the cherita, 2025

lily buds

after mom’s
departure
falling apart


Gembun anthology 18

sunsets never last (gembun anthologies) Paperback – March 25, 2025


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-------

solitude walk

uplifting
a cricket’s chirp
in the moonlit pond

Gembun anthology, 17


----

pre-dawn sky

the stillness
of my cupped hands
for dua

Gembun anthology, 17

just before dark (gembun anthologies Book 17) Kindle Edition
by ai li (Author) ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0DV4P4XZM
Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 25, 2025




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The Cherita, 2023

 

clouds without rain

where the red clay cracks

over our dreams

whistling the songs of emptiness

John Hawkhead & Hifsa Ashraf 

deepening night is, Gembun Anthology, 05

------

lingering moonlight

in mom’s garden

white orchids

blossoms too know of transience

Hifsa Ashraf and Arvinder Kaur

Gembun Anthology, 05

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The Cherita, 2022

dusk

my daughter
reminds me
 
to close the window
 
Arvinder Kaur and Hifsa Ashraf

at twilight
 
the parallel rivers
center parting
of her silver hair
 
Arvinder Kaur and Hifsa Ashraf

------

dust tattooed faces

echoes

of hooves

along the cobbles

 

 

Hifsa Ashraf & John Hawkhead 

Gembun Anthology, 04

------

harvest wind 
swaying in the field
mustard blossoms
 
a rain of blood and tears
 
Hifsa Ashraf & John Hawkhead 

windswept rain, Gembun Anthology 4

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-------

Eid moon gazing

the solitude
of a day without you
amid festivities

Hifsa Ashraf and Arvinder Kaur

evening, Gembun Anthology 2

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-------

muscle memory

his old hands clutch

at what might have been

 

in the cold evening

when he disowns

his own shadow

John Hawkhead and Hifsa Ashraf (Issue 5.9 February 2022)

The Cherita, 2021

loose knot

a wooden bucket

swaying in the well

 

stilled reflection

our chosen star

becomes a black hole

 

Hifsa Ashraf and John Hawkhead #5:4 September 2021

 

------

 

old oak branches

 

curl around

its shadow

 

the deer’s heart

beating a path

for the bullet

Hifsa Ashraf and John Hawkhead #5:5 October 2021

 

------

  

white noise

the rippling caw

of a mountain crow

 

scents of splintered pine

wash over the high falls

 

snowmelt in her eyes

 

 Hifsa Ashraf and John Hawkhead #5:6 November 2021

The Cherita, 2019

mirage

a river flows
across the sand dunes

wild imagination
drenches my intellect
to its core

a home for the wind, edition 3:8 of the cherita

--------------
surrendering

old willow
touches the soil

the deep rooted
connection
with true self

----

reflecting

shards
of the dollhouse

inner war
that ruins the faces
of innocent souls

----

deep inside

old wooden door
with big holes

I let go
of my heart to grope
the lost persona

----

kaleidoscope

summer sky
with bird songs

attuned to
the symphony
of my aura

rush of wings, edition 3:7 of the cherita
--------------

inner light

into the abyss
of midnight darkness

emerging
out of nowhere
my mystic self

the storyteller, edition 3:6 of the cherita
--------------

salvation

beyond the curls
of incense smoke

my repentance
takes me to the core
of my somber heart

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

first love

morning breeze
caressing my feelings

and I reminiscence
my first spring with you
in the family garden 

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

with a conviction

when I meditate
for a peaceful mind

I hear
the sweet melody
of my inner voice


coming home late, edition 3:3 of the cherita

The Cherita, 2018

another monsoon


keep me awake
these summer nights


once I start drowning
in the flood water
of my deprivations


*********

double rainbow


she paints everyday
her innocent wish


whenever raindrops
fall on the window
of this old orphanage


*********


wishful morning


blowing on dandelions
into the dense fog


this uncertainty of life
takes us to the level
where we believe in unknown


the sound of water, edition 2:9

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

plastic bags

cling to the bushes
after the flood

who knows
who will survive
at the end


*********

bare oak

covered with hoarfrost
in the family garden

the day we decided
to settle down
our family feud


*********

childhood memories

on the wall
shadows of ravens

I sketch
various images
of my deepest fears

whisper me free, edition 2:8