Night-time.
During the great Indian summer.
With no respite
From the heat and sweat as folks slumber.

With a power cut in the neighborhood,
I flung open the window and curtains
Hoping for the breeze to do me some good,
But the warm gusts brought no changes.

As I drifted in and out of sleep,
I became conscious of a presence.
And, even as I was drowsy,
My senses were heightened.

It started with a humming
A stretched low mmmmmm.
Then, an ominous silence –
And my eyelids drooped again.

Suddenly, I felt a sharp pritch!
By pritch, I mean a prick and itch,
And that shattered my sleep.
Cursing loudly, I turned on the light switch.

It took me time to adjust my sight,
But there she was in all her glory –
A mosquito in her flight,
And that was the start of this war story.

In a rage, I leapt up towards her,
But missed squashing her narrowly.
As if taunting me, she buzzed slower
And inched closer towards me.

Not to be outdone, I dodged sideward
Trying to catch her with one hand.
Missed again! Oh yes! She was clever
As she mmmmed away unharmed.

I stared at her with focused intent.
Was that her laughter or just my mind?
Then, the chase commenced,
As I smacked my hands many times.

Of her death, I was so convinced,
But when I stopped, I wasn’t right.
Into my view, she flew with nonchalance,
As if mocking at my plight.

Furious, I folded a newspaper
“Never give up,” a caption read.
I jumped about whacking the air,
But she was indomitably still there.

In disbelief, I went to the window
And opened the net to gasp the cool air.
Dawn was breaking through with a glow
As she finally cruised outside with flair.

The battle was won, though I lost the war,
But here is the lesson you should know –
Never underestimate the power
Of a common mosquito.