~Nabin Kumar Chhetri~
It is only September and the fields have turned gold.
Soon the harvest season will come
when the paddies grow tall enough
to whistle with the wind.
The sparrows will come
and build nests on the roof of houses.
They will weave strings of hay, preen
each other with their beaks,
lay their eggs and wait
till all the nestlings fly.
People will build larders to store the grain.
Smell of cow dung and bamboo will stay
in the house for many days
until it becomes a strong memory.
My mother will wake up early
and cook food for the harvesters
who will come everyday
with bandanas tied on their foreheads
and sickles on their backs.
During the day, scarecrows will guard our field.
At night, Father will stay awake on the machan
scaring the elephants with firecrackers. And soon
it will be October.
_______________________
Nabin Kumar Chhetri is a Nepalese poet. He is a member of Scottish PEN. He graduated with a degree of M.Litt in Novel from the University of Aberdeen. He has been awarded from Italy, Israel and Nepal for his poems. He recently won a special mention for his poem ‘Memory’ from Nosside International Poetry prize (UNESCO heritage Award) Italy. Last year he had won an honorary mention from the same organization. His poem has also been awarded by Miriam Felicia Lindberg Memorial Foundation, Israel. Another poem was awarded a Diploma from Edizioni Universum, Italy. His anthology ‘ Zero Passion ‘ ( ISBN No. 8186056238 ) published by writers Forum, India has been catalogued in the National Library, Minister of Culture, India.
His poems have been published in Poetry Scotland ( UK), S.N Review( US), Apple Valley Review(Canada), The London Grip(UK), Forge Journal (UK), Wayfarers(UK), Ricepaper Magazine(Canada), Penny Dreadful(USA), The Sun(India), Nosside Poetry Anthology 2010(Italy), Quest(India), Spinny Babbler(Nepal), Mawaheb(Canada), Poetry Quarterly(China), Fade Poetry Journal(UK), Cynic magazine(US), Tower Journal(US), Poetic Justice – Amnesty International Anthology (Scotland), Featured Poet of the week in Poetry Super Highway(US), Taj Mahal Review (India), Revival(Ireland), Reverie Poetry Journal(US), Sixers Review(US), The Essence(UK), The Kathmandu Post(Nepal), Red Ochre Lit Journal (US), Nosside Poetry Anthology 2011(Italy), Birds Eye Review(US), The Dupage Valley Review, Benedictine University’s Press (US) and Verse Wisconsin (US). Two more poems are due to appear in Fade Annual anthology (UK) and Canon’s Mouth Poetry Journal (UK).
(Source : Teesta Rangeet – Poetry Journal – Issue #4)
