Rains in Tirupati

That was when we lived in Tirupati,the holy town of Andhra Pradesh. The rains lashed our town for two days at a stretch and as we sat huddled up in our homes not a crow stirred from the trees in our street including the one-legged crow which was a favourite visitor to my house.

Rains in Tirupati

It rained all night and all day
Frogs croaked
From muddy cesspools
Wet crows shivered
On wind-buffeted branches
Stray dogs shook themselves
Of chilly wetness
Moths took wings
Of one-day glory
Coconut trees swayed
In rain-drenched delight
Droplets from the sky
Were manna to the farmers
Rivulets flowed on the hills
In shimmering cascades
The hills wore a mantle of green
Bright yellow flowers
Filled the air with fragrance
All the creatures of the earth
Joined in the chorus of life.