Sarah Das Gupta

Sound of Monsoon Rain
 
Sound of monsoon rain,
hundreds of fingers patter over the roof.
The notes of the sitar
sound from an open window
calling back pictures
tethered to the edge of memory.
Lilies in the gardens
seen through a curtain of rain,
shimmer and move with courtly grace,
rows of nautch dancers
behind a rainy haze.
 
The smooth face of the lake
is pitted and pocked with scars
as drops fall from the acacia trees.
Across the lawn, the tabla and sitar
call and answer each other,
the pace of the music quickens.
Clouds of insects hang over the water,
as they move up and down
on the currents of air,
their buzzing
rises then
falls.
 
The raga reaches a close.
Only the sound of monsoon rain . . .  
 

Sarah Das Gupta is a writer from Cambridge, UK who has also lived and worked in Kolkata, India and Tanzania. Her work has been published in over 150 magazines and anthologies in many countries, including USA, UK, Ireland, Australia, Canada, India, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Germany, Croatia, Romania among others.