When The Sky Cries

When the sky cries, the clouds thicken and multiply to create an impenetrable sheet that disguises how unattractively it sobs. The farmers are grateful for it: the end of the drought is a moment for rejoice, for they will have produce to sell soon, their land nourished with the tears that fall in heavy pellets. The children hate it. It makes them miserable, stuck up inside because everyone knows it's dangerous to play when the sky cries. The ground becomes slippery, but not only that – when the sky cries, its tears are infectious. To be poisoned with the same sadness that could overcome the vast wrath that is the sky is a fatal end. Why, something must be quite mighty to force the sky into depression. Sky tears are only safe when they have been purified – perfect for humans to drink and bathe in.

When the sky smiles, its cheeks burn brightly and wash the land with joy and warmth. Children love it – hours of endless play in the daylight! However, a little change of heart can turn the jolly warmth to sweltering fire that causes the people to panic and the children to be forced inside again. This can happen when the sky laughs: the world heats up to distract the beings from the way its brow crinkles with mirth. Even the sky has insecurities – but shouldn’t that be expected? Its face everywhere on the planet earth. Everyone looks at it every day, judging its color, judging its appearance. Why wouldn’t the sky have insecurities?

When the sky blushes, a gradient of the most beautiful colors paints the horizon. People like to take pictures and gush over its beauty. The sky blushes regularly, usually just before it goes to sleep, some more intensely than others. It’s an interesting subject to think of who or what could be making the sky blush.

When the sky scowls, it means trouble. The clouds are not enough to hide how it contorts in its anger – a deep rumbling comes from above, the irritated growling from the very heights of the sky’s mind. Sometimes it throws such a rage that light crashes down from its face and incinerates anything in its path. The sky is merciless when it is angered, no wonder some are scared of its storms.

When the sky sleeps, everything goes dark for the night, and the moon and stars are forced to show themselves to light people’s way. The sky usually sleeps peacefully and happily, but sometimes it goes chilly, and it’s still chilly when the sky wakes, and then there’s months and months where everything is just cold… sometimes it even cries icily it becomes so miserable…

The real question is why and how the sky is like this. Some might go immediately to science for the answer. Some may refer to the higher power or powers they believe in. Nobody really knows – except me. I know the real reason the sky expresses emotion.

It all started at the very beginning of time, when the earth was without any humans but thriving with beauty. It was vainly absorbed in its gorgeous waterfalls and vastly open seas that glittered dreamily; its towering mountains, rock carved exquisitely by nature; its lush forests that could spread for miles. So absorbed, in fact, that it hardly noticed when the sky fell deeply in love with its beauty just the same. The sky confessed its undying adoration, and the earth rejected it sourly, too self-obsessed for its own good.

The sky didn’t know what to do with itself. It hugged the earth blindly, shedding its tears for the first time ever.

The earth started to gain visitors, some who loved its natural beauty fully like the sky. However, the earth didn’t reject them. They were free to stay, to roam and to craft with the resources the earth happily provided. They showered in the waterfalls and fished in the sea; explored its mountains, climbed them adventurously; camped in its forests and devoured the fruits it grew. The sky grew jealous, and emotions started to get the better of them, still wrapped determinedly around its unrequited love.

When the sky cries, it withers in its sorrow for its bitter rejection by the earth. Sometimes its sorrow is short, sometimes long and seemingly endless, sometimes it carries throughout its sleeping.

When the sky smiles, it momentarily is lost in a content trance, joyous watching the natural beauties and man-made facilities intertwine and the earth’s humans explore and love the earth how the sky always wished it could.

When the sky blushes, it's when its thinking of scenarios before it drifts of to sleep, scenarios of how it and the earth could’ve been.

When the sky scowls, its anger and jealousy at the humans and at the earth’s vanity takes control. It throws rages at the earth, determined to punish it and attack the humans and animals for their ignorance.

When the sky sleeps, its emotion spent exhausts it. A well-deserved break is taken after a long day.

The sky gets a little depressed sometimes, just like a human might. It sinks into a misery it doesn’t know if it’ll ever get out of. After all this time, the sky still loves the earth. It still hugs onto it, unsure of what it could ever do if it let go. The sky is huge, we all know that. That means its heart is just as big, and for a heart that big to be broken is a feat. No wonder it cries so openly sometimes. It’s impossible to heal such a heart.

The earth is going to get flooded tonight, and the sky isn’t going to hold back. The earth has begun to warm up lately, and the sky suspects it has finally learnt to love others and has feelings for someone else. The sky doesn’t bother to even hope it may be the one it warms for.

When the sky cries, today, no number of clouds can hide how it writhes in its drowning sadness.