The Flood and the Clock

Riya scrolled listlessly through her phone that afternoon, hearing half-heartedly the hum of her ceiling fan. A video popped up , water surging through the streey narrow lanes of Dharali, a Himachal Pradesh village. Streets had disappeared, replaced by a churning brown river carrying chairs, buckets, and memories along with it.

A calming voice was heard through the din.

> "We waste our days judging people. We make ourselves better by shining our own light. We hurt others .sometimes directly, sometimes without even noticing it. We think we have so much time left. We ridicule someone's attempt, discourage them, or tell them they're wrong… without realizing what they're battling in silence."

Riya's brain froze. She recalled the times she'd downgraded her friend's artwork as "just a hobby," the times she'd rolled her eyes at her cousin's posting his poems on social media. None were done in a heart to injure but the voice in the video was right. One word, even carelessly tossed, can hurt a heart you can't see.

The scene showed a family chest-deep in water, clasping one bag between them.

> "If we can't encourage, we can at least not discourage. Because we don't know when, or how, something terrible will come like it came here in Dharali. Life changes faster than we imagine."

The voice ceased.

>"I don't mean that we should be alright with every evil. But if something is harmless, maybe we can learn to simply let it pass."

She replayed the video twice. Outdoors, the summer sky was serene, as if nothing could possibly occur. But she now knew storms never send invitations.

And sometimes, the flood isn't on the street. It's in the heart.

Reviews

[Lorry]

I think that you hit the nail on the head when you said that we waste our days judging people and posting for likes, turning our own thoughts into our personal universe, when life doesn't follow the rules of "ill make amends later", because we are not in a Hollywood movie where everything gets tied up neatly in a pretty bow in time for the credits rolling. Instead, most of us get barely a seconds notice that our time has concluded, or just long enough to regret those things we should never have said and certainly apologised for.
We can't all be saints but we can realise our own flaws too and not let things go too long before biting the bullet and apologising for the many things that seem little but can build into mountains of impenetrability.
Very nicely captured.

[Kady R.]

Hiii Nehaaa,

Wooww this poems is filled with so much self awareness, then the vivid imagry about the protagonist hometown and ending this poem with a metaphor. So beautifully written Neha. I love how the protagonist looked within herself while going through harship. I feel self reflection is so important for growth within yourself and with others.

Neha you have a heart to where you care of people and it shows in your writings. I'm greatful you share about the impact we have on one another.

Thanks for sharing
Kady

[Betty Hermelee]

It seems we all make these mistakes of thinking only about ourselves, but when tragedy strikes, we all need to reconsider our mood and try to sympathize more with those we know, instead of criticize ….. your words are perfect in portraying this scene…. it’s a lesson to be learned… fine writing
Warmly, B🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷

[Neha agrawal]

Very true Betty! We need to think about others too before it's too late

[Betty Hermelee]

You are very welcome!!!
Warmly, B

[emmajoygreen]

Visibly credible, Neha agrawa. Us beings need see and feel things away from Self. Learn day by day that we have at least one thing more than another person; that we will survive what others cannot.

Such wise words here, emotional - yes, but certainly not flooding your wisdom.

'Outdoors, the summer sky was serene, as if nothing could possibly occur. But she now knew storms never send invitations.
And sometimes, the flood isn't on the street. It's in the heart.'

[Neha agrawal]

It’s true strength often comes quietly, and storms don’t wait for permission.Thank you for the read 😊 and review.