The Rain And The Exodus

The afternoon was excessively humid The Earth seemed a seething hot furnace Dark clouds were gathering overhead Lightning drew fluorescent patterns in the sky Thunder boomed and rumbled A few sparse drops of water hit the window pane The air grew dark, leaves shivered Soon the rain pelted down in torrents Drumming on the corrugated tin roofs Spreading a dark curtain between the eye and the sky It poured down in full fury for about an hour In no time it flooded the ditches and hollows But its might slackened and it vanished as quickly As it had come, like a messenger on an urgent errand The day was dying and I witnessed another rain The rain of insects into the sequestered freedom of the night Termites and white ants, sleeping in the hollows Suddenly emerged from their lairs in thousands Out of every crack and cranny, every fissure and hole From under every boulder and brick Winged termites emerged, fluttering about dreamily Never knowing they were on their first and last flight They all flew towards the bright light in the porch But striking against the concrete ceiling They fell down one by one, some losing their wings And creeping on the floor, like wounded warriors A quivering swarm of insects, a clumsily moving mass This was the harvesting time for the geckos In one and two, the lizards emerged from their hide Flicking their tail, they stood ready for the catch Darting their sticky tongue, they began devouring The insects, hastily having their fill Until they could hold no more When the insects began invading the inner space I switched off all the lights and went to bed The cool air and the sonorous but rhythmic chants of the frogs Put my sleepy eyes into sound slumber Early morning as I woke up I saw the porch strewn with filmy wings of the termites They lay like scattered chaff after the corn has been stored Also some weak survivors, staggering to their end I thought, to what bleak fate, the exodus of insects Had taken off on wings for their maiden flight!