writeALONG,12 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Only the unpublished poems (that are never published on any social media platform/journals/anthologies) posted here for each prompt will be considered for Triveni Haikai India's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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Kailash Kora 

backpack so much lighter 

on the down slope 

-       Srinivasa Rao Sambangi

This is a beautiful haiku by Srinivasa Rao Sambangi.

'Kailash Kora' is a challenging parikrama that every Himalayan trekker is familiar with.

"Pilgrims and tourists perform the circumambulation, the Kora of Mt. Kailash, which in India is called Parikrama. A Kora is usually clockwise – a spiritual circumambulation of a temple, a mountain, a lake or any other sacred place."

Check out the following link if you want to know more about it. https://www.himalayanclub.org/hj/72/19/the-spiral-kora-of-mount-

The name of a holy mountain as its very first line pulls the reader strongly and directly into the haiku. We understand that the poem symbolically stands for more than what it reveals, just because of this revelation of the place where the story is happening. When one is returning from a trek, the backpack will be naturally lighter. The poet's observation is simple and direct in the haiku. The language used is simple and sparse.

Here comes the question—is the narrator making just a simple physical observation about the backpack of a trekker?

The holiness of the parikrama makes the reader delve deep into the haiku. Is the narrator talking about the emotional and spiritual cleansing that happens in one such parikrama?

In a place like the Himalayas, the trek could be challenging not only physically but also emotionally, and sometimes it could end up being a spiritual journey for some. The immenseness of the Himalayan Mountains can remind one how small he is in the vastness of the universe. Will this reminder help him to let go of some of the emotional baggage that he has been carrying around all his life and thus free him a bit? Is this the 'lightness' that the narrator is referring to in the second line? Is he referring to the end of the parikrama when his heart feels recharged and full?

An interesting poem where pearls can be unearthed if we look for them.

I invite you to write a haiku about a journey which impacted you deeply—an experience that is worth remembering.

Haiku outside the prompt is welcome too.