Tags
Done for Haiku Horizons.
Water
rivulets
drumming on rooftops
midnight rains
2
midnight rains
drumming on rooftops
lullaby
Copyright © Celestine Nudanu 04/05/15 I appreciate your patience with me as I catch up on your blogs. Thanks a million! Shalom
Reading Pleasure 
Well done! I love the second one…rain becomes a lullaby.
Thank you Nicole. 🙂 The rains lulled me to sleep yesterday. 🙂
I hear them! are you having rains now?
Yes oo.We had one big one midnight today.In fact the lightening kept me awake (so afraid of thunder and lightening); but I fell asleep somewhere. 🙂
The rains were godsend since the April heat had been baking us. 🙂
For me rain is not a lullaby, but annoying. But I see your point and it’s eloquently put.
I agree dear friend. But I was so scared that it lulled me to sleep after a while. 🙂
I love hearing the rain fall when I have gone to bed at night, the sound it makes and steady light drizzle. It is hypnotic and always helps put me to sleep as do train whistles too. 🙂 Certain rhythmic sounds do that to me and I am more relaxed. When it is totally silent and still I literally think at times I hear my own brain rattling around with things stressing me or things that just won’t go idle and be put to sleep. Weird, huh? Have a great week, Celestine.
Surely, the cold winds alone can put me to sleep but the storms are a different things altogether.My fear keeps me awake with my cloth pulled over my head. The pitter-patter effect is what I call it as I drift off. 🙂
I know what you mean by hearing your own brain. It does happen to me on those my sleepless nights. But I’ve come to rely on prayer at those times. 🙂
Most definitely (I too rely on prayer to help with sleepless nights). If I can bring up a gray screen in my brain and shut out things from the day, or things coming it helps, too.
Definitely a drum on the skylight when there is a storm 😉
indeed! 🙂
Aha..aha…I could almost hear the melody 😊 Beautifully done, Celestine!
Panchali, thanks a million. 🙂
Very nice. This makes me long for rain on the roof. We are in year four of drought here.
What! But you have food! We would have starved to death by now or at best relied on aid!
This region was un-farmed desert before modern irrigation began.The soil is mostly thin and depends on chemical fertilizers and irrigation. And this is the part of the country that supplies most of America with fruits, nuts and vegetables.
The water supply in the western US has come from winter snow pack in mountains that feed rivers and is then held in reservoirs. There’s never been much rain in the seasons when most crops grow.
But there hasn’t been much precipitation. And (in this area) it’s gotten too warm for water to fall as snow or to remain as snow in the mountains.
Reservoirs throughout the western US are very low. Southern California is building a desalination plant as fast as they can. We’ve all been conserving.
But we’re are reaching the end of the water supply this year.
In California, the agriculture (that feeds the rest of the country) uses 80% of the state’s water supply. The 38 million people who live here use 20%. Farmers have been relentlessly pumping out of ancient aquifers trying to survive. We’ve taken a million acres out of cultivation in the state of California alone. The water table has already fallen out of reach of household wells in drier agricultural areas.
For this year, we’re done with the wet season. The water we have right now is the water we all have to last us till next winter. We can only pray for rain next winter.
I’m amazed there is so little attention being paid to this situation. I’m amazed to see neighbors water flowers and grass with fresh clean water. I’m amazed that people in my neighborhood tell me they don’t “believe in” the drought (like it’s a story to frighten children).
If things continue like this, housing values will have to drop. People will have to move away.
We’re not starving. Food is already much more expensive. We’re increasing imports.
I haven’t checked in on the hunger statistics in this country for a while. There are always more kids going to bed hungry here than one thinks.
Alice, since yesterday when I read your comment, I have been doing a lot of thinking. On my way home from work yesterday, I listened to a BBC commentary on the water situation in California which pretty summed up your observations above. It is frightening, to say the least. And I’m that concerned.
Day in and out I see people in my neighbourhood with cans, buckets, basins, and any receptacle at all of water on their heads. Lord only knows the distance they travel for the water and the state of the water. I’m ‘lucky’ to have an overhead tank which stores water bought from water vendors. Others who can afford sink wells in their homes for water. Yet others are able to harvest rainwater. But we still struggle for water on a daily basis.
