The Last Fragrance of Petrichor
A lyrical prose
Do you remember the petrichor of Spring? The first rain. The silvery raindrops, the sitar, and you and I dancing in the rain and wet like the green hills. Ah! what a time that was.
We could connect with each other at that time, with our hearts and souls. It was such a magical time. Now, when I close my eyes sitting by the window in my study on an April evening, I just wait for a chunk of cloud in the sharp blue of the sky.
That was a really beautiful time, you know. I’m so grateful that we got to live in that time. We used to spend the evenings talking about my poetry and your art. You were such a genius, you know? Each painting you made was an enlightening experience for me. Taught me to look inside my soul. I learned to live. I learned so much about myself and about you too. And those melodies in your music system… We loved listening to Bach and Chopin while you painted and I was engulfed in my world of books. Do you know it was so perfect! I even kept imagining our future home. How we would build and decorate every little corner of our dream house with art, books, and music! Remember? Every Spring when it started raining, we’d go to our magical secret place. The forest to the west of the village, where we made a swing. That was the most breathtaking thing I’ve done in my life ever! I would swing in the rain when you’d play your violin. We were children then. Just started to go to high school…
The way we connected, we bonded at that time…it would not have been possible in these days. The world has become smart, but no one remembers the taste of life and love. People these days! They ignore anything that may leave them broken or damaged. They love to compete with each other. Likes and validation from unknown people on the smartphone- that’s all they have. They don’t care for the soul-piercing fragrance of the petrichor anymore, the sound of rain, or the scent of the new blossoms in the garden. All they care about is whose garden is more beautiful. Silly competitions! Sometimes I think what if this silliness turns the entire human civilization into a species that is unable to survive on its own. What if they forget that they are the most intelligent species on the planet for a reason.
(Sigh) This is a time when people can’t connect at a humane level. They just know how to connect with fellow people on social media. Every relation, every connection is based on business or personal gains.
Maybe we’ll be the last generation for whom the earth mattered, the beauty of every season mattered, the connection of the heart mattered, the bonding mattered! Maybe we’ll be the last ones with memories — surreal yet lifelike!
Outside, it has started to rain. It’s the same window we used to stand and watch together the first raindrops dripping from the roof. I still keep the music playing on our music system, whenever the rain patterns or when I write.
I know you’ll be home soon. Because I know you haven’t changed, even after so many years. You’ll come to me, say the last goodbye. This is going to be the last time I’ll smell the petrichor…
Don’t forget me, love!
