Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Indian kukai January 2014

Indian kukai # 3 - call for entries has been posted.
This month the contest is being hosted by Kashinath Karmakar (Kash Poet) and yours truly and all you amazing poets are cordially invited.

Please check our blog (the link below) for the theme and further guidelines on how to participate.
http://www.indiankukai.blogspot.in/

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Coming soon...

the third edition of Indian kukai  brought to you by the IN haiku group.

The kukai had gone international in the last edition with participation from 12 countries and we are hoping that all you haiku poets from around the world will continue to support us in our endeavor with your active participation in the coming editions too. The uniqueness of this Indian kukai is that it gives you 7 points to play with during the voting phase, as opposed to the usual 6 points allotted in other kukai contests. Liberating, isn't it?

Please follow our blog here and watch this space for the next announcement that is going to come in just a few days.

Monday, December 23, 2013


Photo:creative commons

if i could give a name to this wind wild poppies

Frogpond 36.3

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

peep-toes haiga

 Have to share with you these two beautiful haiga by Jayashree Maniyil from Australia, which she did
based on my haiku published in DailyHaiku on December 8.I loved both the versions. You pick your favourite.



Saturday, November 30, 2013

November shiki kukai

 Another second place in The November Shiki kukai free format section. The winning entry in that section was this awesome ku by Vinay Ravindranath of our very own In haiku group:


ink puddle--
the words that
never were


And my runner-up ku :



this puddle
what my paper boat knows
of the sea 


Paresh Tiwari was in third place with this entry:


alley puddle--
 a paper boat  glides
over the stars

Incidentally, poets from India made a clean sweep of the top places in this free format section.

In the kigo section, I was in the fifth place with this ku :


morning chill-
the chimney smoke curls back
into itself

Monday, November 25, 2013

haiga: hoping

 A haiga I had done sometime ago and which just happened to match Neelam Dadhwal's prompt: "play" on IN haiku.


hoping 
to turn it around~
a nuthatch's world

Results of Indian Kukai #02

The results of the second edition of Indian kukai is out now.
Paresh Tiwari from India takes the top place with this absolute winner of an entry which gathered 37 points.

mustard fields--
a thimbleful of sun
in each blossom

Nd this entry by yours truly is placed second.


Margosa leaves
strumming the sunlight...
a poem I cannot write

There were many other beautiful entries from entrants all over the globe.You can view the full results here.

Thursday, November 21, 2013

a small stone







Crimson, scarlet or is it oxblood?
Over a bottle of shiraz, three women unsure
of the colour of the evening sun.

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Indi Kukai

I am a bit late with this post. Indian Kukai, the kukai contest organised by the IN haiku group, has gone international starting this month.So all you amazing poets and readers of this blog, please submit your entries to Indi kukai to make this endeavor successful. Last date of submission is 17th November. Only 3 days to go.
Please click on the link below to find out all the details.

INDIAN KUKAI

Saturday, September 28, 2013

The jinx continues (2)



orange peel-
the wrinkles and folds
I never noticed


 Shiki Kukai, free format section
September 2013
2nd place ( 18 points)

The jinx continues (1)


Milky way...
a billion reasons
to love him


Shiki kukai , Kigo section
September 2013,
2nd place (19 points)

Friday, September 27, 2013

The Indian kukai # 01

Our haiku group IN kukai held the first ever Indian kukai contest this month.

Kash poet and Vinay Ravindranath were the hosts for this inaugural edition and participation was limited to group members only.

Theme of the contest was "music', quality of the responses excellent and Nandini Nair took the first place with the following heart-warming haiku:


 my baby's heartbeat
against mine-
the rhythm for our lullaby

Nandini Nair

Arvinder Kaur secured the second place with this very pretty haiku:


distant echoes--
a murmuring brook 
in her anklets 

Arvinder Kaur
 



And I managed to get the the third place with this one:

misty moon--
I almost remember that song 
dad used to sing 



The other ones that deserve a special mention are these:

another winter night...
the lone watchman's
same whistle tune

RK Sameer 

and

 evening raga-
the prussian wing -tips
of a blue jay

Paresh Tiwari 



IN kukai has plans to go international with the Indian kukai very soon, probably by early next year. Watch this space for further details and announcements.


Saturday, September 21, 2013

September update



September has been hectic, but September has also been generous to me. At least poetry- wise. At the beginning of the month Lakeview International Journal Vol 1, No.2 ( http://issuu.com/lijla/docs/lijlaaugust2013)  ) came out with two of my haiku in it. Then there was the latest issue of A Hundred Gourds (http://www.ahundredgourds.com/ahg24/index24.html)  featuring thee of my haiku apart from a previously published one which was selected by Yoshiko McFarland as one of the ten that she translated into "earth language" by rendering it beautifully in her unique pictograph style.

