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