thinkALONG, 19 May 2026

A TUESDAY FEATURE

hosts: Padma Rajeswari, K. Ramesh

guest editor: Padma Priya

Only the unpublished poems (that are never published on any social media platform/journals/anthologies) posted here for each prompt will be considered for Triveni Haikai India's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

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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family album

mother’s mischievous smile 

I never knew 

-       Padma Rajeswari

This haiku by Padma Rajeswari is very relatable and thought-provoking. We always think that we know everything about our family members. Especially about our parents. All children forget that their parents were also children once—innocent and naughty, just like them. It is a pleasant surprise to them when they see that side of their parents in old family albums. The haiku is tender in its presentation. A child is looking at her/his mother's childhood photo and is surprised to see her mischievous smile in it. The child's surprise is endearing and very relatable. The narrator does not say anything more than that. The space that opens up in the poem for the reader is immense.

What makes the child feel that she 'never knew' her mother smiled like that? Did her mother never smile like that again? If so, where and why did that 'mischievous smile' go away? Is it replaced by another kind of smile? Does the child want that smile back? Can the mother smile like that again? Does the mother miss it? Though it appears to be a light-hearted poem, it carries more weight than the apparent simplicity in it. 

Write a haiku about a tender moment with your parents, or any family member, that tugs at your heart—a simple moment.

Poems outside the prompt are welcome too.