Tanka Society of America, 2020

day 1

the strings

of her hospital gown

twist and turn

like the tumbleweed

on a deserted land

------

day 2

muscular pain

in his right shoulder

who knows

who is taking the brunt

of this pandemic?

------

day 3

unfolding

the folds of a green mask

my breath

that absorbs the warmth

of autumn sun

-------

day 4

falling

red maple leaves

outside the glass door

life after knowing

my test results

-------

day 5

migratory birds

fly past the hospital window

towards north

without leaving a clue

of this year’s fate

---------

day 6

night duty

I keep on stirring

lemon tea

until my image becomes

a whirlpool

--------

day 7

after the diagnosis 

her eye glasses reflect 

her optimism 

on the doctor's room's ceiling 

a rainbow 

Featured on Tanka Society of America, 20-26 December, 2020

The Blo͞o Outlier Journal, 2020

winter solstice
I become the shadow
of a river moon

An inaugural issue of The Blo͞o Outlier Journal (Winter Issue #1, 2020)

Chrysanthemum, 2020

border fence
divides my view
of the day
when I decided to know
about my self-identity


Grenzzaun
teilt meine Sicht
vom Tag
an dem ich entschied
mein Ich kennenzulernen


--------


train journey
back to home
after war…
I sing a lullaby
to the waning moon


Bahnreise
zurück nach Hause
nach dem Krieg
singe ich ein Wiegenlied
dem abnehmenden Mond

Chrysanthemum No. 28. October 2020

Presence, Britain's leading independent haiku journal, 2020

The Dispersal of Dust


self-isolation
seeking solace
in a distant constellation


light dots of rain
along the empty pavement


ghost town
moving away
from my shadow


hurrying along
a dust devil


evening stroll
the dust blurs
my vision


low cloud morning
the cough of an engine


heavy breath
some foreign particles
dilute my blood


riding the ragged road
stone words on my chest


covid-19
a thousand stories
on the tip of my tongue


making a to do list
same as yesterday


windswept market
the small fingerprints
on each rack


dust dry wind
the rattle of seedpods



Hifsa Ashraf and John Hawkhead

Presence, issue #67

hedgerow, 2020

city riots

a raven pecks

at its own shadow

hedgerow #131 (spring, 2020)

Autumn Moon Haiku Journal, 2020

unraked leaves – 

life on the verge 

of annihilation 

غیر مجتمع پتے -

 زندگی فنا ہونے

 کے قریب

Winter/fall 2020/21 issue, Vol 4:1

---------

beaver moon -
what is left behind
in this windswept field


سنگ آبی مہتاب
اس باد زدہ میدان میں
کیا باقی بچا ہے


Honorable Mentions in the Best of Autumn Moon Haiku Journal, Volume 3 (3:1 and 3:2) 

 

 

Frameless Sky, 2020

sitting together
after a long time
under the oak
my shadow and I

seeking nirvana

Frameless Sky, Issue 12

haikuniverse, 2020

revealing

my intimacy block

moon halo

haikuniverse, June 20th, 2020

re:Virals - haiku commentary

re:Virals 249


Welcome to re:Virals, The Haiku Foundation’s weekly poem commentary feature on some of the finest haiku ever written in English. This week’s poem was 

 plumes of smoke 

 curl around... 

 the half-opened roses 

 — Hifsa Ashraf, haikuniverse (2019)


Corine Timmer considers life’s rituals:


