Dear Glorious Rain,

We wait nights and we wait days, and yet you do not come to Qatar. We look up at the sky searching for those dark, deep clouds that will signal your arrival and yet you do not come. We were told you would come in October, but now it is November and there is still no sign of you.

H.H. Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani and his father performed the istisqa prayer for rain in Qatar along with a number of schools all over the country on Thursday morning, and still you did not grace us with your presence.

We miss you. We miss the pitter patter of rain drops on the roof, we miss the feeling on our skin, we miss the many benefits you will bring with you when you come knocking at our windows.

When you finally arrive, you will bring with you a much needed respite from the hot, sticky weather. When you come, you will lower the temperature so we can enjoy the great outdoors. When you fall, we will catch you with open arms and faces outstretched to greet you.

When you appear, the dust will settle and the coughs and colds will disappear. When you touch the ground, the flowers will blossom, the grass will become greener, and all the plants will be watered. When you turn up, the air will become fresh, the air will be humidified and Qatar will be revitalized and refreshed.

When you finally reach us, you will redistribute fresh water within the water cycle, and you bring with you the benefits of negative ions. These irons are molecules without taste, without smell and cannot be seen.

When we inhale these negative ions, they will enter our blood and create biochemical reactions that aid in boosting our energy, making us feel happy, relieving stress and lessening depression.

Rain, rain… we await you… we need you… please come soon.

Waiting anxiously,

The people of Qatar.

Photo Credit: Ameer Abdul Razak