I Dread the Rains

I dread the rains
When it pours in torrents,
My life becomes a nightmare
When my house turns a pond,

Muddy water gushes in-
Thick, brown and slimy-
Bringing with it an odour
That fills the whole house,

Terrace becomes our refuge
Till we are rescued
And lodged in a safe house-
A temporary one for a week or so,

Rescue boats ply for a week
Ferrying people to and fro;
To live on charities
Has become our tragic lot,

When the water recedes,
We return to our homes-
The ones that were ravaged
And reeking of malodour,

It takes many days
For the stink of the flood
To show us some sympathy
By ending its tenancy,

A week more of struggle
It takes for all of us
To bring the house back
To its old livable state,

It’s an unfailing routine
For us in the low-lying areas,
Civic People have let us down
Leaving us to our own fate,

I dread the rains
When the skies open up,
My life becomes a nightmare
When my house turns a pond.

-Raghav R

Above is a poem I encountered a while back. I thought it would be a good fit for my post about Displacement because it shows how terrible and awful someone feels when the rains come. I interpreted it in my own way, and was reminded about the many displacements I have gone through and how they made me feel.