By Shireen Singh
How I long to roam freely in the mustard fields
To smell the yellow colored flowers so that my soul is healed.
How I wish to watch the butterflies patiently
And catch them before they fly gracefully.
How I wish to feed the birds coloured black and grey
Before Nawab tries to shoo them away.
How I wish to hear the wind rustling through the leaves
All my sorrow and pain it relieves.
How wish to hide amongst the mustard plants
Nawab comes running to find me and goes crazy when he can’t.
How I long to lie down on the shedded flowers
In the mustard fields, as time passes in minutes and hours.
(Shireen Singh is an International Student in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia)
Shireen Singh: Longing for childhood
ABOUT SHIREEN SINGH: I have spent almost 22 years living on a farmhouse in Batala, Punjab, India. Those 22 years have been the best years of me life, giving me all the love and care.
Every small detail is etched in my memory.
‘Mustard Fields’ is a poem inspired by those wonderful years, of the beautiful mustard plants, I saw growing while I was growing up. It also refers to my pet Nawab – a black Labrador – who is the most loved member of my family and who reminds me of the happy child that is still there inside me. RIP Nawab.
Shireen with Nawab
