By G Akila
on and off
fireflies
... mood swing
last leaf ...
what does it take
to let go?
bedtime story
she asks me to be louder
for the stars
reunion –
the bamboo grove bursts
with babblers
Not lip-locked clouds the aftertaste of rain
By R Suresh Babu
the sky rolling
on a lotus leaf –
dewdrop
spring festival –
the yellow pollen
on her nose ring
granddaughter’s birthday –
the candles and cake
virtual
left out
of the wreath –
a dead flower
wedding anniversary –
daughter gifts me
a nodding doll
By Kanjini Devi
framed between
frangipani and a hedge
the photographer
queuing
around the block
weekly supplies and smiles
shooting season
a pair of mallards shuffle
to the old pond
sharing
a private joke
the donkey’s grin
loved ones
hovering by the door
touch-and-go
By Lakshmi Iyer
kite flying
I set free
my inhibitions
autumn breeze
another tiny cradle tied
to the temple tree
train journey
the gibbous moon
slips on my pillow
concrete jungle
banyan tree droop
with cement
first colouring book
sun rises with an orange
straw cap
By Ravi Kiran
finding its way
through the bylanes
a migrant’s song
setting sun
colours fade
silhouettes remain
trail’s end
the wind continues
between the pines
long after
the miscarriage
stretch marks
almost dawn
still searching for
the right words
Excerpted with permission from Late-Blooming Cherries: Haiku Poetry from India, edited by Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih and Rimi Nath, HarperCollins India.
