An Esoteriku by Vishal Prabhu

deep winter
keeping a step ahead
departing crows

~

A lover of all things deep and dark, Vishal Prabhu is forever walking over the edge of a forest. 

A Haiga by Vidya Premkumar and Arvinder Kaur

 

Monoku:  Vidya Premkumar

Image:  Arvinder Kaur

~

Vidya Premkumar is a poet, visual artist, entrepreneur, and educator known for her three poetry collections:  Musing while Living, Living in an Indian Laputa, and The Silent Project, as well as a chapbook frame story. Her poetry has appeared in numerous literary journals, including CHO, Failed Haiku, and #FemkuMag. She lives in Kerala, India.

Arvinder Kaur believes in a superpower that lives within each one of us, whose presence she feels in all forms of creation. She has released four collections of haiku and is working on her fifth one. Totally in love with her mother tongue, she also has three translated works to her credit. Her haiku/senryu often appear in major international journals. A retired educationist, she lives in Chandigarh, India with her family.

An Esoteriku by Laila Brahmbhatt

 

the self blurs
in pink tea
on tazkiyah's path

~

Laila is a devoted workaholic who can be found either working wholeheartedly or writing poems with equal passion. Some days, she honestly can't decide whether she loves poetry more because it brings her closest to being a Sufi herself. Her ancestors are from Kashmir, and she feels a profound pull toward Sufi practices as she lovingly traces her ancestral roots.

An Esoteriku by Vidya Premkumar

 

autocorrect dream green lighting my grief

~

Vidya Premkumar is a poet, visual artist, entrepreneur, and educator known for her three poetry collections:  Musing while Living, Living in an Indian Laputa, and The Silent Project, as well as a chapbook frame story. Her poetry has appeared in numerous literary journals, including CHO, Failed Haiku, and #FemkuMag. She lives in Kerala, India.

An Esoteriku by Kelly Sargent

 

wondering if this is
as good as it gets—
winter cherries

~

Kelly Sargent is a poet, editor, and devoted tea drinker residing in Vermont. Though she writes about autumn foliage and fallen acorns, she most enjoys penning poems that reflect the multiple facets of being human. She is an assistant editor for #FemkuMag and served last year as co-judge for the HSA Harold G. Henderson Haiku Contest. The author of a haiku/senryu collection entitled Bookmarks (Red Moon Press, 2023), she writes because when a reader gives a little nod or slight smile, she no longer bears the weight of living, alone.

An Esoteriku by Charles Trumbull

 

restless night
not the hero
in his own dream

~

Dr. Charles Trumbull is retired from research, writing, editorial, and publishing positions at the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and Encyclopedia Britannica. He is past president of the Haiku Society of America and retired editor of Modern Haiku. His chapbook Between the Chimes was published in 2011, and A Five-Balloon Morning, a book of New Mexico haiku, appeared in June 2013, and A History of Modern Haiku came out in 2019. These days he divides his time between his Haiku Database and Haikupedia, the online encyclopedia of haiku.

A Haiga by Aishwarya Vedula

 

~

Aishwarya is a research scholar, poet, and visual artist from India. Her work engages cinema and culture through close observation and experience. Shaped by engagement with spiritual inquiry and social realities, her practice moves creative writing. She is the author of four books and co-author of several others, with work published in established literary journals. Attentive to sound, rhythm, and the textures of found language, she continues to work at the meeting point of thought and form.

An Esoteriku by Goran Gatalica

 

her chakras
caressed in amber hues
of amethyst

~

Goran Gatalica was born in Virovitica, Croatia, in 1982 and currently resides in Zagreb, Croatia. He finished both physics and chemistry degrees from the University of Zagreb and proceeded directly to a PhD program after graduation. He has published poetry, haiku, and prose in literary journals and anthologies. Gatalica has received many honors for his poetry and haiku, including Award Dragutin Tadijanović, the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts for the poetry book Kozmolom (2017), the honor "Haiku Master of the Month" (Rikugien Gardens and Biei, NHK WORLD TV, Japan 2016 and 2017), the Basho-an Award (Japan, 2018, 2019 and 2023), Karatnogahara Monogatari Award on 4th Star Haiku Contest (2023, Katano, Japan) and John Bird Dreaming Award on 3rd John Bird Dreaming Award Contest for Haiku (Australia, 2025). He is a member of the Croatian Writers' Association.

An Esoteriku by Sarah Mahina Calvello

 

upturned crescent of an offering

~

Sarah Mahina Calvello lives in San Francisco and writes mostly haiku. She loves nature and is addicted to coffee. https://heyyouhaiku.blogspot.com/?m=1

An Esoteriku by Partha Sarkar

 

breaks the moon the pride of metal

~

Partha Sarkar, a Bengali graduate, born in West Bengal, 1967, writes poems to protest against human's oddities and its cruelties to nature.

