A Proust Rain

By Julie Cajigas

The hairs on my arm raise

Gooseflesh and pleasure

The smell is cool and humid 

like a shower blowing in

The faint odor of lilac, coffee and weed

Swirls here

Live music and laughter

But I am transported

To a different moment

Clouds pregnant with potential

Simple smell before the rain

The day I saw your place

Your parent’s place

Billowing white curtains 

Fresh, cool, May air

Tickling my flesh

Two decades gone

On a similar day, today

My heart rises 

Becomes the lump in my throat

Remembering the unbearable anticipation

Slid back to that moment

Branded in my memory

Magic

The tall candles on your dresser

Mary and her crown

The leather sofa and the lamp with colored bulbs

Your 17-year-old skin

My 16-year-old wide eyes

In the corner of your basement

And then the sky broke

The rain fell with a sigh of relief

Release

Scent of wet pavement

The taste of your mouth

Acidic, mysterious and perfect

A dancing tongue

If I reach 100 years

I can always find you there

slip into your arms

One rain-laden day