First Rain

First rain of spring. Cold, driven on a harsh northern wind. Welcome. Filling the dry, gaping cracks in annealed soil. Restoring the earth from an unyielding, austere winter. Essential, though coming as a bold remnant of winter's frigid will. Awakening the raw and callous earth. Restoring freshness and life to dormant winter air. Mollifying the soils for blade and seed. Frigid and stinging, yet still a harbinger. Verdant spring's first birthing breath. Slate-gray skies yield and clear. Warm days will come. Today, glacial rains signed a new lease on life for our northern plains.