World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments

by Aimee Nezhukumatathil

If you could smell the wind off the wings of an ecstatic, teeny bat—if you could smell banana leaves drooping low and modest into the ruddy soil—if you could inhale clouds whirring so fast across the sky—that is what monsoon rain smells like.