Monday, June 27, 2005

june later

The wind carries the scent of the soaked earth on its fingers. I can feel those fingers above my lips and my nostrils flare, just a bit, as I deeply inhale the sultry warm satisfied scent and I get so excited with this smell.

The monsoons, the dark, swollen clouds are here, bearing beneficence. Suddenly there is twinkling gladness in the hearts, the greens are greener and the sun is milder like a father in a good mood.

I like my skin when it rains. Its moister and I don't really mind the sweat too in these times as it cools me down. Just a few days earlier and it was too hot even to sweat. I would get headaches almost daily, sort of like a fever. Thank god for those tiny tablets of Paracetmol, I must have them on me, for I never know when a headache strikes. Those drying winds and that angry sun have made their exit for this part of the play.

The sound of ceaseless water dripping and the cooler winds are still to come but the promise has been made.

There is something about this time of the year so special. I think the romance of the clouds is scattered with the rains and it imbues all that which it soaks.


Poetry tastes better with raindrops, I think.

Tell me, is the rose naked...? by Pablo Neruda

Tell me, is the rose naked Or is that her only dress?
Why do trees conceal The splendor of their roots?
Who hears the regrets Of the thieving automobile?
Is there anything in the world sadder
than a train standing in the rain?

39 comments:

Neel said...

This is so beautiful. I love the rain, I guess that is why I have always liked Seattle, and England.

You make lovely use of metaphor, I miss India!

Sue hardy-Dawson said...

Your post is like a poem I love that the wind carries the scent of soaked earth on her fingers. For me rain is a all too often guest when I long for sun, but it is that which preserves life. Lucky you you got your rain and I finally this weekend the sun. We had flooding locally last weekend

Sue hardy-Dawson said...

Did you do the tiles, what beautiful colours

deewani said...

Lovely words Gulnaz :-) I love the rain. It leaves you and everything around refreshed.
Lovely tiles too :-)

Surinder said...

oh yesss the monsoons are here in delhi !! .. and i just had to get wet too yest :-D .. it was sooooooo fun ..

and these words by you make those droplets of rain just wonderful :-)

Anonymous said...

Yeah, poetry and rain do go together...
... and Neruda is best enjoyed with a cuppa chai and pitter patter raindrops :)

venus said...

I love monsoons too! It is very romantic season. I don't mind getting wet either if the temperature outdoors is good. I, in fact, love to get wet in showers from the sky.

Rakesh said...

poetry is always best in rainly season..
i guess that is the reason many songs in bollywood is linked to rain...

{illyria} said...

rain is a muse all her own. she tickles you with wet fingers and all you can do is say yes. i just think you could be the goddess of rain prose.

bablu said...

Rain - I love the rains.

gulnaz said...

Neel, :) yes india is lovely during the monsoons. glad it bought you back memories of her.

Sue, thank you so much! i like the differences in weather between places and how one set of ppl long for what the other has....sort of puts things in the correct perspective.
yep, that is a tile i have painted upon. but (*sheepish smile*) what i have painted is a single flower and the other day when i was about to post it, started playing around and copied and pasted half of the picture, multiple images into a single one. am so glad u likedit :)

deewani, my sentiments, exactly. :)) thanks.

Surinder, thanks! :)) but hey they say you should avoid geting wet in the intial showers, wait for a few more. the initial showers have so much pollution.

Ash, just what i feel! :)) thanks...am off to get my cuppa now.

Venus, yes showers are just like romance. :)

Rakesh, lol, probably. :) what i had in mind was more the song from monsoon wedding's final scene (kava, kava) rather than tip tip barsa pani! :) bollywood uses rain scenes only to show the heroines in a drenched sari, i don't think they have poetry on their mind. ;)

transience, she tickles you with wet fingers and all you can do is say yes. you say it better! :)) thank you. ;)

bablu i am sure you do. ;)

Misreflection said...

Gs , you regard the elements of nature as one would a lover, that's incredibly sensual girl.. :)

jac said...

True, nothing sadder, but there are more than one like that.

sk8rn said...

I adore the image as orange is my favorite color. And you make monsoons sound so very appealing. Quite the opposite of their stereotype. Makes me want to experience one.

Russell CJ Duffy said...

this such a vibrant display or artful words that it could be a painting by monet

Bhisma Chakrabarti said...

bahut khubsoorat.

stella said...

i get headaches too in the heat and can almost sense the soothing sensation of the approaching rainfall.

- beautifully written.

DeeM said...

'milder, like a father in a good mood'. what an incredible line!
as always, a beautiful post gulnaz. I could smell the earth with you!

CC said...

Very lovely post. I find solace in the rain myself.

Akruti said...

Its raining nonstop here from tow days,and me back to bloghopping,i was reading u r blog everytime but couldn find time to put in a comment:) and the words by pablo r so touching:)
Have fun with the monsoons,its the most beautiful and amazing time of the year.

Joel said...

I am in the season when I miss the rain....when the mornings are bathed in fog....when the afternoons crowd us with the sunlight

gulnaz said...

Missy, whatcanisay ;)

jac, yep.