Next , New Zealand poet Kirsten Cliff included one of my poems in her ongoing  Per Diem series on the theme of "dream speak" on the Haiku Foundation website.

My poem  was also published on Tinywords on September 6th (http://tinywords.com/2013/09/06/14107/  )

And to wrap it all up, I  got the third place in the European Kukai edition III. (See the beautiful e-diploma above.) I know, it's only a 3rd place. But it was my first try and there were 156 contestants in it, so cannot help feeling extremely happy about it.

I only hope the remaining part of the month also stays as kind to me as these three weeks were!

Sunday, August 25, 2013

life

 I had vowed to take a break from poetry two days back, hence no post from me in the past two days.
But along comes this prompt today from Michele Harvey on NaHaiWriMo and these lines follow. I don't know if you can call them poetry or haiku, but here they are for whatever they are!

August 25, 2013
Prompt: life


life            hung out to dry on the clothes-line



life
waiting huddled
at the bottom
of the stairs




life
coming home doused
with the scent of grass




life
I try you out
in front of the mirror




life 
leaping a little
 higher





life...
no loitering
 here




life  as soon as I forget about you




life    even without you    life





life
...because
you asked

 

 

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

August 21, 2013
(Prompt: favorite insect)


antsantsants...
the long line
of my peeves

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

August 20, 2013
(Prompt:favorite mineral/rock/stone)



emerald spring-
a curl of fern
under the rock

Monday, August 19, 2013

Seventeenth small stone





some days
a wayward wind enters
this darkened alley...
rattling the blue windows, it asks:
do you still remember me?











August 19, 2013
(Prompt:favorite plant/flower)

wildflower patch why ask my name

Sunday, August 18, 2013

August 18, 2013
(Prompt: favorite animal)

watching 
the meteor shower
my cat and I

Friday, August 16, 2013

August 16, 2013
(Prompt: intuition/clairvoyance)


sixth sense-
a sudden chill down my spine
on a sunny day

Thursday, August 15, 2013

August 15, 2013
(Prompt:touch)

Braille-
the baby's fingers
read my face

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

August 13. 2013
Prompt: (smell/nose)

smell of brewing tea
I open
the first mail 



August 14,2013
(Prompt: taste/mouth)

cave mouth
the taste of
fear 


Monday, August 12, 2013






 August 11, 2013
the theme this week is "senses". And the prompt for today :eyes/sight

 a flicker
in the cat's eyes-
blue butterfly


August 12, 2013
Prompt:sound/hearing

malhar notes...
the distinct sound
of each raindrop

Saturday, August 10, 2013

August 10,2013
(Prompt: smoke/smog)


city smog-
the honkings from
ghost cars

Friday, August 9, 2013

August 9,2013
(Prompt: hail/ice)


hailstorm...
all the sounds 
of our cold war

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

August 7, 2013
(Prompt:clouds)

overcast sky-
minnows in and out
of the clouds

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

August 6, 2013
(Prompt:storm)


brewing storm-
the packed suitcase
at the door

 

Monday, August 5, 2013

August 4
(Prompt:windy)


   autumn afternoon
dry leaves ahead
of the wind




August 5
(Prompt:dry/drought)

parched field the bleached white of a raven's bones

Saturday, August 3, 2013

August 3, 2013
(Prompt:sunny)

spring sun...
each daffodil holding
its echo

Friday, August 2, 2013

August 2, 2013
(Prompt:snow)

  Sshhh...
softly
  the      snow
              on       the     sidewalk       

Thursday, August 1, 2013

August 1, 2013

Michele Harvey is the prompter this month for NaHaiWriMo.
I'm not sure how long I'll be able to follow her prompts, maybe one week or 2 weeks . Let's see.
But meanwhile the theme of the week is 'weather with its many moods'.

