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Photo: Hamul ("sweetwater" in Kumeyaay) aka Jamul, summit of McGinty Mountain, San Diego County
Prayer for Rain
by Mandy Curo
Synopsis: I have always heard songs using sunny cloudless skies as an analogy for a perfect day. I disagree. For me, rain is a far more beautiful thing. From a Southern California girl’s perspective, water coming down and filling our dry land could never be seen as a bad thing; in fact, I pray for it constantly. In our earliest stories, we are told our Creator told us to ask Him for water, and he would bring it. To see it creating puddles and making sounds on the roof of my home, filling up the creek I used to play in as a child… it’s a blessed thing to experience. So here is a song I wrote back in 2015 about the day rains fell from the sky and the day everything fell into place.
‘Iipaattmatsay puuyuu. Matwaam pekwilly tewaa ‘echeyuwch nyii ‘enyaa ‘echeyuuw umaaw.Nyii ‘enyaa ‘echeyuw uumall umaaw. Mat ‘aaw ‘aa nyii nyewich umaaw tewaa.‘Iipaatt nyach wii tewaa, peshuw ‘uuchuch wii. Nyapoom, ‘enyaa ‘ehin, ‘ekwiimaay aapitt. Kepech’uurr ehun tewaa. ‘Ehaa maayk weyiw. ‘Iichash wettakches.‘Aa nyewaa weyiw ‘emaat temur. ‘Nyeyip pes nyii ‘echeyuwch nyewich umaaw tewaa.Nyanyinyuy, ‘uumall. Nyanyinyuy, ‘echeyuuw. ‘Iipaatt matsay nesoom. ‘Iipaatthaa methay nesoom. ‘Aa nyemich maayk wechun tewaa tewaa tewaa. Matwaamk,‘echeyuw ‘enyaa uumall shaahuk maay saarrap. ‘Shuuyuk nyaach pehekwii ‘echeyuw‘aa weyiw kwachaayip. Mat ‘aaw ‘uuchuch nyewich aakwayk wii. Maay ‘ehaa winy.‘Ekwiich winy. ‘Echeyuwch winy. Nyip matsay ‘ehaa tupit maayk. Maay ‘ehaanyaamat tetekay winy. Nyáama, ‘enyaawapch peshuw war. Maay ‘enyaawapch uuwuuwp.Puup hemull chehekaayph.
Nyemsapm,‘ekwiich hemull tewaa.
Pesheyaay nyip ‘enyaa peshuw tewaa
Sinychwettuk ‘ayakm ‘uuyuk waa puknaach
Sinych‘ekwii ewuuw ars
‘Uuchuch‘eshash ewuuw!
Iimaamáyum ‘ekwiich maayk wechan.
‘Ekwiichemaatvu wechan
Hawaapchepak
‘Ewaaaawinches pawaa. ‘Ewaa nyii tuuhwak umaaw.
Uusaytewa rrawches.
Cheyuuwtewa rrawches
Sallyhewak ‘emaaym aa-aa
‘Enyaachmmáyum ‘ekwiich maayk wechan
‘Iipaymarway meknaaps “meyay Keshuupiitt! Kaam!
Nyiinur umaaw! Mecheyuuw umaaw nyii ‘aa cha’yaaw menyewichvek umaaw.”
Peyap‘aa metiipuulp tapaa pes achpay ‘enyaa ehin ya’suum ‘emaat ‘aaw wumanh.
Iimaamáyum ‘ekwiich maayk wechan.
‘Ekwiichemaatvu wechan
Hawaapchepak
‘Ewaaaawinches pawaa. ‘Ewaa nyii tuuhwak umaaw
Uusaytewa rrawches.
Cheyuuwtewa rrawches
Sallyhewak ‘emaaym aa-aa
‘enyaachmmáyum ‘ekwiich maayk wechan
Nyapuumwemirrm machpayvek miichaavek
Nyapuumhepekwiivek umaaw, waamvek umaaw
NyapuumUmaaw! Nyip wecham llyepuuwar
Puknachshemapches. Weyuwh tiptik.
Maayewuuwh.
Nyemsapm,‘ekwiich hemull tewaa.
Pesheyaay nyip ‘enyaa Maay ‘ehaa wam wepaa
Sinywetuuk ‘ayakm ‘uuyuk waa puknach
Sinych‘ekwii ewuuw ars
Iimaamáyum ‘ekwiich maaykm wechan.
‘Ekwiichemaatvu wechan.
Hawaapchepak
‘Ewaaaawinches pawaa. ‘Ewaa temur wemirr.
Cheyuuwgitarr penyaa
Eyiiw‘emaay
‘Enyaachmmáyum ‘’ekwiich maayk wechan
