Whispers After the Rain

The sky was dull

for a long, quiet time.

Just clouds,

just waiting,

just me.

Then one day,

colors stretched across the sky,

soft and shining,

like a secret

meant just for me.

I didn’t ask for it,

but I looked up anyway.

And there it was,

a quiet rainbow.

Not loud,

not lasting,

but something about it

felt like hope.

For a while,

I stood still.

Letting the colors

fall into my eyes,

my chest,

my empty places.

It didn’t say much.

It didn’t need to.

Its presence was enough.

It was beautiful,

but I knew

rainbows don’t last.

They appear,

then fade,

leaving the sky empty again.

And just like that,

the colors faded.

Not all at once,

just slowly,

until I forgot

which shade left first.

Now,

the sky is quiet again.

But not the same.

Because I know

what it once held.

And sometimes,

I still look up 

not expecting,

but remembering.

Not all things are meant to stay.

It’s strange,

how something so brief

can leave such a quiet ache.