triveni spotlight: 29th July 2023
- Kala Ramesh
- Jul 29, 2023
- 2 min read
triveni spotlight A FEATURE EVERY ALTERNATE DAY! hosts: Kala Ramesh and Vidya Shankar GUEST EDITOR: Nandita Jain Mahajan, July 2023
let this body
be dew
in a field of wildflowers.
—Tembo (1740-1823), loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch
http://www.thehypertexts.com/Haiku%20Best%20Masters%20Translation%20.htm
May breeze
blowing this field of dandelions
to one o’clock
Maeve O’Sullivan, from the Spring Haiku section in https://breathhaiku.wordpress.com/2015/10/. Originally published in A Train Hurtles West,
Thank you for giving me an opportunity to present my selection. Though the task of selecting haiku for Triveni Spotlight was very difficult, I found it very rewarding. I spent several hours going through poems available in the public domain and those from books in my personal collection. I read and re-read, shortlisted again and again paring down the list till I could do no more. It was a sheer joy to read such fantastic works - my heart is full ... so happy.
I tried to keep the poems different from what other guest editors had selected earlier. However, there is bound to be some repetition. I found myself leaning towards old Japanese masters like Basho, Issa, Shiki, and Ryokan but equally drawn to women poets like Chiyo-ni and Rengetsu. The simplicity, charm, and timeless quality is what pull me to their haiku. What a picture they paint! And, the space between what is said and what is unsaid. So many different interpretations which helped me connect to these poems.
Amongst the contemporary poets, I found myself opting for those that tugged at my heart. The poems span longing, sadness, hopelessness, hope, love, and gentleness. These are those that I could read over and over again, especially at dusk, when my mind is quiet and at peace. And then, something interesting happened. I realised that I could pair the masters with the contemporary - similar thoughts and subjects but different treatment. I hope you enjoy this selection. Nandita Jain Mahajan
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What a unique and refreshing way of handling this month's triveni spotlight selections! Watch out for this space, every alternate day, dear readers, you are in for a real treat! Thank you, Nandita. We are waiting to see the month unfold. _()_
Thank you @Nandita! This month's selections were fabulous to say the least. The comparison between the old and the new was so well done. It was a new avenue that we walked every time. It was excellent, thank you!
Thanks everyone, for reading this month’s selection and for sharing your thoughts. It’s end of the month and time to welcome the next editor, @Arvinder Kaur.
Like the May breeze, that blows the field of dandelions - I wish you, dear friends, all the very best and much success.
Thanks so much for all your time, Nandita. You've given us something fresh each day.
Thank you @Nandita Jain Mahajan for the beautiful poems you shared, each of them with a different voice of strength, of happiness, of despair, of life and death, of seasons and everything that creation has bestowed us with.
Beautiful! Love both dew and wildflowers. Great job Nandita.