Our country has been experiencing serious and almost devastating power rationing for almost two years. The water in the couple of hydro plants we have in the country has dwindled to zilch. Some private consortium have put up gas plants to augment the power supply. But it isn’t much. Small scale businesses have folded up here and there.
No matter how hard and long it rains, the waters have not been able to raise the water level in the dams.
But somehow, I always thought America was beyond all these. I always thought America had everything in reserve, food and water. The situation is dire indeed.
You certainly have it much tougher than we do. Where we are, the water still comes to us through our pipes. We’re metered and pay more the more we use. But we still have water.
But the aquifer the water comes from is being depleted faster than it can refill. They’ve moved wells inland to avoid sea water incursions. We’re lucky. There are towns where people are carrying rationed water home from a community tank.
We’re switching from hydro to natural gas and coal for electricity as well. There’s not enough water behind dams to generate electricity.
Probably the news doesn’t get out of the country. Those in charge of our media have a vested interest in pretending we’re over here thriving.
Beyond the western drought and the impact on agriculture, the American economy has been stumbling badly since 2009. Many small businesses have folded. Inflation in food and housing is big. Large chains are closing stores (Target, Sears). Big companies are laying people off in droves (Google, Boeing, IBM, Dow chemical, Microsoft, oil industry).
There aren’t many jobs. The jobs that are available don’t earn enough to even pay for housing expenses.
Americans still believe America is beyond such things. That’s the most frightening part.
I’m sorry for the struggles in your country. I wish for ways that the whole world could work together as one.
Recent interventions by the government has led the country down the path of desalination of the sea to make it wholesome for consumption. It has worked I hear and some parts of the capital city near the seashore are using the ‘free’ water. 🙂
What about the rest? 🙂
Aluta continua!
Hello Alice, which country has no rain for so long?
Stella,
Thanks for stopping by and for asking.
The western part of the United States, especially the state of California (423,970 km²) has had very little rain for over three years. The drought area of California supplies much of the fruits, vegetables for the rest of the country. The population of California is 39 million (12% of the US population).
See the current western state drought map at this US government web site:
http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/Home/RegionalDroughtMonitor.aspx?west
Thanks.
Alice
Rain drumming on rooftops sends us to the land of peaceful sleep. Lovely.
Thank you Stella, as always. 🙂
I love the soundof rain on the roof. Yourhaiku capture the feeling well
Suzanne, thank you.
The rhythm of your poem is like a lullaby! Wonderful 🙂
Sherry, thank you. 🙂
Love that kind of lullaby.
Glad to hear that. It kinds of soothing and peaceful, eventually. 🙂
Delicious. Water. 🙂
Hahaha! Thanks, sis. 🙂
It’s true. 😀
the 2nd one is so just beautiful. drumming raindrops and turning to a lullaby. That was really creative.
Thank you so much, Ajay. 🙂
“Lullaby” – perfect choice of words and creating an images of sound in that lovely haiku.
Judith, thank you. 🙂
One of my favourite lullaby:)
Great! 🙂
late night rain is sweetest music!
Yes! 🙂
it’s the best way to sleep with the rain coming down, I will go to bed early if it rains just to enjoy it better by getting warm and just listening. it’s the simple pleasures that make life good.
I do agree with you, Ste J. I have no problem if the rains are just that, rains and not a storm with the accompanying thunderclaps and lightening streaks. lol! 🙂
Lightning still makes me think the sky will fall on me, I suppose it is human instinct from years past. It’s like history lives on in me on that way.
🙂
beautiful haiku Celestine.. I can hear the sound of it and even feel that rainy cool in the air …
Oh Kokila, thanks . Your words are a delight. 🙂
superb ones Celestine… especially the second…
do read mine here: http://drishti.co/2015/05/04/water/
Thank you Archana. 🙂 Just from your place. 🙂
yep, just read… thanks dearie… 🙂 big hug!
You are welcome my dear. Have a lovely weekend. 🙂
I could relate to this Haiku, Celestine. I used to wake up in the middle of the night listening to sounds of rain tapping on the roof. Like you said, it’s kind of drumming. Beautiful Haiku! 🙂
Thank you so much, Balqis. Glad this resonates. 🙂
I find a nice rain quite therapeutic too. Ahhhhhhh…
Yes, I agree Rosy. It’s the storms that get me so afraid. 🙂
Same here – because you just never know…
🙂