Sk8RN, thanks, orange is such a bright colour. :) you must experience the monsoons, i hope you do, you'll enjoy it.

Cj, awwwwww *bashful smiles*

wandering dervish, shukriya and khushaamded. :)

angel-A thanks, glad to find a kindered soul, even better an angel. :) the sun if strong, can give one headaches....i hate them. :(
come by again.

finnegan, you are so cute finn! ;) thanks. :)

stella, thanks, glad you liked it so! :) when i would tell somebody i'm getting a headache from the sun, they'd think am 'acting up' but then the dr told me it does cause headaches in some. 500mg of paracetmol works fine for me.

DeeM, :) am so pleased that you liked it! :))

P-f, lol. thanks sweetie!! :)

Canadian Corona, thank you...there is a sense of begining and hope in the rains at this time.
hey come again.

Akruti, yay for the rain gods! :)))
i was wondering where you had disappeared....
stick around. :)

Joel, wow, i just love the way you describe stuff, honestly. i might have told you this earlier but so what. :)

Faith said...

I love rain .. and I love your painting even more =)
very beautifully written G.

Anonymous said...

well, i just had to stop by again and tell you i like your writing, and your sense of humour with joel. im glad the paracetamol works for you.

gulnaz said...

Faith, thank you, i am so pleased you liked it. :))

Neel, i am flattered! hehehe. joel seriously writes very well.

ShaanCho said...

You almost carried me back to my childhood, but the 'paracetamol' broke the spell :-)
Neruda's 'Train...in the rain' is moving and well chosen.

Lorena said...

what sultry words and images.
"Poetry tastes better with raindrops, I think." I think so too. This makes me want to go out in the rain and spin and run and taste the water and be happy lost in it all. the picture is perfect to go with showing us "the wind carries the scent..."
such a pretty post gulnaz.
thanks for the diversion :)

small squirrel said...

*sigh*
thank god in just a few short weeks I finally get to experiene the monsoons for myself. until then I can live vicariously through your beautiful words. :)

mermaid said...

This is beautiful, Gulnaz. When you described the clouds, I thought of breasts. Sorry, but it was so sensual. I pictured her running in the rains, releasing her inhibitions to the sky, not caring that her makeup was smeared, her hair matted, and her clothing plastered to her form.

Aha, have you been running in the rain? If so, you better watch out for those prying eyes:)

Once again, your narrative is so eloquent and descriptive, I feel as if I am there.

Hirdu said...

:)

anumita said...

Nobody could have done more juctice to describing rains!

Jamie Dawn said...

Hi, Gulnaz. I'm back from Asia!!!!
Rain is often looked at from two perspectives.
It can be a total pain in the butt when you're in traffic or if it messes up your hair or makeup.
It can be a beautiful, joyous experience that cleanses us down to the inner toes of our soul
It all depends on our situaiton at the time.

Roger Stevens said...

The monsoon sounds very dramatic. We don't really have dramatic weather in the UK (well, except for the recent storms)

I don't think the strength of the weather does relate to the quality of a poem. Isn't that just giving poetry, which is abstract, a romantic quality of some kind. You can write a romantic poem, but that's a different thing.

I have an oft returned to fantasy set in a barn in the rain. But you probably don't want to hear that...

and even if you do, you're not going to.

Roger Stevens said...

I like the picture. Did you do that?

gulnaz said...

Santanu, a spell is a spell only if it is broken. ;)
thanks...:)

Lorena, anytime, anytime. :) and what have you described is glee, pure. :) ty

small squirrel, i'm flattered but my words are only the teasers...you'll see for yourself. i hope you have a great holiday in my country!

mermaid, i am quite a shy person, i'd never have the guts to be walking in the run if there were others around. :)))

thank you soooooo much!!! ;)

hirdu, :))

anumita, you flatter me, doesnt matter, i love it. :)
thanx

Jamie, welcome back!!!!!! :)) i checked out the pictures you have posted on flickr, looks like you had a great time, now i'm looking forward to reading your posts even more. :)
its all about the circumstances, u r absolutely right there.

Roger, now i know why we indians love so much drama, its in our weather! lol.

glad you liked the picture. :) yep, i did it, but what i have painted is a lil different from this. i had painted a single, complete flower. then when uploading it, i copied half of the pic and pasted multiple images in a new box and hence this image.

. : A : . said...

Beautiful Gulnaz. Very poetic and excellent imagery. I love the way you started it,

"The wind carries the scent of the soaked earth on its fingers. I can feel those fingers above my lips and my nostrils flare, just a bit, as I deeply inhale the sultry warm satisfied scent and I get so excited with this smell."

iamnasra said...

This is soooooooo amazing Gulnaz...
The wrods fal so sweetly like rain fall after long await to take away the summer heat

Thank you for sharing your poem with us

Pallavi said...

Love the rain in the mountains :)

gulnaz said...

>:A:., thanks!! :):))
it felt exactly like that. ;)

nasrai don't know if you get rains in yuor part of the world like we do...its really lovely to watch the dark clouds gather at the horizon. :)

pallavi oooh!!! :)))

yvainei'm glad you found my blog, i hope you come back again. :)