Tag: issue-1

5 March 2026 / aswordsfly.com / 0 Comments

the Maple Leaf
flipping in the white drift …
a hyphen
before “Canadian”
joins my two halves

— Chen-ou Liu , Canada

breaching whales
rise higher and higher
letting go
something she did
long time back

— Minal Sarosh, India

wandering after cawing fades into the winter dusk

— Hifsa Ashraf , Pakistan

creeping jenny
recalling names
more slowly now

— Leon Tefft,USA

last flame —
marigold petals
folding her in

— Vaishnavi Ramaswamy , India

About

Chen-ou Liu is the author of five books, including “Following the Moon to the Maple Land” (First Prize, 2011 Haiku Pix Chapbook Contest) and “A Life in Transition and Translation” (Honorable Mention, 2014 Turtle Light Press Biennial Haiku Chapbook Competition). His tanka and haiku have been honored with many awards.

Minal Sarosh is an awarded Indian English poet, novelist and haikuist. She has published two novels, Soil for My Roots ( 2015) and Wicked Money (2020) . And her two poetry collections are Mitosis & Other Poems ( 1992) and A Lizard’s Tail and Other Poems (2020).

Hifsa Ashraf is an award-winning multilingual poet, author, editor, and social activist from Rawalpindi, Pakistan. She is the author of six individual and four collaborative micropoetry books. She received the Touchstone Award (2021) and Honourable Mentions in the Touchstone Distinguished Books Award (2020) and Haiku Society of America Merit Book Award (2021).

Leon Tefft is a writer, poet and author of 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

Vaishnavi Ramaswamy is a lover of poetry, languages, nature, wildlife and crystals.

5 March 2026 / aswordsfly.com / 0 Comments

bruising
the winter sky-
moody dawn

— Jenni Wyn Hyatt, UK

lone beach stroll
wave after wave
of old grief

— Chen-ou Liu, Canada

groundhog day—
hoping not to see a shadow
on his CT scan

— Adele Evershed, USA

hospice window. . .
in dappled light
the empty bed

—Neha Singh Soni, India

frosted window –
my perspectives on life
filtered

— Paul Callus, Malta

About

Jenni Wyn Hyatt was born in Maesteg, Wales, in 1942 but now lives in Derbyshire, England. She writes in both free verse and form, has had poetry published in print and online and has published three collections. Her interests are home and family, reading and bird-watching.

Adele Evershed is a Welsh writer who swapped the Valleys for the American East Coast. Her haiku and senryu appear in Modern Haiku, Presence, Wales Haiku Journal, Frogpond, and Akitsu Quarterly, among others; she was shortlisted for a Touchstone Award from The Haiku Foundation and recently received a Golden Pea Award. She is the author of Pressed Between Palms (Nun Prophet Press) with a forthcoming collection from Cuttlefish Books.

Neha Singh Soni is a Chartered Accountant from India, with a deep love for poetry, especially haiku. She primarily focuses on love poems and nature-inspired verses. Her work has been published in renowned online magazines.

Paul Callus has been active in the literary field for around 50 years. He writes poetry, short stories, and lyrics for songs, mostly in English, Maltese, and Italian. His work has been published in various anthologies, journals and online sites.

5 March 2026 / aswordsfly.com / 0 Comments

A Haiku Bouquet of Marigolds

Open afresh your rounds of starry folds, Ye ardent Marigolds.

—John Keats

evening prayer fades
the dust of marigold
in my palms

— Dr. Anish Kumar Gupta, India

faded marigold —
the bride’s father lingers
at the doorway

— Vaishnavi Ramaswamy, India

marigolds . . .
a girl skipping
down the lane

— Keiko Izawa, Japan

moving day—
on the dining table
wilted marigolds

— Hifsa Ashraf, Pakistan

marigolds —
grandma knits
another jumper

— Martina Matijević, Croatia

descending winter
a yellow marigold stem
scoops the earth

— Vishal Prabhu, India

blooms of marigold
in the temple courtyard
reminding me
soft smile of Ma
tending her garden

— Shiva, India

About

Anish is an Indian doctor and poet writing about life and love as they unfold in ordinary moments. His work listens closely to what it means to be human.

Vaishnavi Ramaswamy is a lover of poetry, languages, nature, wildlife and crystals.

Keiko lives on a hilltop in Yokohama, Japan with her husband and two cats. She enjoys watching foreign ships come in and out of port.

Martina Matijević is a poet from Croatia whose short poetry has been published in Modern Haiku, Acorn, Autumn Moon Haiku Journal, and other journals.

Bombay-born, US-educated, Vishal Prabhu has since taken time off to stand and stare. He lives in the Himalayas.

Shiva is a doctor by profession, surgeon by passion and a mother at heart. She loves to wonder and ponder at small and big miracles of nature which transcend as life.

5 March 2026 / aswordsfly.com / 0 Comments

Editorial Note – Issue 1

Welcome to the inaugural issue of The Bougainvillea Journal 🌸

Spring has arrived and slowly, steadily we will step into summers. Flowers are blooming, skies are clear yet the chaos at present in world can feel overwhelming!

As we know, literature has always been a mirror to us of society, of our own selves as well as one of the greatest solace for humanity. It opens the door to possibilities, dreams, and often the much-needed warmth and peace we seek.

With this journal, I hope to take a small step forward with a vision of warmth, love, and optimism as what the world of literature and arts have always been for me.

In this marigold-themed issue there is a special small haiku bouquet of marigolds for you, honoring the lovely flowers existing around us in all forms of joy, love and grief, connoting different shades of memories and moments.

And also, do read the wonderful literary reflections at the end with this issue. Such extraordinary, beautiful writing.

I am grateful to each one of you for trusting me with your beautiful work. May these poems offer space to dwell for a moment when life feels too fleeting.

— Bhawana Rathore