe, there’s always the little things that make a rainy day feel comforting.
The line that stood out the most to me was “The smell of ozone lingers in the air”. I love how that line almost makes me smell the earthy smell that the aftermath of rain brings. Your word choices create such a strong image and mood. The soft tone of the poem brings out a calm and serene feeling. It makes me appreciate how beautiful something as simple as rain is.
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This blog post spoke to me because it shows exactly how I feel on rainy days. It captures the calm and sadness that come with the rain. This poem reminded me of the times I would watch the rain and wish for bright skies. The first line, “Pitter-patter, pitter-patter, pitter-patter…” drew me to this poem because it mimics the sound of pouring rain, almost like I can hear it.
The poem’s ending, “I hope it’s bright and sunny tomorrow,” stood out to me. It shows a sense of hope that even in gloomy days, we still look forward to better days. I also like the line “The smell of ozone lingers in the air” because it captures the smell of the air after rain. This poem was short, but it carried a lot of meaning. It captured the calm, sadness, and quiet beauty of a rainy day, while also showing hope for brighter days ahead.
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Hey Justina I like your poem but I felt like Rain has always held a special meaning for me. I’ve never really thought about it, but when I hear the raindrops, I feel at ease. One of the main reasons I’ve always loved rain is that, on Fridays after school, I would run home because my mom would only let me play my games on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. So playing games with my friends when I hear thunder and nobody’s home. Made me want it to rain all the time.
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