Under the Bashō 2023
Haiku
Editor: Marilyn Ashbaugh (current)
Previous Editor: Kala Ramesh (2013 to August 2023)
the quiet violence
of a stray breath
dandelion clock…
the spring rain
revealing…
my backstory
winter stars held by night baby's breath
blinking cursor :: a Laxman rekha of words
silencing the mind white bellbird
my unhinged self snowdrop
catching all the vowels sequoia
ecdysis
deleting unused apps
from amma’s phone
moon shadow—
at the bend in the road
a young doe
the quiet house
in simple darkness ...
evening star
the self
i never knew
half moon
even if the sky is falling paper kites
love...
a moth near
the flame
chowka barah
the cushioned spot
occupied
(Chowka Bara or Ashta Chamma is a two or four-player board game from India, traditionally played with 4 or 6 cowry shells).
masi magham
the bougainvilleas too
take a dip
(On the day of Masi Magam, devotees gather near holy water bodies and take a dip in the water to remove the sins of present and past life).
𝘵𝘩𝘸𝘢𝘤𝘬
a tropical leaf
begins to drip water
walking past pigeons
spinning and flying
the pizza crust
advancing monsoon
a cloud scarfs the moon
Agni Nakshathram
some more curd rice
in the bird feeder
dusk
the world withdraws
in my silence
magnolia leaves ...
all my dreams
piling up
slow spring
not every flower
brings new words
birthday party
tearing through the last gift
slowly
uncle’s funeral;
we talk about
yesterday’s snow
cherry blossoms
the couple’s brief time
with their daughter
homeless vet
his maroon beret fills
with cherry petals
slow-moving river
the passing of clouds
and plastic
long lost book
a pressed four-leaf clover
still green
under streetlights
frost shimmers
on the bike lane
cold blue sky
we hover by the grave
making conversation
up-valley
ribbon of mist
first-quarter moon
white heron
shouldering ocean wind
first rain
November evening
rain-mutter
among the trees
nolen gur …
the warm taste of winter
on my tongue
ferrying clouds
the boatman
bursts into raga malhar
her flushed cheeks
when she catches him staring
a glowing angeethi
the tart taste
of childhood memories
raw mangoes
a little girl
on her brother’s shoulders –
the Rath Yatra rolls by
darkest hour…
Kali’s smile
in the diya
April sky
blossoms shaping and shaped
by their branches
daylong heat
the shadow play
of sunflowers
morning mist
a streetlight shining
from the night before
winter burial
starlings rearranging
in the sycamores