Friday 1 July 2022

Haiku, Senryu & Tanka Poems by Joe Sebastian



HAIKU


first date
she likes the gifting but hates
the flowers


war clouds…
sparrows sink deeper
into their necks


in a bamboo grove rain in its groove rain song


sunflower blossoms
drift into yesterday…
today


veggie patch
deep holes in cabbage
the shape of a slug


bloom blight-
glorious fields of tulips
on her postcard


desert storm
the wind 
finds its voice


city smog
blooming jasmine empties  
the greyness 


fully pregnant
the neighbour’s neem 
seeding his yard 



SENRYU


first date
steam from our tea cups
merge 


beach date
moonlight washes over us as
i wash over her


divorce papers-
the carefree bee
delivers a sting


her coffee cup ring
not knowing her dumping me
could leave such a mark


pressed flower – 
memory of first love not 
wholly memory?


Goa beach crawl
the clink of shell necklaces
in souvenir shops


vendor on the beach
sample slice of the melon 
the reddest


soup line
her neck pearls noticed more than
her pretty face



TANKA


monsoon rain-
the sound of trees
drip-drying
if only life’s past excesses
could be spring cleaned


i ask my wife, 
what is it?
she says ,never mind
wrong footed, she asks again,
isn't it our anniversary


browsing through 
love tales i  now know why it
leaves a bitter aftertaste 
not even a preview to
sweeten the blow at the end


Afghanistan
like a cooch of cuckoos 
the refugee family’s 
keen eyed intent bared,
as they flew the coop


the sound 
of breaking bottles
on the asphalt 
like gasps of a refugee
breaking within


my faith in God
so lukewarm
and yet today
caught in an air pocket
i count on mom’s prayers


Covid blues
waved off by tiny hands
in school bus window-
devoid of sophistry theirs’
are  truly happy hearts


the boulder
only when picked up 
is heavy
for Buddha in zazen 
anything is nothing


yet again
the urge to be like others                                                              
the curled bud 
last in the patch to claim its 
share of the waxing sun





Joe Sebastian - is 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, Bangalore, 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, Blithe Spirit, The Haiku Foundation, Mayfly, Creatrix, Cold Moon Journal, Bear Creek Journal, Presence, The Heron’s Nest, Modern Haiku, Heliosparrow, Haikuniverse, Cattails, Trash Panda, The Mainichi, Dylan Thomas Anthology, Asahi Shinbum, Muse India, Haiku Xpressions, The Akitsu Quarterly, Failed Haiku, The Bamboo Hut, Poetry Pea, The Wise Owl, Lothlorien Poetry Journal, Brass Bell, 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 

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