hosts: Kala Ramesh & Firdaus Parvez
mentor: Lorraine Haig
A Thursday Feature 23rd January
Collaborating with artist Prakash Thombre
Echoes of the Path
A solitary moment, where the journey pauses to reflect on its meaning. The path once walked with dreams and speed now calls for thought and depth. Sometimes, moving slowly allows us to see what we’ve truly gained along the way.

Challenge:
What is it to age? Is age only a number, or do our bodies and the various parts show deterioration? Prakash's short write-up is thought-provoking. See how you can collaborate with the old man in the ink drawing.
Please remember that the haiku needs to be strong and a stand-alone poem in haibun. A weak haiku robs the haibun of its strength.
PLEASE NOTE:
1. Only two haibun per poet per prompt.
2. Share your best-polished pieces.
3. Please do not post something in a hurry or something you have just written.
Let it simmer for a while.
4. Post your final edited version on top of your original verse.
5. Don't forget to give feedback on others' poems.
We are delighted to open the comment thread for you to share your unpublished haibun (within 300/250 words) to be considered for inclusion in haikuKATHA monthly journal.
Important: Since we're swamped with submissions, and our editors are only human, mistakes can happen. Please, please, remember to put your name, followed by your country, below each poem, even after revisions. It helps our editors; they won't have to type it in, saving them from potential typos. Thanks a ton!
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PLEASE NOTE:
1. Only two haibun per poet per prompt. Please put your name and country of residence under your poem, it makes the editors' work easier. Thanks.
2. Share your best-polished pieces.
3. Please do not post something in a hurry or something you have just written.
Let it simmer for a while.
4. When poets give suggestions and if you agree to them - post your final edited version on top of your original version.
5. Don't forget to give feedback on others' poems.
We are delighted to open the comment thread for you to share your unpublished haibun (within 300 words) to be considered for inclusion in the haikuKATHA monthly journal.
Terbalik
30.1.25
waning dusk
the baby lulls herself
to sleep
a Gaza refugee camp
Mona Bedi
India
Feedback appreciated:)
29.01.2025
#1
Revision. Thank you, Joanna.
An Endeavour
Starting a journey twenty years late, I gather some fallen leaves, a few new leaves and pluck some fresh flowers. A garland of mixed hues to wear around my neck till the end of my path.
braving a stormy sea
the radar free boat
autumn wind
Kalyanee Arandhara
Assam, India
Feedback most welcome
Original:
An endeavour
Starting a journey twenty years late I gather some fallen leaves and pluck a few fresh flowers and a few new leaves. A garland of mixed hues to wear around my neck till the end of my path.
braving a stormy sea
the radar-less boat floats
autumn wind
Kalyanee Arandhara
Assam, India
Feedback most welcome
terbalik a man
saunters with his left hand inside the pocket sunlight through the trees
Kala Ramesh #1 Feedback welcome.
#1- 28/01/2025
The Fortune Teller
My Korean language workbook, level 1B, lies on the coffee table, its bright yellow cover inviting me to finally master Korean. And while I’m at it, these stiff fingers of mine will perform gymnastics on my electric guitar gathering dust on its stand, and it will gently weep.
new year’s sunrise
over the frozen pond
resolutions on ice
Martin Duguay, South Korea
feedback welcome
#2 1/26/2025 Gembun My shadow stretches farther these days.
faded roses
leaning closer
to the earth Sandip Chauhan, USA feedback welcome