Haiku
edited by Kala Ramesh
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Red Light district Mullahs' shadow hugs a sex worker
no matter where to look starry night
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busy footpath —
a drunk bends to study
his shoelaces
zoom meeting —
giving a presentation
in underpants
our first date —
a corn seller fans
the burning coal
dentist chamber —
people with swollen cheeks
exchange smiles
Sunday noon —
dad hums the wrong lyrics
in his washroom
street refreshments —
her gigantic mouth
gulping the rasgulla
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drifting rosepetals
breastfeeding to menopause
twenty turns around the sun
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midnight downpour
one last page
since three hours
fireflies
my journey has
just begun
used cologne
you linger even after
the funeral
twisted branches
the constant ache
to break free
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summer rain...
washed clothes
washed again
contracting my world myopia
a junction without signboards my palm
doctor’s prescription—
the last answer on my sheet
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over suburban marshlands the V of flamingos
the reiteration of life spring sun
marriage migration—
where do I belong
empty womb
how my 35-year-old self
appears
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storm and primroses
beyond my threshold
neighbor's fickle mood
down on my knees
weeding the onions ...
silent worship
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attic trove –
looking for identity
among yellowed pages
kite flying –
his small hand in mine
trying to tame the wind
roaming the cloister –
lost in the carved pillars
a butterfly calls me back
beachcombing –
entangled fishing nets
talk of lost lives
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board riders
voices rise and fall
on a turquoise sea
leaving some of itself
in the moss
mist lifts from the lake
each strand
drawn with dew –
spider’s web
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opening the mailbox
a spider runs away
from the light
memories—
blackbirds scattered
in the backyard
late summer approaching
every crossroads
with caution
empty
the mailbox’s shadow
across the driveway
Sunday morning
in the window
another me
summer heat
paying the water bill
before it’s due
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country walk
giving a name to the flowers
I don't know
golden sunbeams
my haiku has the voice
of a magpie
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breakfast in bed
a cacao ceremony
in solitude
still embers
truth in the sunset
silent whispers
fireflies dropping beads of light expired in the moment
my torn kimono
along the seam
of five summers
snake charmer
a serpent's tongue
flickering
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Tai chi
through the willow tree
a gentle wind
falling petals
the way of spring
to say goodbye
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using father’s hammer
the nail’s shadow
shorter, shorter
waves keep sinking —
the lies I tell myself
about what I can’t
unmet accusation
the fish crumbles
to the fork
almost full big eyes and smallmouth
the moon a half-eaten snack
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wedding album promises to keep
moon clouding and clearing…
the baby
peekaboos his eyes
learning to walk
the spring mudflats…
lotus feet
shuttering the abandoned house
windblown morning
bugleweed
at the gate
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August sky
a column of woodsmoke
meets the clouds
I wonder how long
a thousand years is
drifting sands
spring break
a refugee child blows
dandelion puffs
lavender field
in and out of the flowers
mother’s yellow hat
the chill
in her gaze
winter moon
forest track
the song of a warbler
leads the way
a temple ruin
frost on the bones
of a crow
forgiving myself
the scent of cherry blossom
in the breeze
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called back
for another scan
the waning of spring
driving into the sunset blinded by birdspatter
the neighbor's St. Bernard comes lolloping over to rescue me
the crooked old tree too heavy with peaches
down your throat
still quivering--
sea cucumber
at the tip of an ancient island diving in