A thin cardboard packet of incense sticks,
With picture of the sampangi flower,
The fragrance elusive, a faint mix,
Not the aroma that I remembered.

From the tree that my father had planted,
Years ago in a city left behind,
The yellow flowers which enchanted,
And the sweet fragrance that filled the dusk air.

Those flowers do not grow in this city,
I miss those flowering sampangi trees,
Carefree days and blossoms pretty,
Sweet and lingering are those memories. 

Note: The Sampangi (Magnolia champaca) flowers are yellow-orange, with long oval petals  and have a strong intoxicating fragrance. Commonly used for incense sticks though rarely do they smell as well or as strong as the flower.