Each time I read this poem, a different image jumps to mind. One of them is a coffin in a place of worship; a child’s coffin. On top of the coffin is a bouquet of half open white roses. The roses are half open because the child died before reaching puberty. The roses are white because white petals represent peace after death and happiness in the afterlife. White also represents innocence. The plumes of scented smoke curling around the roses are from burning incense. Incense is used in rituals and ceremonies all over the world, including funerals. The word “curl” is a powerful choice. Like the plumes of smoke curling around, the image lingers in my mind, creating an almost magical atmosphere. The curls are like a final farewell. It’s hard to let go of a loved one. Rituals can help us by not only dosing the grieving process but adding a little magic, too. The second image that jumps to mind is of a group of young, teenage boys secretly smoking. At that age, smoking is perceived as exclusive to the adult world, a world every thirteen- or fourteen-year-old can’t wait to be a part of. I remember when I started smoking. My friends and I would try to outdo each other blowing smoke rings. The boys showed off, trying to impress the girls. In this scenario, the half open roses could be a metaphor for young teenage girls. A rose is the perfect flower choice for this hypothesis as it is commonly associated with love, confidentiality, and femininity.

Radhamani Sarma enters the garden:


Who doesn’t like the aroma of roses? The first line of this poem begins with a stunning image, taking us by surprise. “plumes of smoke” leads on to the second line, curling around roses, themselves a colorful bunch.

Possibly, the poet alludes to roses as a garden’s pride, all surrounded by foggy, smoky clusters during a wintry charm of blooms. This may be a reference to a cold winter with intense puffs of foggy smoke. The narrator admires the arresting blooms, the slow blossoms.

The third line’s shy offspring of roses slowly opens. This could be an entire garden, surrounded by the spiraling pale, a foggy pall of gloom, not giving a nod of go-ahead; hence, half-opened roses.

Another possible inference is that somewhere near the garden’s fence, a caring gardener is busy burning gathered branches causing smoke all around “the half-opened roses.” Obviously, there is an admirable emphasis on the wording; say it again and again and an auto-reply emerges. The poet’s acute observation is testified here.

Cezar-Florin Ciobîcă meditates on the apocalyptic:


The first part of this haiku highlights the threat looming in the area due to smoke, an image that immediately leads us to think about environmental pollution, a major problem of contemporary society, a highly industrialized one; or maybe, why not, it’s about an area affected by war, a bombed one.

The second part brings to the fore the disturbingly heartbreaking image of half-opened roses. The empathetic reader can feel how these flowers seem to somehow cry for help. It’s like seeing a baby wrapped in diapers left among the smoky ruins. The contrast between the two sides is so well constructed that it simply leaves you speechless and forces you to wonder what should be done. Unfortunately, humanity is too greedy for progress, supremacy and money and forgets to take care of the soul of the planet – mother nature with all its wonders.

The ellipsis can suggest tears of pain or those black plumes of smoke that stretch across the sky, deposit on the lungs of the planet and which, unfortunately, cannot be erased. At the same time, they invite us to meditate deeply on the consequences of pollution and war.

The whole picture is an apocalyptic one, and we should all feel guilty; accomplices, because we stand by idly. If we continue in this disastrous way, it means that we deserve the worst fate in the world. Let’s wake up and make the planet a better and more beautiful place for our children!

https://www.thehaikufoundation.org/2020/06/12/revirals-249/

Suspect Device Zine, 2020

polling day…

all day long

the owl’s hoot

toxic wind…

an election slogan becomes

white noise

#USElection2020 Issue 3 of Suspect Device

-----------------

colonised…

the ivy twines

around an old oak

 

-------

lush green prairie

the wind of change

broadens my (in)sight

 

Turning Japanese #2 – Holiday in Cambodia

 The second issue of Suspect Device Zine by Dr Tim Gardiner, September 2020

 

---------

 

republished

acid (ra)in (c)hang(i)ng the (s)oil co(m)position

First published in The Haiku Foundation- haiku dialogue, social issues, November 2019

--------------

asymptomatic his words that I can’t breath


The first issue of Suspect Device Zine by Dr Tim Gardiner

The Annual Betty Drevniok Award 2020

barbed wire fence 

the jigsaw puzzle 

of my homeland


Honourable Mention


The Annual Betty Drevniok Award 2020

Poetry Pea Podcast, haiku reading, 2020

rumbling louder
than the evening storm
a refugee’s belly


Poetry Pea, Series 3 Episode 22: Social Issues

---------

Poetrypea, April 2020 with audio recording.


