if rain was love

if rain was love,
    roses would grow just as
    beautiful as before.
    birds would sing just as sweetly.
    trees would grow just as high

            because, in loving we protect
            and in protecting we can never grow
            more beautiful and vibrant

if rain was love,
    people would still have
    terror of the
    ethereal knife

              because, in loving, there’s living,
              in living, there’s dying
              and in dying, there’s fear of
              never waking up to the sun but flames

if rain was love
    your neighbors would still yell,
    people would die,
    and people would have the depth of puddles

              because, if love were
              as easy to come by as air,
              why care?