November Rain...

Tired of avoiding the puddles, I stomped into one deliberately. There! now the ends of my pants are tolerably thoroughly wet and not merely splattered damp - which is very irksomely irritating :)

It is November.
It is raining.
The raindrops fall lightly.

As I manoeuver my way clumsily to the bus-stop in noisy heels, I realise how gracefully time slipped by - in a colourful dance.

Time slipped by;
a fleeting shadow
escaping my glance

I am surprised at how fast time flies! Almost a year has passed. A myriad of events has transpired and yet, very little has been accomplished.

Time slipped by,
in a colourful dance,
like a performance
ending all too soon.

There is something blissful and quietly enigmatic about rain in November. Rain in March provides functional cool respite and rain in June or July is not quite as romantic. Perhaps November rains signal the year coming to end, a preparation for the preparation of all the upcoming festivities in December! Or perhaps November represents a lulling to the busy-ness; December is always bustling to keep warm from the cold of a years end - yet another year gone.

The storm has passed.
It is drizzling now.
I am walking,
And it´s hard to hold a candle
In the cold November rain.

While indulging in my girlish delight pattering around the puddles, I am transported back to my secondary school days where a couple of friends and I splish-splashed in the old basketball court of our alma mater, hollering angst ridden Guns and Roses numbers amidst a light drizzle. Ah! those were the days.

And it´s hard to hold a candle
In the cold November rain.

I am one of those people (yes there ARE others like me - who perpetually fail the listening comprehension component in primary school) who remain completely ignorant of the lyrics (includes song title and singer), save for the chorus or few catchy lines when attracted by a good tune. Therefore, all of you who know me would agree that it is three-fold miracle, that I can recall TWO lines from a G&R song that is titled November Rain. I have no inkling what the song is about.

"...And it´s hard to hold a candle, In the cold November rain" (Ok, it may be one sentence but it straddles TWO musical phases!) An imagery of a flood of stick figures each holding a lit candle, streaming in all directions and bustling past each other vividly comes to mind. Some ram into each other and their lights go out. Others walk too furiously and too far till they find themselves in darkness when their flame gets extinguised by the brutal winds they generate at such dizzy speeds. Still others simply lost their fire as they walk through the storm. But all around little fires are still aglow with fight and warmth. The initial panick is quelled by a passing flickering light... when a candle expires, all is not lost, the little stick figures just relight their candles and continue on their journey.

Though its hard to hold a candle
In the cold November rain.
I hold one faithfully
A flicker of Your gentle might.

Wherefore I traverse,
May it light
Paths of fellow earthly farers
And may they light mine
When its hard to hold a candle
In the cold November rain.