Hi there and salaam. I hope everyone is feeling well and self-isolating.

This is my first recording of haiku poetry and I must thank Patricia for the encouragement. So, I have written three monoku about my deep feelings of self-isolation as I feel being a part of this world I am also emotionally and mentally affected by this pandemic. So the first monoku is about the lockdown where I feel I am in self-imprisonment, though this haiku is inspired by the lockdown in Kashmir where people are suffering due to hunger and mental health issues. Let me first read it.


evening wind the fence wire collapsing the stars


I always observe the various aspects of nature very closely that influence me deeply. Evening wind is therapeutic when I feel I am down or tired of my daily work routine and it soothes me when I want to meditate in an open place after having a busy day. In this context, evening wind carries the invisible particles that are poisonous maybe due to coronavirus that influenced my thoughts, creativity, and feelings. I feel as if I am in a prison where I cannot use my freedom of expression, can’t make constellations with stars, and can’t even share my feelings. The fence wire symbolizes the circumstances around me that are really disturbing due to some bitter realities.
My second monku is about my favourite theme ‘shadow’. I have written many haiku about shadow and darkness so this one I shared on twitter when Nicholas asked to share a haiku about this pandemic. So, let me first read it for you.


self isolating my shadow in the dark


This is my first experience of self-isolation for this long and I am still not ready to accept it or I may need more time to get adjusted to the new normal. I feel as if this self-isolation has taken away my urge to write as nothing inspires me. I feel myself in the dark all the time as there is no way of doing catharsis or ways to dig out myself and bring out some unknown feelings on the surface.
A different and a difficult experience of my life…..
My third haiku is about coronavirus as we have been hearing this word for about a month and ironically we still can’t see it. It seems like everywhere and we are in a constant fear of contracting it. So the haiku is….


invisible enemy lurking through both sides of the window


Being an invisible enemy who attacks us but doesn’t show its identity is more disturbing both physically and mentally. We are in a constant fear of contracting it no matter how careful we are. Both sides of the window are more like my inner self and my surroundings that make me uncertain and suspicious about the current circumstances and I feel as if I am being watched by this invisible virus. This is not less than a nightmare.
So here are my three monoku about covid 19. I hope you will like it. Please don’t forget to share your views about my thoughts and Asian accent. :) Bye.


My first haiku recording of monoku on a British podcast, Poetry Pea, Series 3 Episode 9: A New Dimension, https://poetrypea.com/1826-2/


Comments:


"I loved hearing Hifsa Ashraf. Her reading made me think suddenly of people who are caught on their own in this lockdown. Hearing her verbalise her thoughts was really powerful. I have been following the progress of her work and I believe some of what she does leading the field in the English language haiku genre.”

Mark Zero, A British Haiku Poet.


------


Your commentany was great Sis, your accent is soft and gentle and I loved all your covid ku, I completely understand what you mean by lockdown causing us to be uninspired, I have felt just the same, I've been relying on Baffled and his prompts to stir me into action.

Marilyn Ward

--------

Great Hifsa! Thanks for sharing. Love your haiku interpretation of Covid. Enjoyed your lovely accent too.

Christina Chin

--------

Lovely podcast, greatly enjoyed listening to both of you. Hifsa, your COVID monoku are brilliant!

Faye Brinsmead

--------

Love love love this! It was great to hear Hifsa Ashraf reading her poems and lovely to listen as she explained what they mean to her. As always a great offering by
The Poetry Pea.


m.shanepruett

--------

I really enjoyed listening this podcast, great work dear Patricia and great monoku with awesome commentary Hifsa di beautiful voice and very meaningful words

Bhawana

--------

Great podcast. The Poetry Pea & intriguing insights on your monoku thought process Hifsa about your accent since you asked & no holding back I rate it a 7/10.

