THE HAIBUN GALLERY: February 26, 2026 K. Ramesh - Guest Editor
- Kala Ramesh
- Feb 26
- 2 min read
editors on haikuKATHA: Shalini Pattabiraman, Vidya Shankar, Firdaus Parvez and Kala Ramesh
Guest Editor: K. Ramesh
Featured Poet: Nalini
A Thursday Feature February 26, 2026
Between Brushstrokes I linger over a painting whose title feels like an open gate. The scene itself is simple: weathered boards, a slant of late sun, and just enough quiet to invite a pause. What draws me in is not the image but the space the title leaves open. I find myself stepping into that room, imagining what happened just before the moment held on the canvas. This is often how my own writing begins, not with certainty but with an invitation. Sometimes the title comes first, a small beckoning. Other times the story rises from lived detail, and only later do I notice the thread that names it. Either way, the quiet between them is where the real work settles, slow and patient, like dusk gathering itself. empty porch a faint creak where no one sits
Nalini Shetty
The haibun was posted in The Haibun Gallery, Triveni Haikai India.
Comments
This haibun is about the creative process that occurs when one writes. I found it interesting because it’s a haibun about haibun. It talks about the way the poet composes her art, her poetry. I like the restraint in the writing and the slow unfolding of ideas, and the imagery in her prose is indeed evocative. It reminds me of the movie Dreams, directed by Akira Kurosawa. What happens between the brushstrokes is equally important!
Prompt:
Write a haibun that shows the process of how you compose a haibun. Instead of giving a set of instructions, show the readers how you go about writing your poem through imagery.
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Thanks, Ramesh.
Another challenging one-paragraph haibun.
I'm sure our members will enjoy this piece.
_kala
The Haibun Gallery continues as is.
We will be having editors and prompts, and your sharing …
#1
Alive
The crushed paper unfurls slowly like buds of a lily. As if it is still alive. The sun rays though the window highlight the subtle movements. I pick it up and straighten the paper and read my abandoned lines. A different perspective emerges from the creased paper now. I have been rude and realize that I got carried away by my assumption. The abruptly ended lines offer me another idea now. I toy with it again and take it foward.
fading light...
the weaver bird
accepts the nest
K Ramesh
#2
In Flight
I see the pen as a wing, dipping and steering with the tail of an idea. Too swift and the ink pools on the paper, a muddle of words. Too slow and I hover frozen. The secret is the air flowing through the curve of an idea. Billowing like sheets on a line or a kite on a string, pillowing the blue. The motion of the pen, the flap of a wing - my creation air-born.
life on the wing
a swift nesting
dream-side
Joanna Ashwell
UK
#1
Tapestry
Here says the page, tell it here.
Write the song in a whale. Rain in the mountains. Fragility.
Where do I begin? Begin with a pen.
Something whispers, tell me your story. How do I start?
Listen for the poem. Sometimes it will come soft and light.
Sometimes like a bruise, dark and painful.
Start small. Weave memory in the warps and wefts.
at rest . . .
a paper graveyard
in the bottom drawer
Lorraine Haig, Aust.
#2 Revised
With Lakshmi Iyer's suggestion.
Writing a Haibun
I let my last draft settle for at least a day or more before hitting 'send ' button. Editing is another important part of my creative process and it never ends for me. I do it as much as time allows me. Last but not the least, keeping journal and pen with me all the time is as important as breathing the air. They must be available to me anytime, anywhere. So far the pens are concerned, I need descent types of pens. Parker or Schaeffer ball pens do the excellent jobs for me.
Choosing a proper theme is equally important to me. Dreams are one of the…
Thank you K Ramesh for a widespread taste of stories.