rain?

woke up at 2am to a familiar noise at an unfamiliar time -- rain? i lay in bed in the darkness listening to the wind and the subtle plopping of rain drops. my mind cleared and i realized that i had clothes on the line so hopped out of bed (amongst mewling protests of the kittens who had managed to sneak back onto the bed after i had kicked them off a few dozen times). when i got outside it was truly raining and there was a cold breath of wind rattling the crunchy leaves of the baobabs together. i got the clothes down but then i stood there for a few minutes, mesmerized and shivering but strangely comforted by this unusual dry season rain. i went back to bed unsure if i was dreaming, but then woke up again at 6 still to the sound of light rain. it was quite unexpected.

now today is grey and cloudy and cold. it feels like a proper december day, which is funny because just yesterday while i was walking through the bush with fatou, i was thinking how much it did not feel like december or winter, for that matter. it certainly is colder now that the rainy season is over -- i need a long sleeve shirt or sweater at night and in the mornings, but during the day it is still hot and the african sun makes its presence known. but today it is chilly, dreary, the leaves are falling, and i realize that yes, it is december, almost the end of the year, and that things are coming to a close.

i sat in the yard and smoked a cigarillo while doing a crossword with the kittens in my lap and wasn't sure if i felt sad or at peace.