Fractled

--------

Just listened to the podcast, and I enjoyed your monoku (especially the second one & your commentary on it)

Theresa

--------

was just listening to haiku; liked all three of them and the sincere descriptions. and voice does add an interesting dimension to it. thank you and The Poetry Pea

himanshu vyas

Cattails, 2020

revealing 

the raven tattoos 

on her neck 

when I ask 

about her insecurities 

---------

Departure 

It has been two weeks since you left this house and I still feel your presence all around. I inhale and exhale nothing but the loneliness in the morning. On the balcony, the birds peck into the bird feeder and fly away. The sunbeam through the bedroom window tries to warm my slumberous body and disappear. Some white fluffy clouds start gathering in the sky to cover the bright sun. The first half of the day passes and all these scenes make me ponder deeply about life that keeps on moving. 

settling dust 

on the window glass 

afternoon thoughts

Cattails, April 2020

Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, 2020

Honoured to have my haiku selected for the "Masters of Japanese Prints: Haiku" based on Japanese prints in the collection at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, England.

People sent in more than 800 beautiful, thought-provoking poems from thirty countries worldwide. 

The Third Edition of Santoka International Haiku & Haiga Contest, 2020

Highly Commended 

border fence…
a child plays peekaboo
with the hunter’s moon

granica
dete se igra žmurke sa
krvavim mesecom

国境で
まんまる月と
ピーカブー

The Third Edition of Santoka International Haiku Contest, “Loneliness”

and It's a big honour to cite this: 

It is a great honour to announce that we received 219 submissions from 40 countries for the 3rd Santoka International Haiku Contest.
We have singled out 6 haiku for the beauty of sabi they possess:
Translation into Serbian by Aleksandar Vasić.
Translation into Japanese by Margareta Samoran.


----------------------------------





new identity…
I follow the path
of a calm river

novi identitet…
pratim stazu
mirne reke

The Third Edition of Santoka International Haiga Contest

and It's a big honour to cite this: 

It is a great honour to announce that we received 45 submissions from 20 countries for the 3rd Santoka International Haiga Contest.
On this occasion, we have singled out 6 haiga for their profound beauty. They received this year’s awards.
Translation into Serbian by Aleksandar Vasić.

Certificates 

---------------------

Fireflies' Light, 2020

Joseph’s star1, 3, 5, 7, 7, 5, 3, and 1.

bright
summer sky
in a calm river
white sakura petals whirl
revealing inner beauty
that enchants zephyr
to spread our
love

love
in your eyes
a poet's dreams reshape
the slumberous horizon
and rekindle gloomy hues
to uplift my soul
for a true
glimpse

glimpse
of your face
in the morning dew
refreshing my memories
of pearly flowers posy
in your hands for me
our first love
spring


------------------------------


Serendipity(nonet)
serenity dances on summits
of Himalaya peaks that are
interwoven with the strings
of the river fog that
tickle the wounded
heart of dervish
who whirls for
divine
light


Fireflies' Light, issue 18 March

UHTS annual AHA Haiku/Senryu Contest, 2020

glacier ice 

floating in the water... 

disillusions

commended/shortlisted

Akita International Haiku Network, 2019

World Haiku Series 2019 (62)

Unpublished haiku 

hot stones
touching the core
of another life

熱い石
別の生命のコアに触れる

——-

Buddha and Sufi
facing the sun
spring equinox

仏陀とスーフィー
太陽に面している
春分

——-

tranquil koi pond
the yin-yang
of my dreams

静かな鯉の池
私の夢の陰陽

——-

wisteria tunnel
at the end…
my dreams

藤のトンネル
最後に…
私の夢

————————————————-

Published haiku 

plumes of smoke
curl around…
the half-opened roses

Haikuniverse, October 10th, 2019

もくもく立ち上がる煙
うずを巻く…
半分開いたバラ

——-

winter cleaning
moth wings cling
to mother’s scarf

hedgerow #128 (the summer issue)