A Tanka by Kimberly Kuchar

 

among the flowers
a unicorn rests
in its cage
for 30 silver coins
you'd sell out anyone

~

Kimberly Kuchar often writes while her pet cockatiel is relaxing on her shoulder. In 2025, she was a Rhysling Award Finalist and was in the Dwarf Stars Anthology. She also had a haiku displayed in Washington, DC, in the Golden Haiku Poetry Competition and received an Honorable Mention in the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Haiku Invitational. Kimberly lives near Austin with her husband and son (when he's home from college).

An Esoteriku by David McKee

 

phantom neurons haunted by an unlived life

~

David McKee is a haiku poet and retired psychotherapist living in Madison, WI. David's haiku have been published in various journals, including Modern Haiku, Frogpond, Acorn, Kingfisher, Bones, Presence, and password. His work has been anthologized in The Red Moon Anthology, Haiku 2021, Haiku 2022, Haiku 2023, Haiku 2024, the Whiptail 2023 Anthology, and the Haiku 21.2 Anthology. He was also invited to join a group of 17 haiku poets in sharing large selections of their haiku in the New Resonance series published by Red Moon Press. He is an oblate of Holy Wisdom Monastery and serves as lead shepherd for the oblate formation program. He is also a member of The Stray Dog Sangha, a small Zen Buddhist group in Madison.

"Breast Feeding" by Anne Fox

 

Breast Feeding

with my bones
beat your drum
while dancing with joy
entwine them in the hair
of your children's children
as the dearest of amulets
toss them to the ground
to divine our future
blend them with yours
into a fine fine soup
to feed those after
with stories
of who we are

~

Anne Fox, considered a witch-child from birth, is an off-planet soul doing psychopomp work behind the scenes for our dying civilization.

An Esoteriku by Kala Ramesh

 

I fail
to force open a bud . . .
daybreak magic

~

Kala Ramesh, a renowned pioneer of  haikai literature in India, was shortlisted for the Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize in 2019 for her book, Beyond the Horizon Beyond. Founder of Triveni Haikai India and haikuKATHA Journal, Kala conceptualised and curated Triveni Utsav 2025, the ninth festival she has organized since 2006. HAIKUcharades: imaging haiku through dance and music and haibunSLAM are her contributions to the haikai world. Her book of tanka, tanka prose and tanka doha 'the forest i know' was published by HarperCollins India in July 2021. Kala co-edited amber i pause, Triveni Volunteer Dhanyavaad Anthology, published by Hawakal. From 2024 Kala has initiated Triveni on Wheels, where she organises Triveni members' haikai reading in various cities, literary festivals and organisations.

A Haiga by Aishwarya Vedula

 

~

Aishwarya is a research scholar, poet, and visual artist from India. Her work engages cinema and culture through close observation and experience. Shaped by engagement with spiritual inquiry and social realities, her practice moves creative writing. She is the author of four books and co-author of several others, with work published in established literary journals. Attentive to sound, rhythm, and the textures of found language, she continues to work at the meeting point of thought and form.

An Esoteriku by Vandana Parashar

 

i raised to the power of euthanasia

~

Vandana Parashar is an associate editor of haikuKATHA and one of the editors of Poetry Pea and #FemkuMag. Her debut e-chapbook, "I Am," was published by Title IX Press (now Moth Orchid Press) in 2019 and her second chapbook, "Alone, I Am Not," was published by Velvet Dusk Publishing in April 2022. She won the 2025 HIGH/COO Chapbook Award, and her third chapbook was published by Brooks Books. She is a Lord Shiva devotee but believes in goodness of thoughts, words and deeds rather than following elaborate rituals to appease God. She likes to spend time with nature and herself.  

An Esoteriku by Charles Trumbull

 

broken daydream
a phase shift
in my reality

~

Dr. Charles Trumbull is retired from research, writing, editorial, and publishing positions at the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and Encyclopedia Britannica. He is past president of the Haiku Society of America and retired editor of Modern Haiku. His chapbook Between the Chimes was published in 2011, and A Five-Balloon Morning, a book of New Mexico haiku, appeared in June 2013, and A History of Modern Haiku came out in 2019. These days he divides his time between his Haiku Database and Haikupedia, the online encyclopedia of haiku.

A Haiga by Robin Smith

 

An Esoteriku by Roberta Beach Jacobson

 

calling to us
in ancient languages
distant stars

~

Roberta Beach Jacobson is an American writer in love with words—flash fiction, poetry, song lyrics, puzzles, and stand-up comedy. Her two poetry journals are smols and Five Fleas Itchy Poetry. Roberta's latest book is Demitasse Fiction:  One-Minute Reads for Busy People (Alien Buddha, 2023). 

