HAIKUsutradhar : 12th September 2025

A FRIDAY FEATURE

Host: Gauri Dixit Mentor: Kanjini Devi

Prompter for September : Nitu Yumnam

OUR MISSION

1. To provide a new poetry workshop each Friday, along with a prompt.

2. To select haiku, senryu, and haiga each month for the journal, haikuKATHA. Each issue will select poems that were posted in this forum from the 3rd of the previous month to the 2nd of the current month.

FEEDBACK GUIDELINES ( Included as a guideline, please do not be constrained by these while proving feedback )

Let the feedback be specific and constructive. Don’t be vague. Here are some helpful lines you could use to give feedback.

What is working for me :

1. The seasonal reference is good.

2. The image is very clear.

3. I love the internal rhythm.

4. When read aloud, the poem flows well.

5. The 'cut' which is so important in haiku is effectively done here.

6. I like the format ...it's short,long, short. Nice

7. I love the indent you have given

Points that aren't working for me:

1. The image is abstract

2. The lines are long.

3. Some words are redundant and can be safely removed.

4. The lightness of haiku isn't here.

5. Abstract words take away the haiku's charm

6. There is no 'cut' (kire) in this haiku.

7. There are two kigo (seasonal words) in this ku.

8. This is reading more like free verse.

9. This ku is reading as three separate lines. There is no connect.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

1. Post a maximum of two verses per week, from Friday to Friday, numbered 1 & 2. Post only one haiku in a day, in 24 hours.

2. Only post unpublished verses --- nothing that has appeared in peer-reviewed or edited journals, anthologies, your webpage, social media, etc.

3. Only post original verses.

4. For each poem you post, comment on one other person’s poem.

5. Give feedback only to those poets who have requested it.

6. Do not post a variety of drafts, along with a request for readers to choose which they like most. Only one poem is to appear in each original post.

7. Post each revision, if you have any, above the original. The top version will be your submission to haikuKATHA. Do not delete the original post.

8. Do not submit found poetry or split sequences.

9. Do not post photos, except for haiga.

10. haikuKATHA will only consider haiga that showcase original artwork or photos. Post details re: the source of the visual image. If you team up with an artist or photographer, make sure that it’s their original work and that they are not restricted by other publications to share it. We won't be responsible for any copyright issues.

11. Put your name, followed by your country, below each poem, even after revisions.

12. Notification about all selected poems for each issue will be posted on CELEBRATION -on 10th of each month.

Poems that do not follow the guidelines may be deleted.

Founder/Managing Editor of haikuKATHA Monthly Journal: Kala Ramesh

Associate Editors: Ashish Narain Firdaus Parvez Priti Aisola Sanjuktaa Asopa Shalini Pattabiraman Suraja Menon Roychowdhury Vandana Parashar Vidya Shankar

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PROMPT:

12th September

Nitu Yumnam

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Week 2: Aquatic Arthropods

This week, our haiku journey takes us beneath the water’s surface to explore the fascinating world of aquatic arthropods. These creatures glide, swim, and scuttle through ponds, streams, and wetlands—water beetles, water striders, shrimp, crayfish, and more.

Young or old, these arthropods show us life thriving in liquid realms, where ripples and reflections shape their movements and homes.

Let’s slow down and observe the shimmer of legs beneath ripples, the quick flashes of motion, and the delicate balance of life in water’s embrace.

Here are some example haiku to inspire your writing:

fishing with dad

a diving bell spider

checks the bait

–Seby Ciobica, Romania

water's edge

mud dauber's abdomen

pulsing for air

–Randy Brooks, United States

This week, write haiku that celebrate the secret lives beneath the water’s surface. Let your words flow gently, capturing the hidden beauty of aquatic arthropods.

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Looking forward to reading your haiku. Poems outside the prompt can also be posted.

Write on! Gauri