writeALONG 23 June 2026

A TUESDAY FEATURE

hosts: Padma Rajeswari, K. Ramesh

guest editor: Sathya Venkatesh

Only the unpublished poems (that are never published on any social media platform/journals/anthologies) posted here for each prompt will be considered for Triveni Haikai India's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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A technique that has helped me in my poetic endeavours

In my early attempts at haiku, I believed the poem needed my insight — my explanation, my philosophy, my emotional emphasis. I would notice a moment and immediately begin shaping it, polishing it, trying to make it meaningful.

Over time, I realized that the more I interfered, the less alive the poem felt. What changed my practice was learning to delay interpretation. Now, when something catches my attention — a shift of light, a sudden silence in a room, a small ordinary gesture — I first observe it plainly. I ask myself: What is actually there? What can be removed?

In haiku especially, I have learned to trust concrete images, to avoid abstraction, and to let two elements sit together without forcing a conclusion. I revise by subtraction. If a word explains, I question it. If a line moralizes, I cut it. This discipline of restraint has taught me that readers do not need to be told what to feel; they need space to experience the moment themselves.

The technique is simple but demanding: notice clearly, write minimally, and trust the silence between images. It is a practice of attention and humility — and one I am still learning, still testing, still discovering anew with each poem.

I invite you to write a haiku inspired by your poetic endeavours.