Siesta (poem)


"Siesta" is one of the best known poems of Shampa Sinha, the Indian born Australian poet. The poem won First Prize in the Fifth All India Poetry Competition conducted by The Poetry Society in 1993. The poem was the second major award winning work of Shampa Sinha after she won the Best Young Poet award at the Third National Poetry Competition in 1991 for the poem "The Difference".

Excerpts from the poem

Comments and criticism

Shampa Sinha wrote the poem when she was a 15-year-old high school student. The poem has received positive reviews since its first publication in 1994 in the book Voices of the Future. The poem has been frequently quoted in scholarly analysis of contemporary Indian English poetry. The poem is regarded by critics as a jewel in contemporary Indian poetry.