Perception of rain

[Shahzareth]

**PERCEPTION OF RAIN**

I loathe the rain— 
Its chill that seeps through when I drive, 
the relentless shivering of my hands, 
the longing for a warm blanket and coffee.

I watch the lady in red dash with her umbrella,
cradling her sobbing child;
frustrated men navigating the downpour,
a drenched dog seeking shelter,
a mother bird shielding her nest from collapsing-
each scene a portrait of misery.

The rain, a mournful whisper,
unveils forgotten sorrows,
reopening old wounds.

Yet all of that fades when I'm with you.

With you, the rain turns the soil into cedar and pine, 
The white of your eyes glowing against the dark sky, 
your ruby earrings jingling as we seek refuge,
your warm palms pressed against mine, 
cold drops on your face like morning mist. 
your occasional stumble through the mud, 
your mumbling melody as you hop around,
Your shivering voice asks, "Do you love the rain as much as I do?" 
I reply, "I love it all."

[Magpie]

The idea is a good one, I like the concept of the contrast between two separate views. There are a few elements that could be changed to help it. I think you need more of a contrast between the two views, in the sense that you could use harsher language and imagery to convey the first part - like using 'mongrel' instead of 'dog'.

**PERCEPTION OF RAIN**

I loathe the rain— 
Its chill that seeps through when I drive,  - 'drive' here seems odd - would it be better 'walk'
the relentless shivering of my hands, 
the longing for a warm blanket and coffee. - this image is too nice for this section. I would stick with harsh imagery

I watch the lady in red dash with her umbrella, - 'lady in red' ??? 
cradling her sobbing child;
frustrated men navigating the downpour, - again the image could be harsher
a drenched dog seeking shelter, - as mentioned above a word like 'mongrel' may work better - although I notice it messes with your alliteration 
a mother bird shielding her nest from collapsing-
each scene a portrait of misery. - this line is not needed - it is implied

The rain, a mournful whisper,
unveils forgotten sorrows,
reopening old wounds.    -- don't feel that this stanza is necessary either

Yet all of that fades when I'm with you. -- not sure if this line is needed either, it is implied by the next section

With you, the rain turns the soil into cedar and pine, 
The white of your eyes glowing against the dark sky, 
your ruby earrings jingling as we seek refuge, -- feels like there is a tense issue in these two lines 'glow' and 'jingle'
your warm palms pressed against mine,  -- 'press'
cold drops on your face like morning mist. 
your occasional stumble through the mud, 
your mumbling melody as you hop around,
Your shivering voice asks, "Do you love the rain as much as I do?" 
I reply, "I love it all."  -- last two lines are excellent and complete the poem well.

Overall a good concept, I feel that by enhancing the contrast of images, possibly by using harsher and more beautiful language, in the two sections would greatly help the poem.
I feel as though the second section might work well in the present tense as to further highlight the contrast.

Cheers for the read.
Mark

[Mark A Becker]

Hello, and welcome,

Your shivering voice asks, "Do you love the rain as much as I do?"
I reply, "I love it all."

That last line reveals some serious gas lighting by the N. Perhaps you could end it with something like:
"Don't you just love the rain?"
That way, readers can infer that there may be problems between N and the other person, which may be more than their reactions to rain.

The contrasting views could be made sharper with further editing.