Snorkelling in the Rain
Listen to Gillian ...
I like to look down
from a high window when it rains
to see the umbrellas
bloom and sway
like jellyfish in the sea.
They pulse open,
spin and bump gently
against each other,
as they float their way
through the crowded currents.
It’s fun, this snorkelling.
From up here, trains are eels,
buses are humpback whales,
the dog walker
is a fancy octopus.
I could watch for hours:
bright creatures at the edge
of the pavement barrier reef;
others, like hermit crabs,
darting into doorway shelters.
from a high window when it rains
to see the umbrellas
bloom and sway
like jellyfish in the sea.
They pulse open,
spin and bump gently
against each other,
as they float their way
through the crowded currents.
It’s fun, this snorkelling.
From up here, trains are eels,
buses are humpback whales,
the dog walker
is a fancy octopus.
I could watch for hours:
bright creatures at the edge
of the pavement barrier reef;
others, like hermit crabs,
darting into doorway shelters.
This poem is copyright (©) Gillian Spiller 2026
About the Writer
Gillian Spiller
Gillian Spiller is a Scottish poet and children’s author, who has spent many years living and teaching in S-E Asia, E Asia and the Middle East. She is the author of four picture books, The Blue Sock (2019), Star Sailor (2020), On The Shelf (2021) and A Shell for Cleo (2022) by Marshall Cavendish Ltd. (Asia). Her poetry for children is available on the British Council’s Learn English Kids website, as well as here on The Dirigible Balloon.
