Advice from a Raindrop by Kim Stafford

Advice from a Raindrop

by Kim Stafford

You think you’re too small

to make a difference? Tell me

about it. You think you’re

helpless, at the mercy of forces

beyond your control? Been there.

Think you’re doomed to disappear,

just one small voice among millions?

That’s no weakness, trust me. That’s

your wild card, your trick, your

implement. They won’t see you coming

until you’re there, in their faces, shining,

festive, expendable, eternal. Sure you’re

small, just one small part of a storm that

changes everything. That’s how you win,

my friend, again and again and again.

There is so much to admire in this poem by Kim Stafford (yes, William Stafford's son). Many poems speak directly to the reader, but in this poem, I feel as if the speaker really is talking to me and not just employing a literary tool.

I am also always happy to read poems written in the voice of a non-human speaker (I also love writing poems with non-human speakers). This raindrop has so much to say and a definite personality and point of view. Tell me about it, been there, trust me, and my friend

are wonderful (and simple and seemingly inconsequential) additions that personify this raindrop.

The colloquial language works well with the message here--one raindrop, one person can make a big difference. The repetition throughout--not just of words, but the rewording of phrases--drives the point. Of course, the last line

my friend, again and again and again

is a cross between a chant and a cheer. It is the perfect ending to this lovely poem.

This poem, along with an accompanying prompt and other poems and prompts, is on Kim Stafford's website. There is much else there as well! Click here.

And, yes, this is certainly another poem that needs to go viral right now!