A WEEKLY WRITING CHALLENGE BY HEARTLINE PUBLICATIONS

Monsoon Confession

Finding prayer, peace, and the courage to speak in the rain.

Photo by Marina Nazina on Unsplash

Rain has never reminded me of romance. It reminds me of a window.

The moment the first drops kiss the earth, you’ll find me there — elbows resting on the windowsill, watching the world disappear behind curtains of rain, speaking to God as though we’ve planned this meeting all week.

“My Lord…” I’ll begin. Then everything spills out. The dreams I’ve been too afraid to say aloud. The prayers I keep editing before they leave my lips. The little victories no one noticed. The disappointments that made my smile feel borrowed. Down to whoever annoyed me that week.

Somewhere in the middle of my rambling, the thunder rolls. I grin. “Was that a yes?” Another rumble. “Or are You laughing at me?”

I know thunder doesn’t answer questions. Lightning doesn’t nod in agreement. Clouds don’t carry replies wrapped in sound. But for a little while, I let them.

Sometimes I’ll pause and whisper, “Show me a sign.” And nothing happens. The silence stretches so long that I laugh at myself for expecting the sky to interrupt. Then, just as I continue talking… Boom. I laugh too. Coincidence, perhaps. Mercy, definitely.

Those conversations have become my favourite kind of prayer — the kind without rehearsed words or perfect Arabic, just a girl telling her Lord about everything and nothing at all.

Eventually, my siblings wander in. “Who are you talking to?” Before I can answer, my mum is already calling my name, convinced I’ve finally started losing my mind. Maybe I have. Or maybe I’ve simply found a place where my heart speaks the loudest.

Rain also carries smaller memories. The giant rubber tubs we’d leave outside, praying the downpour would fill them enough for us to climb in and pretend they were swimming pools.

Paper boats sailing like explorers across muddy puddles. The stubborn child in me still wants to run outside every time it’s chucking it down, arms wide open, convinced happiness can be caught in raindrops.

Perhaps that’s my monsoon confession. When it rains, I don’t just hear the weather. I hear the quietest version of my soul finally finding the courage to speak.

A big thank you to Heartline Publications, Gauri and Annaya for this beautiful prompt. I’m tagging some of my favorite writers here: Pari Sharma, WordsInWilderness, Sriram Yaladandi, Katarina B., Sudeshna Hajra.

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