Wonderful Tanka, Haiku & Senryu Poems by Joe Sebastian

TANKA

our dreams grow taller 
than the lit skyscrapers
but dead birds now
lie on the rocks with 
cloudy eyes

granny fast asleep
in the casket
Zen-like
palms tightly clasped but 
carrying nothing

without coat or shoes
they sail, trek and plod 
the unwelcome paths
on foreign lands
by the grit of their souls

tonight
the rose moon waxes
where the day falls away
in an easy slumber
Ah! with you beside me


face to face in a 
world of seeming quiet
he of the calm 
disposition yearns for 
her pounding wave’s self

walking what is left
of the beach
i feel my time pass by 
as i watch geese 
fly into the sunset

i yearned company 
till i knew their 
true colours
now I feel at peace
when alone

the miseries left
the one’s awaiting
carves deep ruts
in the refugees’ psyche
on the unwelcome beach

second-hand shop
in an old book i  find  
some pressed roses
was  it for many 
or many for one?



HAIKU


stench drifting
from Covid pyres
a hawk's slow glide

ebb tide -
the foul of flotsam cling
high up  pier pilings

hunter moon-
the howl of the fox at night
ascends the woods

night sea pier-
silvering trawlers bob
lazy on the waves

autumn sky-
zigzagging fireflies darken
the night in their wake


night sea pier -
the sudden screech of gulls
cuts through the mist

winter night-
early burnout of 
light crazy moths

cloud streaked moon-
the night a shy
silvery bride

winter twilight
a koel pulls in night through 
the open window

SENRYU


space debris-
finding her billet-doux
of all, in junk mail

hospice window
a  raven’s caw
the length of dusk

recalling our youth…
he passes the cigarette butt
for the golden puff

the vortex of 
a whirlpool-
my mind


encircling new life
is her once slim waist-
a big belly now

Joe Sebastian - A Gold medallist post graduate in Political Science and International Relations ,serving the Government of India and currently posted as Principal Commissioner of Income -Tax, has penned a collection of Haiku poetry titled 'MYRIAD MUSINGS'. Married ,he lives in Bangalore, India with wife,daughter,son and a Golden Retriever ,Scotch. His work has been accepted/published  in various international journals including ,The Wales Haiku Journal,  Mayfly,  Creatrix,  Cold Moon Journal,  Presence,  Haikuniverse,  Dylan Thomas Anthology,  The Haiku Foundation, Asahi Shinbum,Muse India, Haiku Xpressions,The Akitsu Quarterly, Failed Haiku,The Bamboo Hut, Poetry Pea, The Sunflower Collective,Stardust Haiku etc .His other interests include travelling, music ,organic farming /gardening and its advocacy and conduct of sports and games for the mentally challenged. He can be reached at joeseb4321@yahoo.com