S4 E3 After the Winter Rain by Ina Coolbrith

After the Winter Rain
by Ina Coolbrith
After the winter rain,
  Sing, robin! Sing, swallow!
Grasses are in the lane,
  Buds and flowers will follow.

Woods shall ring, blithe and gay,
  With bird-trill and twitter,
Though the skies weep to-day,
  And the winds are bitter.

Though deep call unto deep
  As calls the thunder,
And white the billows leap
  The tempest under;

Softly the waves shall come
  Up the long, bright beaches,
With dainty, flowers of foam
  And tenderest speeches…

After the wintry pain,
  And the long, long sorrow,
Sing, heart!—for thee again
  Joy comes with the morrow.

This poem is in the public domain.

After the winter rain, the world is transformed. The sky is a bright blue, the sun is shining, and the air is fresh and crisp. The trees are glistening with raindrops, and the grass is a vibrant green. Everywhere there is a feeling of new life and hope. The birds are singing, and the flowers are blooming. The world is alive and vibrant, and it is a beautiful sight to behold.
Ina Coolbrith’s poem captures this moment perfectly, reminding us that even in the darkest of times, there is always hope and beauty to be found.
Ina Coolbrith was a poet, librarian, and literary figure in California during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She was the first California Poet Laureate, and was the first poet laureate of any U.S. state. Coolbrith was born in Nauvoo, Illinois in 1841 and moved to California in 1851. She was a prolific writer, publishing her first book of poetry at the age of 17.

Ina Coolbrith was a key figure in the literary and cultural life of San Francisco and was a mentor to many young writers, including Jack London and Isadora Duncan. She was also a member of the Bohemian Club and the Saturday Club, two of the most prominent literary and cultural organizations in the area. Ina Coolbrith was an advocate for women’s rights and education, and was a leader in the early women’s suffrage movement in California. She died in 1928 at the age of 87.

“Were I to write what I know, the book would be too sensational to print, but were I to write what I think proper, it would be too dull to read.“ Ina Coolbrith



Photography & Recitation by Rebecca Budd

Music by More Than Family “Choir Hymn” EpidemicSound
https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/zLlZB2Y3zt/