Rain Pain

 Let’s not get it wrong . I love rains . Who doesn’t ? Specially , our beloved plants . Every tree , shrub , bush and blade of grass has come alive , all around . All have burst into verdant joy . Pale green heart shaped leaves of parasitic vines have raced up , from sheer nothingness , to cloak every dead and living tree , and smother ,bend and overwhelm every growing bush , in an emerald hued celebration of life .

Incessant rains have wet the un wettable parts of giant mango , jackfruit , shisham , sal , gulmohur , tamrind and jamun elders . Their overhead canopies , some 20 feet off the ground , has suddenly shot off in every direction , shutting off the rudimentary patches of sunshine that found its way to the forest floor . The forest appears dark , hostile , damp and dangerous . 

The forest floor has been gifted with new leafy clothings , that cloak every rotting log , every ditch and thorny branch . Even walking through the forest is fraught with hidden dangers . Then there are mosquitoes . Those pesky ,invisible produce of the moist , warm soil. Before you know , every square inch of your exposed skin is covered in welts , and you have slapped yourself silly , for no reason . One can imagine clouds of these blood suckers chuckling away after filling their bellies with your warm blood , watching you slap yourself , wherever they have stung . For the itch begins later .

Centipedes crawl out of bathroom drains , inspecting your toes , catching you in the act , literally , as you read your thought for the morning on whatsapp . Millipedes , less malignant , but numerous still , crawl up your drying towel , and fall at your feet , begging forgiveness , rolling up into tight maroon -black bundles bristling with a “million “ feet. 

On wet nights , snakes chase frogs across glistening strips of asphalts, , and are both squished , mid chase , by racing , impatient , automobiles . Their corpses remain ghastily plastered , for days , till they are weathered into nothingness .

Frogs croak in the night , vying with each other . Crickets chirp , water drips , nothing dries .

We , humans , are forever at war with the forces of nature .

We don’t like being wet always , unlike the potted plants . We , in fact , like certain chinese evergreens , start falling sick . Gastric upsets , running noses , allergies , flu and joint pains , every ailment exacerbates during monsoons .

Then come the tree roots . If there are old gigantic trees in the vicinity of your home , their roots will find a way into your feeder pipes or sewage outlets , and proliferate there with glee , blocking it summarily .