THE HAIBUN GALLERY: 28th May 2026 Teji Sethi - Guest Editor
- Srinivas Sambangi
- May 28
- 1 min read
Editors on haikuKATHA: Shalini Pattabiraman, Vidya Shankar, Firdaus Parvez and Kala Ramesh
Guest Editor: Teji Sethi
Host: Srinivas Sambangi
Featured Poet: Shobhana Kumar
A Thursday Feature
28th May 2026
Shobhana Kumar
Act Two
Scene One
(The lights black out. A silhouette of a bedroom. The only sounds are a man’s breathing, the clock ticking.)
between bird calls
the pressure-cooker
beckons
Voice 1 (Lady in the audience): What will it take for you to look at me? How much more? How much less?
years after
dried jasmines
beneath the mattress
Shobhana Kumar, A Sky Full of Bucket Lists (2021)
Prompt for Writers
I have little to add about this haibun by Shobhana Kumar, except that, the moment I read (saw) it, I was struck with awe at its creativity. It carries no title, only the designation Act Two, Scene One. I wish I could insert an image of the piece, elegantly centered like a theatrical script on the page.
Let this stage‑crafted haibun inspire you!
***
Thanks a ton, Teji. Throughout this month, the haibun and the prompts you provided have been very thought-provoking and unique.
_Srinivas
#1
Bloom of the Agave
FADE IN:
EXT. BASHO TEASHOP-— SUNSET
By the roadside, an ash-color scooter idles beside my teashop. MR. SHRAWAN GAUTAM, 60, father of one daughter with wife. He keeps gazing at the Scooter more frequently and expectantly.
MRS. MAHEK YONJAN, 45, a mother of two children with her husband. She works at the Handicraft Workshop next to the teashop.
unlikelihood
of a pillion ride
on her scooter
Mrs. Mahek walks out of the Handicraft Workshop. She inserts the key in the scooter and drives off.
SUBTITLE IN THE BLACK SCREEN: AFTER 10 YEARS...
INT. SHRAWAN'S HOUSE -— SUNRISE
He is busy tending an Agave plant. He occasionally looks up at the distant…
Dear Haibuneers,
haikuKATHA: call for haibun/gembun submissions! Haibun/Gembun Submission Form for haikuKATHA Issue 58, August 2026)
GOOGLE FORM LINK is OPEN!
https://forms.gle/QELwK2cW3uWPQhTy9
The Guidelines:
1. Submissions open at midnight of June1 (IST) and close at midnight of June 20 (IST). Submissions that come in after midnight on June 20 (IST) will not be considered , even if the form is open.
2. You are submitting your work for publication in haikuKATHA, Issue 58, August 2026)
3. This form is for both HAIBUN and GEMBUN submissions.
4. You are encouraged to submit for both forms. However, you can submit only ONE HAIBUN and/or ONE GEMBUN.
5. If your haibun/gembun requires special formatting, please also email it to haikukatha.haibun@gmail.com
6. We are looking for haibun of not more than 300 words with concrete images. Make the title count. The haiku should link and shift away…
#2
Ice-Scape
The air fizzes with cold. Every particle holds the potential for ice-stars. The instant flowering of snow, expands, cools, then floats to the earth. This carpet of snow unravelling as far as the eye can see.
footsteps
only ever temporary
winter whispers
Any signs of life will simmer then pop into an aria of cloud-storms. A shuffling of sky, no more pastel shade, just the transparency of what is to come. Waiting for the next fall of a curtain. White over white.
ticketless
time with no frame
reimagining the world
Joanna Ashwell
UK
#1
Revised (Self-edit)
Just Another Fairy Tale
My sister and I are in our room, playing house when Ma calls us. “Do you want to see Aunty’s new baby?” Discarding our dolls, we scamper off.
Baby has two front teeth! We can’t stop raving about her or stop fighting. Over who gets to hold Baby, who gets to play with Baby.
orange trumpet
growing over the garage
cursive writing
Years pass and we part ways but exchange news once in a while. Baby is getting married! He is so handsome, so qualified, so educated. Such a fine respectable family, Aunty gushes, as she ticks off the list of gifts, gold and cash they are to…
A very unique and inspiring haibun by Shobhana Kumar. Thank you for sharing.