THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED TO HAIKU
during the heat wave
labor-sweat vaporizes,
turns into boon rain
Afshan Q,
NOMINEE, PUSHCART PRIZE 2025
holding together
banyan branches langoor jumps,
swings and slides freely
Shaurya Pathania
wasp on my windshield
I thought about the wipers
you held on so long
brick and glass buildings
cut through clouds of drooping mist,
vaulting to the skies
Kurt Edward Milberger
winter’s dying snow—
yearn to gather this small world
in my modest hands
i enter rehab
under the watchful eye of
different gray skies
Junaid Ahmed Ahangar
everything changed:
each petal falls from the bud
the night was moving
Leanne Drain
bright September sun
setting on this year's summer,
leaves a trail of joy
Anam Tariq
thin skin in poppy
paper flowers on your palms
rains finally home
as tendrils entwine
in the midst of eternal
then cruel mornings
Clifton Gachagua
the pheasant's whistle
marking its territory
a high-pitched dawn call
the lingering taste
on the carved bamboo chopsticks
pickled spring flowers
at the temple gate
first bees in lingering frost
plum blossom viewing
wind susurration
ripples the flowing water
freshwater mussels
Christina Chin