Splash! She jumped with glee.
Drenching all around her, she whirled,
grinning, ‘It’s started raining!’ while
leaping into puddles, dancing in the rain.

A bit sad, she knew the summer was over.
Visits to cousins and grandparents,
sweet mangoes and pampering relatives,
No schoolwork, she played till it got dark,
relishing the cold water down her throat.

But she must bid the summers goodbye,
when one day it gets cloudy,
windy and loud very quickly.
Petrichor, pitter-patter followed by
swaying trees, and a cup of warm tea.

Blues, greens and browns,
No more sepia and scorched earth,
it’s time for cloudy skies, vivid colors.
Drinking it all in, she welcomes the rains.

Watching a race between raindrops-
cannibal drops gobbling the puny ones-
streaking across the window while her
father got her a corncob with extra lime.

Grandma always said, ‘First rains are lucky’
She took no chances, danced in every rain.
It always seems like summer lasts forever
until the first rains of next year, each year-
and she always knows where she’ll be when
the monsoon arrives, when it finally rains.