Summers

Summer shrivels cucumbers and sapiens alike

At 48 degrees the wind sizzles

Sweat simmers

And like a slimy earthworm impertinently insolently slithers down shins

Creating ripples of tickles

Which do not titillate or amuse

But irritate

The fiery onslaught has only just begun

Long haul casts short shadows of horrific inertia

Respite is denied entry even in dreams

Could there be a possibility of summer hibernation in cool caverns?

I chide myself for wishing for an escape

And not being man enough to face

The mere idea of a short trip to mountains exhilarates

The anticipation excites much more than the trip does

Because no sooner does the trip begin

Than the desperation of it getting over sets in

Denting the joy of mountains

The bubbling euphoria fizzled out in the face of long solid traffic jams

The roads were under major repairs or being built anew or widened

And all car owners had decided to head for mountains that weekend

And others had hired taxis

Creating incredible solid phalanx of vehicles

A distance of mere 300 kilometers ate up our whole precious day of twelve hours

But the first shimmery glance of the Naini lake

Washed away fatigue

Two days of bliss followed

To sufficiently brace us up to face the long summer

That was a fallacious thought

Which dissipated while waiting in the long phalanx of fuming traffic back

Accepting destiny we plunged back in the boiling cauldron

To singe in the fire of hell for four more months in total surrender

And then came my call from America

A twenty hour flight transported me across the globe

Sun shone bright in Chicago as I alighted

But it was minus the scorching heat

The cool wind that blew was welcome after the scorching 48 degrees fresh on my skin

The drizzle even more

Almost inviting me to soak in

Following pleasant long drive and day long partying seemed surreal

And daughter’s home a haven to repose

The uninterrupted undulating green vista that met my eyes next morning

Created an illusion of an idyllic paradise

The peace, the scenic spectacle, the lake, the flowers, the weather truly transported me

To a new and novel sublime experience