Haiku: Infinite

Bonds forged in hellfire

Withstand the scorching summer 

We are infinite

 

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For Malavika, the greatest friend I could ever ask for, on her birthday. [Coincidentally, this is also my 50th post.]

Haiku: What-Ifs

Ghosts of past

Haunting the present

Clouding future

Haiku: Beta

Obscured

By shadows of the greater

Forever the Beta

Haiku: Dreams

My dreams

Mine alone, and not for sale;

Happiness can't be paid.

In Memoriam: Two Poems for My Grandfather

A long overdue tribute to my grandfather, who passed away in February. All the stories I've heard about him claim he was a colossus, but all I can see is the frail man who was left paralyzed by a stroke and had his memories robbed by dementia.

1. MOIRAE*

Memories flutter

Like elusive butterflies

Just beyond reach

Well-defined lines

Between fact and fiction

Now blurred

Sparks

Of former brilliance

Try to reignite

Helplessness

Erodes colossal spirit

Hurts worst

Soul burns

As self fades from memory

This phoenix won’t rise.

I spent a few days with grandpa while he was at Mangalore and Parassinikadavu, undergoing treatment. The poem above is an attempt to describe his deteriorating health as I saw it, in five haiku. But I wish I had happier memories to remember him by...

2. UNNAMED

You left the
Fairy-tales untold
Lullabies unsung
Photos untouched

I left my
Questions unasked
Beliefs unchallenged
Poems unread

We left
Garden paths untrodden
Ripe mangoes uneaten
Paper boats unmade

Now all you have left is
An eternity beneath the earth
And all I have left is a wish 

To undo all that we left undone.

I'm sorry the white flags of truce were raised too late for us to know each other very well, grandad. I get the feeling we would have had loads of fun.

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*Moirae are the Three Fates in Greek mythology.

My First Haiku: Oyster

Grains of sand
Become ethereal pearls
In her magical touch

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A tribute to every teacher who has taught me so far, for dedicating their lives to making better people out of ignorant kids (like me.)

Haiku is a Japanese poetic form consisting of seventeen syllables in the order 5-7-5. However, Wikipedia claims "English haiku do not adhere to the strict syllable count found in Japanese haiku, and the typical length of haiku appearing in the main English-language journals is 10–14 syllables." And not one to stick to rules, especially when they've been circumvented, I came up with this.

Technically, this isn't my very first haiku. That one was included in a collection of haiku - yet another tribute which is long overdue.... I'll be putting it up soon. Expect more haiku coming your way this month! But do keep in mind that I'm a complete novice and I have a LOT to learn when it comes to form poetry.