Monsoon Ghosts

Mumbai has been thrashed , the last few evenings, by an onslaught of  rain amidst a lot of grumbling thunder and crackling lightning.  This odd-timed rain is of no use to the ones who really look forward, year after year , to a good monsoon for their crops. Like our esteemed politicians, all fire and brimstone, noise, and no substance.

My friend Magiceye, captured a typical rainy late evening scene in a suburb of Mumbai, as folks return home , on dark roads, lit only by vehicle headlights sometimes,  with dull visibility,  and a sense of having to make do with the  lack of proper infrastructure. 

Looked ghostlike. Two bright eyes, bobbing and floating in the gloom. Till I realized whose ghost it could be .

The Monsoon ghost
its energy spent this year,
simply wandering around,
loaded
with sound and bright fury,
in totally random places,
finally
descends on Mumbai
like a politician
with no substance,
flying in
amidst lights
by a
noisy helicopter,
but with nothing
useful to say.

Walking ,
slithering,
finding his way
amidst dark potholed roads,
trees cowering under
an onslaught
of illegal building plans
sanctioned,
and empty roads,
lit by a lone four wheeler
limping on
expensive fuel.

A lone dog,
wandering ,
looking for shelter,
gives him a look,
sneezes,
emits a disgusted moan,
and disappears into the darkness.