Self-Inflicted Pain

It is raining, and the sky is pink and grey. I stand by the road and try to catch the raindrops on my tongue, but this is not New York and it is not snowing, and so most of it gets into my eyes instead. Rain tastes like tears. The speed camera flashes four times in quick sucession, merging with the red lights of the ambulance that attempts to streak past the bus but ends up looking like it's trundling along. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.

It is raining, and I catch my heel against a metal edge and cut myself. By accident, of course. On first look, the result is visibly disappointing. I stare frustratedly at the gash, and watch as the thin red liquid rushes from the surrounding skin and drowns the wound. Now I don't feel so bad anymore.

It is raining again. This time, I am bored with action, preferring rather, to pile two dusty years' worth of "Time" and "The Economist" around me in a circle. (Think seance of information). When the problems of the world are written down and discussed, even if you're surrounded by them. it is reassuring to note that you can demolish the piles by removing one magazine from the top of each pile, in either a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction.

Do not try this at home unless you feel like biting someone/are a history/political science student/masochist/ and are fully prepared to have one or all of the following:
1. Gargantuan headache,
2. Teary eyes/ leaky nose (from the tragedy or from the dust or from the eyestrain or from all of the above)
3.Claustrophobia
4. Genjutsu a.k.a illusions (even when you're looking at a blank wall, it's swimming with words. Even when you think you're sleeping, your mind's eye is scanning through words and more words)
5. Semi-illiteracy (which comes from being bombarded by too many words and you end up being unable to read the word 'unable' and you think it's 'u-nable'. It happens.)
6. Dry drowning (in words. To the uninitiated, it's all of the above plus the physical sensation of choking if you read another word be it from a roadsign/cereal box/instant noodle wrapper/ photostated advertisment stuck to wall at lift lobby/bus stop)

Then again, some people get these when they study for exams. Same difference.