R.A.I.N. Eastchester Senior Center

OUR RESIDENT POET

MR. VICTOR M. DELGADO

Mr. Delgado is an accomplished poet who lives in the Bronx but also considers other parts of the world his home. He is inspired by every aspect of life, something you can see in his poetry.

As you read this page, you will be treated to several samples of his poetry. We are proud to include here a poem he wrote several years ago but dedicated it to the Founder of R.A.I.N, Mrs. Beatrice Castiglia-Catullo.

The poem is aptly titled "RAIN".

RAIN By Victor M. Delgado

It has been now five days of continuous rain.
Rain beating against my windowpane.
The sun has gone, maybe to Rome,
or maybe to Spain.

The patter of raindrops upon the roof,
Plus the overcast skies, add to the feeling of gloom.
All this as if to show that the waiting is longer for nature to bloom.

For some reason the birds stay motionless on the grass,
as if their wings are too wet to fly.
Maybe waiting for the cloudbursts to pass.
There is no urge to reach the sky.

RAIN, a blessing to the farmer,
brings me memories I'm trying to erase.
RAIN, a constant reminder
of better things, a warmer place.

Now the sun is out, the sky is blue,
but it is still raining, and not very far.
The proof is near my door,
as the tears drop down to the floor,
because it is raining in my heart.

My spirit is being torn apart.
Is it wise to hide my feelings?
Is life worth to continue living?
It is raining in my heart.

ABOUT THE POEM AND THE POET

Mr. Delgado had never met Bea Castiglia-Catullo before he wrote this poem. He met her for the first time on Friday, October 4, 2002, at The Harbor Restaurant on City Island.

He had prior to this meeting gratiously agreed to dedicate "RAIN" to Bea during the VISIONS Awards Ceremony that afternoon.

The remarkable thing is that Bea thought of using the word "rain" as the name of the organization now called R.A.I.N. (Regional Aid for Interim Needs). As the story goes: "Beatrice Castiglia-Catullo, wife, mother and homemaker, worked as a charge nurse in a local Bronx hospital. She was raising three children together with her husband Al and, at the same time, cared for her mother-in-law who was terminally ill with cancer.

After about a year, the strain became so heavy that Bea was on the brink of mental and physical collapse. In her dilemma, Bea turned to prayer and promised that if God would spare her life and her sanity, she would spend the rest of her life helping others in need.

In 1964 Bea started a program, with a gift of $500.00 from one of her patients, Mr. Monroe Lovinger, to help care for elderly patients who needed further care once they had been discharged from a hospital setting.

The story continues... "Bea wanted to give a name to the organization she had begun. During a rainstorm, Bea was watching it rain and decided to call her program "RAIN".

As Bea stated in her address celebrating the 38th Anniversary of R.A.I.N, "Today, R.A.I.N has grown to a vibrant, credible and stable agency which provides comprehensive services to enhance the quality of life for all our clients."

To find out more about R.A.I.N., its Senior Centers and other services, you can click on this name as it appears in Out Hotlinks of R.A.I.N. Eastchester Senior Center Home Page (http://www.raininc.org), or see below:

Email us
RAINADMIN@aol.com