To Feel the Rain
Sharp, green spear heads erupt from the mountainside as we drive past. The air is sweet, a mixture of the cool ocean’s breath and a warm whisper from the trees. You hold my hand as we travel down our serpentine path while particles of broken sunlight float down and settle in a warm sediment on my skin. The road bends with every breath we take, swinging back and forth in a lullaby of motion.
We stop the car and take to our feet. I guide you down a small path enclosed from the world by mammoth ferns, kukui trees, and yellow hibiscus, our bare feet comforted by the soft, brown mud of the trail. We reach the small river that flows against us underneath the shade of a guava tree. You step into the cool, shallow water and I follow, still holding your hand, carefully searching for rocks hidden beneath the muddy water.
The river leads us to a swirling, majestic pool curtained by the hanging roots of a banyan tree that sway in the wind like beautiful, golden strands of hair. White, pure water spills over a break in the river’s path, partially hidden by the roots. The column of water falls from a high, rocky cliff and crashes into the pool, bubbling and churning the water, unsettling the dirt beneath. Behind the waterfall, lush and green ferns cling to the wall of the grotto.
We swim to the middle of the pool when the sky, hidden by leaves, breaks open and engulfs us in a warm shower of sweet rain. The drops fall through the canopy and splash on the surface of the water. The rain caresses our faces, streaming down from our eyes to our lips and I know. I know that I will love you forever.