after the summer
that lasted too long
the scent of shiuli
that lasted too long
the scent of shiuli
The shiuli (shiuli/parijat, Nyctanthes arbor-tristis) is strongly associated with autumn in Bengal and with the arrival of Durga Puja. Its delicate fragrance can evoke the festival before the celebrations themselves begin. The flower carries a sense of anticipation, nostalgia and seasonal renewal.
~
Vandana Parashar is an associate editor of haikuKATHA and one of the editors of Poetry Pea and #FemkuMag. Her debut e-chapbook, I Am, was published by Title IX Press (now Moth Orchid Press) in 2019, and her second chapbook, Alone, I Am Not, was published by Velvet Dusk Publishing in April 2022. She won the 2025 HIGH/COO Chapbook Award, and her third chapbook was published by Brooks Books. She is a Lord Shiva devotee but believes in goodness of thoughts, words and deeds rather than following elaborate rituals to appease God. She likes to spend time with nature and herself.
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