A haiku Canopy of Jasmine
Yet my heart is sweet
with the memory of the first fresh jasmines
that filled my hands
when I was a child.
Rabindranath Tagore
(The First Jasmines)
carpet of parijat –
orange stems
of a childhood sky
—Vishal Prabhu, India
jasmine hedge
the sweet fragrance
of magpie song
—Louise Hopewell, Australia
jasmine breeze
a door left open
to the night
—Leon Tefft, USA
open window —
a night jasmine trails in
with the moon
—Rupa Anand, India
gentle rain
a snake silvers
the jasmine vine
—Geethanjali Rajan, India
summer breeze
lingering scent of jasmine
from mother’s braid
—Mona Bedi, India
flower market
i haggle over a wilted
jasmine gajra
—Jahnavi Gogoi, Canada
mother’s hands
oiling my long hair…
scent of jasmine
—Neena Singh, India
Come, the young violets crowd my door,
Thy earliest look to win,
And at my silent window-sill
The jessamine peeps in.
William Cullen Bryant
(The Hunter’s Serenade)
*Parijat is known as night-flowering jasmine,
Harsingar, and the tree of sorrow.
About
Bombay-born, US-educated, Vishal Prabhu has since taken time off to stand and stare. He lives in the Himalayas.
Louise Hopewell is an Australian poet and playwright based in Naarm/Melbourne. When not writing, Louise can be found riding her bicycle or playing ukulele.
Leon Tefft is a poet and author of Wild Orchids, Haiku Evolution and Haiku Traditions from Greenville, South Carolina. He is a member of the Haiku Society of America and the Tanka Society of America. You can see more of Leon’s work and connect with him at leontefft.com.
Rupa Anand is a spiritual seeker turned poet. She is a Pushcart Prize (haiku), Red Moon Anthology (haibun) and Touchstone Award (haiku), nominated and long-listed poet. She lives in New Delhi, finding peace in writing for and about cancer, and of course the wildlife she encounters in her environment.
Geethanjali Rajan teaches Japanese and English in Chennai. She is the author of a book of haikai forms, longing for sun longing for rain (2023) and the coauthor (with Sonam Chhoki) of Unexpected Gift (2021). She edits haiku at cattails and at Café Haiku.
Mona Bedi is a medical doctor in Delhi, India. Her haiku and senryu have been published in many journals of repute.She has received many awards.
Jahnavi Gogoi is an Ontario based poet and writer. She dabbles in Japanese forms of poetry and identifies as a storyteller.
Neena Singh is a Touchstone shortlisted poet & Editor who loves penning Japanese short forms of poetry as also haibun, tanka prose, haiga & rengay.
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Dear Bhawna,
What a lovely issue, parijat is my favourite flower. Loved all the selected haiku. Honored to be included. Congratulations to all featured poets.
Warm regards,
Neena
Thank you so much for your kind words, Neena 🙂
Parijat is indeed a lovely flower. And all the poems are so beautiful.
Glad that you enjoyed reading the issue, and happy to have your lovely poems in this.
Wishing you the best
Bhawana