(Prompt:rain)


scent of rain...
he says he doesn't
remember 


Monday, July 29, 2013

29th July, 2013
(Prompt:red)

placing the red dot
between the eyebrows-
her smile to herself

Saturday, July 27, 2013

28th July, 2013
(prompt:drench)


rain-drenched crocus
a stray kitten
at my doorstep
27th July, 2013
(prompt::any water blossom/water lily)



rippling  pond    the stillness of waterlilies


My orphan poem

July shiki kukai results are out and my haiku is languishing there somewhere near the bottom. As expected.At least I was smart enough with the request for anonymity...so that saves me the embarrassment.There are many such poems of mine from many past kukais..all.lying unclaimed, disowned.Will I ever have the confidence to own up these orphaned poems of mine?


evening glow-
an orange rim to the notes
of rain

Friday, July 26, 2013


 26th July, 2013
(Prompt: ruby)


stopped in my tracks-
those ruby eyes
at traffic lights

Thursday, July 25, 2013

25th July, 2013
( Prompt:shell)


 empty cicada shell       echoes from long ago



The interview by Ramesh Anand

Ramesh Anand, the noted haiku poet from India did an interview with me which went online on Muse India and Boloji poetry site on 23rd July, 2013.

You could read the interview here and  here.

Thank you, Ramesh, for giving me this platform to talk about something I am passionate about!

Tuesday, July 23, 2013


Trying to catch up in the last week of Gillena Cox's prompts on NaHaiWriMo, if I can!

23rd July, 2013
 (Prompt: swan:)



after the swan's flight the color of dusk


Monday, July 1, 2013

International kukai June 2013

mountain pass-
weaving in and out
of a hawk's cry



1st place winner (46 points)
This was done in response to a photo prompt by Rita Odeh. You can see the photo by clicking on the link above.

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Shiki Kukai June 2013

somewhere
within this seashell--
a stillborn moon



Shiki kukai June 2013,  free format section.

It received 14 points, placed maybe 7th or 8th. Somebody actually gave it a full 3 points! Which is
reward enough, as I had loved writing this one.

Friday, June 21, 2013

Shiki Kukai December 2012

As you might have guessed, I have written nothing much in the past few months and hence have to fall back upon my Shiki kukai entries in order to post in the blog.

 The one I have dug up today is from December, 2012.
The prompt was 'departing'.


time to go...
the dragonfly clings
to a dewdrop





It got only 7 points and the  reason I remember this is because somebody liked it enough to leave behind a lovely comment!
That means a lot!

Friday, June 7, 2013

Shiki kukai January 2013





calm water-
 a duck glides
over the morning star 



Going back a little to the beginning of this year, this one in January Shiki kukai , Kigo section received 18 points and was placed third. The prompt was: first calm.

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Shiki kukai May 2013





all day rain-
pond carps nibble
at the ripples







It managed to garner 11 points and was at the sixth or seventh place. As usual!

Monday, May 20, 2013

RaedLeafPoetry - India Award contest

Hi there!
So I'm back again after a long trip and a longer break and boy, am i happy to be back here!

Hope you all have been well and missing me just a little, perhaps!

As for me..I've missed a lot on the poetry scene and when i found Alan Summers was giving the prompts this month at NaHaiWriMo, i leapt to grab the chance, though am finding it so difficult to get back in the groove... But I won't bother you with all that, instead let me tell you today about this poetry contest...RaedLeafPoetry - India Award contest that Linda L Ashok,(Or,Linda the Livewire, which describes her better ) the poet from Hyderabad, India and the author of the book Significance of the insignificant  is holding on the Red Leaf poetry site founded by her and which promises to be really exciting. She has already finalized the list of  jury which consists of some well-known names from India and abroad.



Apart from haiku and related short forms , she will be accepting poetry in other genres as well.
Please take a look at Linda's page on Facebook here or contact her directly for all the details to make this contest a success by participating and sending in your best poetry. 

Saturday, March 23, 2013

I doodle, you ku, 2013 third week

What is a doodle-ku?

It is simply writing a poem to match a doodle or sketch  and is something similar to a haiga.

And what is a haiga?

To quote Michael Dylan Welch, "HAIGA is the art of combining brush painting, haiku, and calligraphy. A traditional haiga requires all three of these elements. Just as haiku succeeds by creating space and energy in the relationship of its two juxtaposed parts, haiga energizes viewers through the “leap” or even disjunction between the poem and the paint­ing (the painting is typically not an illustration of the poem).  Modern haiga sometimes replaces one of the three requirements, such as by using a photograph instead of a painting (also known as photo-haiga, or shahai in Japanese), or by typesetting words on a computer instead of using calligraphy. Some purists do not consider these variations to be authentic haiga, but they are increasingly popular as computer technology evolves. While traditional haiga will continue to require brush painting, haiku, and calligraphy, artists and poets have explored many additional combinations with pleasing re­sults, such as using collage and other mixed-media presentations."

