Monday, December 28, 2020

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)

Thursday, October 15, 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


Tuesday, July 21, 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




Tuesday, July 14, 2020

hedgerow, 2020

city riots
a raven pecks
at its own shadow


hedgerow #131 (spring, 2020)

Sunday, July 12, 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) 

 

 

Friday, July 3, 2020

Frameless Sky, 2020


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


Frameless Sky, Issue 12