Read a Poem

Drizzle
By Bill Newby

Drizzle arrives like a soft whisper

or the quiet footsteps of a burglar or lover

tiptoeing along a hallway and up the stairs.

It’s as timid and daring as a fawn,

standing like an ears-up statue

hoping the headlights won’t show

her spots or breathing.

This gentle, gentle rain touches the sill

with a gloved finger

as if there to wipe off dust

or buff its shine

even though the night is as black

as well-used oil dripping from a crankcase

or the inside of a refrigerator

when the door is closed

and the once-warmed chili cools

as the kidney beans and ground meat

hug each other and listen

to the tender, tenuous tapping.

“Drizzle” by Bill Newby. Used by permission of the author.

About the Author

Bill Newby considers himself an “everyday writer” using poetry to record and explore moments of celebration, complaint, concern and comedy. A reviewer of his second collection, Passing Through, said it “delights, surprises, teaches, and sings poems with knowledge and wisdom.” He was a 2018 Pushcart Poetry Prize nominee, and his work has appeared in Whiskey Island, Gordon Square Review’s Neighborhood Voices, Bluffton Breeze, Ohio Teachers Write, Palm Beach Poetry Festival's Fish Tales Contest, Blue Mountain Review, Panoplyzine, Sixfold, and four Island Writers’ Network anthologies. Portions of his work can be previewed at www.billnewby.net.

Write a Poem

The word run has over 645 meanings, more than put or set, its two runners-up for multiple meanings. Choose one of the three and write a poem incorporating as many of the meanings as you can.