The above was to answer the queries of the casual readers of this blog who are sometimes confused as to what is this doodle-ku all about? And the poems here will make better sense when read in conjunction with the doodles. So in order to see the accompanying doodles, please click here.

And now to the third week of  I doodle, you ku. I am surprised that I've come this far and here's what I wrote:

 March 15



 the headphones left behind
...listening to the sounds 
of silence



March 16



missing the mark
today this freedom
to flower 
somewhere, 
anywhere
 



March 17


ten years later-
still too big for me
to fill up

 


March 18



firefly this sudden longing to see you

March 19




splash...
the bucket brimming
with shards of moon


March 20   




the way
you strum me...
wind through the bamboo




March 21

unplugged-
tv viewing
at the old age home 

 

Friday, March 15, 2013

I doodle, you ku, 2013 - second week

We are through with the second week of I doodle, you ku and Aubrie's doodles are getting better and better while I am just managing to hang on. This is what i wrote for the 2nd week of IDYK. To see the accompanying doodles for each day, go here.

March 8

etched in milk the footprints of night


milk moon-
the silence
of your steps



March 9


this wordlessness
stuck at my throat-
new moon



March 10

loneliness-
the loon's call rippling
the sky 


March 11

a conversation
between the butterfly and beetle-
spring breeze 



March 12



too early
to worry about death a storm-
I board up the windows
nevertheless,
just in case...



March 13


reaching for the snowflakes
the bare arm
of the scare crow




spring snow
on her bare arm
 a blue moth 



March 14


on the other side
of the barbed wire fence-
spring




Thursday, March 7, 2013

I doodle, you ku 2013--first week

I promised (not to myself though) to stay off poetry for a while and focus on more pressing things like aadhar card, ATM card, repairs around the house, going on urgent shopping trips and last but not the least, sorting out a friend's love life. But when Aubrie Cox was back again on Yay words with her I doodle, you ku , 2013 , I knew I couldn't keep my word. Especially after listening to all  those woeful tales of a tormented soul and trying to play love guru,(which included taking a stroll at nine in the night up and down the street where the object of her affection is holed up), i I felt i could do with some counseling myself. So I plunge headlong into Aubrie's awesome doodles which never fail to brighten me up and though I know that this would mean a terrible rush by the end of the month ; for now I have made up my mind to enjoy myself without worrying about the future.Yes, that's the right attitude! And here's the first week's harvest! To see the accompanying doodles, please go here

March 1



sound
of wing flutter-
the blind cat's sigh


March 2



between the dark woods
and the dying fire-
our little white tent


March 3



your gaze
another wave reaches
the shore 



March 4



left on the table
last night and what I didn't
want to hear 


March 5


the railway track disappearing into the train's whistle

or,

the railway track the length of the train's whistle




March 6



not enough light
to read your mind-
chinese lanterns 




March 7


migrating bird-
two or three feathers left
on the window sill






Friday, March 1, 2013

NaHaiWriMo house week...day 23, 24, 26, 27 & 28

I lost quite a bit of momentum in NaHaiWriMo postings when I left to attend the Haiku India meet at Pune and though I had intended to catch up after coming back, couldn't quite succeed in doing it.

The theme of the final week was "house" and here are the few that I managed to slip in.


February 23 - Prompt - BEDROOM


waking up
in the old double-bed
the space between us



February  24 - Prompt - BATHROOM


cold shower-
a dolphin's leap
on the bathroom wall 




February26 - Prompt - CLOSET



child's closet-
following the ant trail
to the hidden chocolates




February 27 - Prompt - GARAGE



spring dusk-
the heat in the backseat
of the garaged car



February  28 - Prompt - KITCHEN



morning glories
through the kitchen window
Dad's off-key song 



 
 

Monday, February 18, 2013

NaHaiWriMo color week day 15,16, 17,18, 20

February 15 - Prompt - ORANGE

Submitted  to a journal



  February 16 - Prompt - RED

taillights 
disappearing-
last bus



February 17 - Prompt - BLACK



 courtroom trial-
the incessant cawing
of crows




February 18 - Prompt - GREEN


grasshopper
by grasshopper-
the garden greening 



February 20 - Prompt - WHITE


fragrance of starlight mogra flowers in her hair




Thursday, February 14, 2013

NaHaiWriMo outdoor week - day 14

February 14 - Prompt - HARBOUR



crescent moon-
a dinghy glides in 
between docked ships






 

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

NaHaiWriMo outdoor week - day 13

February 13 - Prompt - SHADE TREE


mahua tree in bloom-
on the Gond woman's cheeks
the rising colors 

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

NaHaiWriMO outdoor week - day 12

February 12 - Prompt - RIVER


anchored boat
the river
lapping
lapping

 


