Kandala Singh

Mountain Return

Accept each bump of the rickety bus. Study the snowline of the Dhauladhar range. It’s OK—throw up. Take the watermelon and sherbet offered by strangers. Rest your head in a travel pillow. Greet the forest of blue pine, framing your destination like a picture postcard.

biting a pine needle the taste of the mountain

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About the Author

Kandala Singh lives in New Delhi, in a flat that looks out at Ashoka trees, and escapes to the mountains as often as she can. Her writing has appeared in Rattle, Eclectica, SWWIM Every Day, Hindustan Times, The Alipore Post, and Failed Haiku, among other places. You can find her on Instagram @kandalasingh.