Rain

[heslopian]

I used to wonder why it always rains
in box office hits
as the monster obliterates Manhattan
and the soldiers tremble like kids playing War.

It's forever night in the business district
as the shadow of a scale appears on a cubicle wall,
the heroes wearing slickers as stop signs and cars
glisten through the relentless downpour.

Then I grew up and realised
that it was to obscure the special effects;
our vision is short in falling monsoons.
We can't see far enough to make out the midget
operating the controls in Godzilla's head.

The urban landscapes of darkness and damp
these cut-price visionaries create
hold an accidental charm.
Imagine. You and I standing on Main Street
as the ugly monuments to greed,
the dilapidated apartments and crumbling bars
become little more than blurry neon.
I take your hand as the camera pans out
revealing what looks like an undeveloped photograph,
and you and I in the centre, the sole definites.