haikaiTALKS: a saturday gathering! 15th November 2025

haikaiTALKS: The Spacious Moment: Haiku and the Art of Presence|a saturday gathering under the banyan tree

A Disclaimer

Responsibility for the originality of the haikai rests solely with the submitting poet. 

If anyone feels that it is similar to another haikai, they are encouraged to contact the relevant poet directly.

Triveni Haikai India will take any action as recommended by the submitting poet.

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Special Guest Poet: Billie Dee

host: Srinivasa Sambangi 15th November 2025

haikaiTALKS: a saturday gathering under the banyan tree

Your Guest Poet for November: Billie Dee

haikaiTALKS 

The Spacious Moment: Haiku and the Art of Presence Billie Dee

We continue this week with two more haikai selected from the anthology Naad Anunaad (Kala Ramesh, Sanjuktaa Asopa, Shloka Shankar, eds. Pune, IN: Vishwakarma Publications, 2016, ISBN# 978-93-85665-33-2). Now write—then share your work here!

Part 3: Nature’s Chisel and Brush

What is seen is never just what is seen. In the best haikai, nature is not scenery; it is sensation,

motion, mood. The natural world becomes an artist, and we the marble, the canvas. A shaft of

light, a hush of mist, the rhythm of rain—each leaves its impression on body and mind.

morning mist ...

a stray sunbeam carves

the mountain

— Akila G.

mountain slate

the color of the sound

spring rain makes

— an’ya

Akila’s haiku is sculptural—light becomes a chisel shaping a terrain we cannot see fully through the mist. An’ya’s piece moves the other way, from the visual to the auditory, asking us to imagine color through sound. Both poems invite a synesthetic presence, where the senses merge and we feel nature as both subject and medium.

These are not descriptions. They are evocations—gestures toward the felt experience of

landscape, rendered with delicacy and restraint. Haiku like these remind us: to be present is not only to witness, but to be touched.

PROMPT: When did nature last mark you—softly or sharply? What imprint did it leave

behind? Make a list or sketch of these indelible moments, whether recent or from the

distant past—write from that. Share from that.

Please remember to help the rest of us shape our poems with your thoughtful, constructive critique. In the process, you will strengthen your own poetic voice.

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“A Dictionary of Haiku Classified by Season Words with Traditional and Modern Methods,” by Jane Reichhold:

https://thehaikufoundation.org/omeka/files/original/7fb6654a1dfd1afef97369da920530f8.pdf

Indian subcontinent SAIJIKI:

https://www.trivenihaikai.in/indian-saijiki

The Five Hundred Essential Japanese Season Words:

http://www.2hweb.net/haikai/renku/500ESWd.html

The World Kigo Database:

https://wkdkigodatabase03.blogspot.com/

The Yuki Teikei Haiku Season Word List:

https://yths.org/season-word-list/

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Thanks, Billie. Your notes, the examples you have given and your prompt are so breathtakingly stunning. Thank you so much. I hope more poets try to see 'ma' the way you have so superbly expressed.

Dear Members,

Waiting for your responses.

Please provide your feedback on others' commentary and poems as well. _()_

We are continuing haikaiTALKS in a grand manner!

Keep writing and commenting! _kala