She Gave Back to Him

she gave back to him the trinkets
and their little earthen house in the sun

every folded page of spring and summer
all the pretty names of love

blame it on a heaven
that would not rain in its season

blame it on famine
blame it on time

listen—
no one can make it rain when it will not







Source text: Pearl Buck’s The Good Earth.









Robin Turner makes her home in Dallas, Texas, where she brings creative writing workshops to schools, museums, youth shelters, and community centers. She also serves as an online writing guide to homeschooled teens. Her work has most recently appeared in Anima Poetry, Red River Review, and Referential Magazine.