(This photo is from our trip to Ashtamudi, Kerala backwaters )

Monday, February 11, 2013

Sunday, February 10, 2013

NaHaiWriMo outdoor week - day 10

Prompt - February 10 - GARDEN


dew on the grass-
the cat circles
the first crocus 
 
 


Purple crocuses by M.Stephanie Kellerman

Saturday, February 9, 2013

NaHaiWriMo outdoor week - day 9

Prompt : February 9 - GLACIER


between the sky
and glacier-
the ragged edges
of silence 


 

Friday, February 8, 2013

NaHaiWriMo outdoor week - day 8

The second week at NaHaiWriMo, Michael Dylan Welch tells us, is going to be the outdoor week.

The prompt that begins this week is: HIKING



hikers' moon -
out of darkness
a tea shop's lights 



(image credit: Karen Winters)

Thursday, February 7, 2013

NaHaiWriMo food week - day 7

Prompt - February 7 - MILK


daydreaming the smell of burnt milk



(image credit:The bowl of milk by Berthe Morisot )

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

NaHaiWriMo food week - day 5

 Prompt - February 5 - VEGETABLES


teenage love-
slicing one green tomato
in two










Monday, February 4, 2013

NaHaiwriMo food week - day 4

 Prompt -  February 4 - SPICE/SPICES


turmeric moon-
on every page of Ma's cook book
a smear of gold




Sunday, February 3, 2013

NaHaiWriMo food week - day 3


Prompt - February 3 - CHEESE

extra cheese topping-
the waitress
in a high-slit skirt










Saturday, February 2, 2013

NaHaiWriMo food week - days 1 & 2

February NaHaiWriMo has begun again on Facebook, with the administrator, Michael Dylan Welch as the prompter  for the month, as has been the custom every year...and the theme of the first week is "food".

Prompt for 1st February -  PASTA
and my response :
                                                                          

        
Fettuccine with friends-
the strands of our conversation
smeared with sauce
                             

                 

Prompt  -  2nd February -EGG/EGGS


cupping 
the blue egg in my palms
warmth of moonlight  

Friday, February 1, 2013

He doodles you ku - (9th to 31st January)

 Before I start the post, welcome to all my four new followers! And also to the new visitors from not only neighbouring countries like China, Pakistan and Bangladesh, but also from countries like Montenegro, St Kitts and Nevis,South Korea, Lithuania and Belarus among others. I am so glad to have you visit my blog, but don't have the faintest clue as to who you are, so why don't you leave a word the next time you visit? I'd really love to hear from you once in a while and that goes for all my other regular visitors as well. Just a small comment to let me know you've been here! Not every time, but how about just once in a while? And I hope you've been enjoying my recent posts and the small stones.

Well then -  I had not been very regular with my doodleku(s), that's why i hadn't posted them here on the blog after the first week.But now that the month has drawn to an end, here's my harvest of ku...the responses to HM Yuan's doodles on Yay Words.

 Day 9



watching
my breath
the flame steadies




Day 10



last star--
the light going out
in her eyes 


Day 11

caught in the brambles-
the things I thought
I had forgotten



Day 12

from puddle to puddle my walk over the moon


 
Day 13


stoned window pane fighting the unseen



Day 14



new coolness-
slipping my hand 
through his 




Day 15


circling each other-
we search for
the right word 



Day 16



snowfall
or starry night
as long
as we have
each other 





Day 17



finger-painted clouds-
the weight of
all those lies 





Day   19




evening ennui-
finally, letting down
my hair 

or,

evening
letting down
my hair




Day 20



behind the lily pads-
a hint
of the moon 




Day 21



periwinkle-
my reply
in your mailbox 




 Day 22


her tiny hands
in mine-
moonlit path 





Day 23



night boating-
my oars stir
the milky way


daydreaming...
th boat settles 
n its reflection


Day 24


in the hibiscus
the hum
of honey bees 


Day 25


those eyes...
how do you read
the summer storm? 




Day 26

keeping one eye closed starry night



ice crystals
on the telescope lens-
sound of stars




Day 27



lost key-
the locked gate
to Neverland 



Day 28



stone curlew...
the butterfly takes
a closer look

five minutes at the bus stop-
a brief fling
with the wayward wind


Day 29


barred windows-
as if it could stop
the moon




Day 31

in his wake
my tattered dreams-
The Balloon man gone


You could see the accompanying doodles with all the ku here by clicking on that specific date.