冬の清掃
蛾がしがみつく
母のスカーフに

——-

summer sky
the kaleidoscope
of my dreams

Stardust Haiku, Issue 32 – August 2019

夏の空
私の夢の万華鏡

——-

sweltering day
the loud sound
of the dripping tap

August 2, 2019, ASAHI HAIKUIST NETWORK/ David McMurray

蒸し暑い日
滴下タップの大きな音
——-

peace negotiations —
a refugee child collects
the bullet shells

hedgerow, spring 127

和平交渉－
難民の子供が集める
弾丸の殻を

——-

sandpiper—
rolling back
the ebb tide

The Heron’s Nest, Volume XXI, Number 2: June 2019

シギ
転がって戻る
引き潮


— Translated by Hidenori Hiruta

The Mamba, Journal of Africa Haiku, 2020

refugee food camp
overlapping shadows
of the queuers

The Mamba, Journal of Africa Haiku, March issue #9

Stardust, 2020

taking a detour on my way back home persimmon moon

Stardust Haiku, issue 48, Dec 2020

----------------

moonflowers . . .

the only memory

of her lost child

Stardust Haiku, issue 46, Oct 2020

----------------

at the end

of her fading memory

monsoon sky

Stardust Haiku, issue 43

----------------

summer heat
beyond the mist
Asian hornets

Stardust Haiku, issue 42

----------------

spring breeze . . . 

the ballerina dance 

of fuchsia blossoms 

Stardust Haiku, issue 41


----------------


calla lily –
the slight curve
of her wedding gown

Stardust Haiku, February 2020, Issue 38

Also in 'jar of rain', The Red Moon Anthology of English-Language Haiku 2020.

The Bamboo Hut, 2020

an old refugee
jumps the queue
at the border
petrichor makes
him restless again


long food queue
wailing of children
gets louder
after a clang
from the empty food pots


a fleeing boy
following the fireflies
on the riverside
the epiphany of life
takes him beyond darkness

The Bamboo Hut Number 1 2020

ASAHI HAIKUIST NETWORK, 2020

relief camp …

the tiny mounds

of bread and soil

 

ASAHI HAIKUIST NETWORK/ David McMurray : The Asahi Shimbun
December 18, 2020

 

-------

carrion’s call...
a half-eaten loaf of bread
outside the camp

ASAHI HAIKUIST NETWORK/ David McMurray : The Asahi Shimbun
November 30, 2020

--------

hazy lights

across the street

ghost’s eyes

 

ASAHI HAIKUIST NETWORK/ David McMurray

October 30, 2020

———— 

pine tree silhouette
across the river
my inner demons

ASAHI HAIKUIST NETWORK/ David McMurray

October 16, 2020

———— 

ragged flag
on the border post
a ghost’s fingers

ASAHI HAIKUIST NETWORK/ David McMurray
September 4, 2020

————

first summer rain
a sinkhole reflects
the day moon

ASAHI HAIKUIST NETWORK/ David McMurray
July 17, 2020

————

unclogging
my evening thoughts
sprouts on a pavement


window gazing
the extra glow
of a river moon

ASAHI HAIKUIST NETWORK/ David McMurray

June 19, 2020

————

icicles
dripping my sorrows
drop by drop

————

hospice garden …
she collects the loose petals
of magnolia blossom

ASAHI HAIKUIST NETWORK/ David McMurray
February 21, 2020

---------

under snow 

dried Pipal leaves 

a dreamless night 

ASAHI HAIKUIST NETWORK/ David McMurray
February 7, 2020


---------

new year night … 

the young boy resets 

constellations

ASAHI HAIKUIST NETWORK/ David McMurray
February 1, 2020

---------

deep winter 

hoarfrost on attic window 

etching the sky

ASAHI HAIKUIST NETWORK/ David McMurray
January 17, 2020

The Haiku Foundation, 2020

 

