THE HAIBUN GALLERY: 28th May 2026 Teji Sethi - Guest Editor
- Srinivas Sambangi
- 22 hours ago
- 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
A dearth of fams
The overture fades. Curtain rises . A lunar image illuminates dry ìce.
dark cloaked figure
bearing lilies
sneezing from the stalls
Hushed whispers. It's getting up my nose.
programme notes
inscribed in pencil
the death of me
These last few words
R.I.P Jérôme Kotry
(The Hero has been absent for two months exploring The Thousand Islands in the Bay of Jakarta. The Jungles have cast a wicked spell on his good health. A seventeen-hour return trip by airplane. Three hours in a train. Two in the car. A last glimpse of Home.
His Mother hovers on the balcony, waiting for the car bringing him once again to her.)
"Mon fils!"
"Maman, chérie. I wish there was time to tell you every detail of the eternal light in these islands. The communion with nature, the fresh air of solitude. The bridge from this life to the next is close now."
(Gentle music of Buddhist prayer. Om mani padme…
#1, 28/05
zyada se zyada, kum se kum
. . . the driver must have repeated it several times as though it was his birthright. I wondered what's so new about Delhi; half of the time the traffic halts in the midst of the dusty wind that brings out a dozen sneeze in me. He pointed out to Janpath and my eyes flashed back to all the leaders who stood hard to bring India amongst the first few as regards its economy and human resources. Every road named after great stalwarts of India, such a pride moment.
I asked him, then what about this beedi smell in his car. He offered a sandalwood incense to be lighted soon and ap…
Lovely Teji!! Thank you so much!