laughALONG! 25 November 2025

A TUESDAY FEATURE

hosts: Padma Rajeswari, K. Ramesh

guest editor: C.X. Turner  

Only the unpublished poems (that are never published on any social media platform/journals/anthologies) posted here for each prompt will be considered for Triveni Haikai India's monthly journal -- haikuKATHA, each month.

Poets are requested to post poems (haiku/senryu) that adhere to the prompts/exercises given.

Only 1 poem to be posted in 24 hours. Total 2 poems per poet are allowed each week (numbered 1,2). So, revise your poems till 'words obey your call'.

If a poet wants feedback, then the poet must mention 'feedback welcome' below each poem that is being posted.

Responses are usually a mixture of grain and chaff. The poet has to be discerning about what to take for the final version of the poem or the unedited version will be picked up for the journal.

The final version should be on top of the original version for selection.

Poetry is a serious business. Give you best attempt to feature in haikuKATHA !!

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O snail

Climb Mount Fuji,

But slowly, slowly!

— Kobayashi Issa

Issa’s haiku spotlights a tiny snail daring to scale Mount Fuji. Blyth’s translation gives the scene encouragement and wry tenderness, reminding us that even monumental undertakings unfold at their own pace.

"A journey of a thousand miles starts from beneath one’s feet." — Laozi

Prompt: Write a haiku or senryu in which a small creature attempts something monumental. Let tenderness and playfulness guide the scene.

Thank you for reading and writing along this month. May your own poems, like Issa’s snail, find their way steadily, in their own time.