Shakespeare’s rendition 

the show must go 

(on)line

HAIKU DIALOGUE – Connection through Art

--------

summer’s end

at the hospice window

hazy moon

HAIKU DIALOGUE – opposite attraction - arrive/leave

------------

 

icebreaker…

a crow cawing, outside

the polling station

HAIKU DIALOGUE – opposite attraction - loud/quiet

 

------------

 

below

the blueness

of sky blackout

 

HAIKU DIALOGUE – opposite attraction - above/below

  

 ------------

 

war cemetery – 

the big shadow 

of a small grave

 

 HAIKU DIALOGUE – opposite attraction - big/small

 

 ------------

 

warm sunlight… 

I let go the memory 

of his cold words

 

HAIKU DIALOGUE – opposite attraction - hot/cold

 

------------

 

lurking moon…

the uplifting waves

of her room’s curtains

 

HAIKU DIALOGUE – the way of the thief

------------

sleepless night the weight of a tilted family photograph

HAIKU DIALOGUE – bedridden

------------

self-isolation thoughts mending the broken cobweb

HAIKU DIALOGUE – the way of the housekeeper 

------------

Murree chairlift

I scribble a poem

on every passing cloud

HAIKU DIALOGUE – the way of the itinerant

------------

dinner alone

the aroma of garam masala

mixed with fog

HAIKU DIALOGUE – the way of the chef
----------

honeycomb

on a *tahli branch
stinging memories


*A Punjabi name for Dalbergia sissoo tree

HAIKU DIALOGUE – the way of the gardener 

----------


orange sky —
he paves the way
for departure

HAIKU DIALOGUE – Haiku Prism – Orange


----------


evening horizon
the flying birds uplift
the crimson waves


HAIKU DIALOGUE – Haiku Prism – Red


----------


one after another
the pink clouds refine
my thoughts


HAIKU DIALOGUE – Haiku Prism – Pink


beyond
my breaking point…
magnolia blossoms

HAIKU DIALOGUE – Haiku Prism – White

----------

summer twilight…
the fading whistle
of a shoe polisher

HAIKU DIALOGUE – Haiku Prism – Purple

----------

housebound thoughts
a swarm of morphos
on the tree trunk


HAIKU DIALOGUE – Haiku Prism – Blue

----------

pale moon
I work from home
till midnight

HAIKU DIALOGUE – Haiku Prism – Yellow

----------


self-isolation
the lingering fragrance
of wildflowers


HAIKU DIALOGUE – The Haiku Mind – Signs of Spring


---------- 

refugee camp…
the lingering smell
of desi roti


HAIKU DIALOGUE – The Haiku Mind – Favorite Meal


----------


a shrill cry
of the koala bear
distant thunder


HAIKU DIALOGUE – The Haiku Mind – Wild Animals


---------- 

spring sky —
I reach to the edge
of this universe


HAIKU DIALOGUE – The Haiku Mind – Sky’s Expanse


----------


wave after wave
the moon weaves my silence
into a symphony


HAIKU DIALOGUE – The Haiku Mind – Water in Motion 

----------

afternoon meditation
the dust is settling
in an empty bowl 

HAIKU DIALOGUE – Seeing Beyond Seeing – Photo Two


---------

climate change y(our) new year’s resolution


Turn of the Decade – New Year’s Resolution

Better Than Starbucks, 2020

evening chill —
a homeless child cuddles
the old teddy bear

refugee camp . . .
the cricket chirps
in the broken vessel

(Absolutely powerful and haunting.)

broken walkie talkie —
a refugee child dials
the emergency number

threadbare blanket
the cold wind weaves
through the bones

pellet gun shooting
a homeless child connects
the red spots

Better Than Starbucks! January 2020 Vol V  No I

https://www.betterthanstarbucks.org/haiku

Black Bamboo, Better Than Starbucks Haiku Anthology 2020, ISBN 

9781716491382