An Esoteriku by Sarah Mahina Calvello

 

a draft stirs the last
of the sage ash
sparseness of winter

~

Sarah Mahina Calvello lives in San Francisco and writes mostly haiku. She loves nature and is addicted to coffee. https://heyyouhaiku.blogspot.com/?m=1

A Tanka by Kimberly Kuchar

 

1, 2, 3
steps inside
the fairy ring;
I'll take my chances
in another realm

~

Kimberly Kuchar often writes while her pet cockatiel is relaxing on her shoulder. In 2025, she was a Rhysling Award Finalist and was in the Dwarf Stars Anthology. She also had a haiku displayed in Washington, DC, in the Golden Haiku Poetry Competition and received an Honorable Mention in the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Haiku Invitational. Kimberly lives near Austin with her husband and son (when he's home from college).

An Esoteriku by Neena Singh

 

grandson's palm—
the blue marble
warmer

~

Neena Singh is a Touchstone-shortlisted haiku poet from Chandigarh, India and an editor for The Wise Owl, Triveni & Rhyvers. Author of three poetry books, she has won numerous awards. Neena runs a non-profit for underprivileged children and also spreads awareness about haiku in the educational and professional fora of the city.

An Esoteriku by Kelly Sargent

 

patronus spell
my name ending with an i
instead of a why

~

Kelly Sargent is a poet, editor, and devoted tea drinker residing in Vermont. Though she writes about autumn foliage and fallen acorns, she most enjoys penning poems that reflect the multiple facets of being human. She is an assistant editor for #FemkuMag and served last year as a co-judge for the HSA Harold G. Henderson Haiku Contest. The author of a haiku/senryu collection entitled Bookmarks (Red Moon Press, 2023), she writes because when a reader gives a little nod or slight smile, she no longer bears the weight of living, alone.

An Esoteriku by Anne Fox

 

returning swans
this endless wait
for new wings

~

Anne Fox, considered a witch-child from birth, is an off-planet soul doing psychopomp work behind the scenes for our dying civilization.

A Haiga by Aishwarya Vedula

 

~

Aishwarya is a research scholar, poet, and visual artist from India. Her work engages cinema and culture through close observation and experience. Shaped by engagements with spiritual inquiry and social realities, her practice moves creative writing. She is the author of four books and co-author of several others with work published in established literary journals. Attentive to sound, rhythm, and the textures of found language, she continues to work at the meeting point of thought and form.

An Esoteriku by Laila Brahmbhatt

 

two black apples
eyes behind a white veil
caught by a priest

~

Laila Brahmbhatt is a devoted workaholic who can be found either working wholeheartedly or writing poems with equal passion. Some days she honestly can't decide whether she loves poetry more because it brings her closest to being a Sufi herself. Her ancestors are from Kashmir, and she feels a profound pull toward Sufi practices as she lovingly traces her ancestral roots.

An Esoteriku by Sarah Mahina Calvello

 

feeling it
in the marrow
wolf moon

~

Sarah Mahina Calvello lives in San Francisco and writes mostly haiku. She loves nature and is addicted to coffee. https://heyyouhaiku.blogspot.com/?m=1

An Esoteriku by Chad Lee Robinson

 

in my cough three crows at dawn

~

Chad Lee Robinson has been writing haiku and related poetry for more than twenty years. He is the author of four haiku collections, most recently The White Buffalo (Backbone Press, 2023). Much of his haiku is about the prairie, but he also enjoys writing horrorku and Halloween-related haiku and senryu, which have appeared in a wide variety of haiku journals, including horror senryu journal, Haikuniverse and Otoroshi Journal. He lives in Pierre, South Dakota.

An Esoteriku by Jerome Berglund

 

trumpet solo
I'm more experienced
at working with demons

~

Jerome Berglund has had a lifelong interest in angels, demons, hoodoo, voodoo, saints, sinners, spiritual ritual, occult practices, and supernatural phenomena. His lineage includes victims of the Salem witch hunts. Many haiku, haiga and haibun he's written have been exhibited or are forthcoming online and in print, most recently in bottle rockets, Frogpond, and Presence. His first full-length collections of poetry were released by Setu, Meat for Tea, Mōtus Audāx Press, and a mixed media chapbook showcasing his fine art photography is available now from Fevers of the Mind.

A Senryu by Kelly Sargent

 

lotus in my palm
opening up
to my divinity

~

Kelly Sargent is a poet, editor, and devoted tea drinker residing in Vermont. Though she writes about autumn foliage and fallen acorns, she most enjoys penning poems that reflect the multiple facets of being human. She is an assistant editor for #FemkuMag and served last year as a co-judge for the HSA Harold G. Henderson Haiku Contest. The author of a haiku/senryu collection entitled Bookmarks (Red Moon Press, 2023), she writes because when a reader gives a little nod or slight smile, she no longer bears the weight of living, alone.

A Haiga by Shloka Shankar

 

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Shloka Shankar is a disabled poet, editor, and visual artist from Bangalore, India. A Best of the Net nominee and widely published haiku poet, Shloka is the Founding Editor of Sonic Boom and its imprint Yavanika Press. She is the author of the haiku collections The Field of Why and within our somehows, and co-author of the haiga anthology, living in the pause. Website:  www.shlokashankar.com│Instagram:  @shloks23