sunrise--

the morning enters

without a knock

 

Frogpond, 35.3, 2012

Mann Library’s Daily Haiku, February 1, 2021

*****

red carpet--

the monks walk

barefoot

Gems: An Anthology of Haiku, Senryu and Sedoka, The Bamboo Hut Press, 2014

Mann Library’s Daily Haiku, February 1, 2021

*****

flowing river--

the bereaved girl  holds 

a palm-full of water

 

Editor’s Choice, Acorn, Issue #33, Fall 2014

*****

thick clouds--

a gap takes me

to the ocean

 

Modern Haiku, Issue 46.2, 2015

*****

street dog--

an old man shares

his silence

 

Presence 70, 2021

*****

braided hair--

the breeze shaping

the waterfall

 

Editor’s Choice, Stardust Haiku, Issue 55, July 2021

*****

motherhood--

how tenderly clouds

hold the rain

 

Second Place, Indian Kukai, The Haikai India, September 2021

*****

frozen pond

the missing sound 

of skipping stones

 

tsuri-dōrō, Issue #9 2022 

 

 

 Tsundoku*

 The only thing that you absolutely have to know, is the location of the library

 -Albert Einstein

 By Pravat Kumar Padhy

 During my college days, I used to make a point to have a quick glance at the literature section. Since then, it has been always my habit to visit the nearby library during my stay on official tours. I enquire with my colleagues or from the help desk of the hotels about the nearby location. On the weekend, I make a breezy walk holding my notebook and note down the new arrivals and golden lines of the poems of the olden days.

 

Recently I came across an interesting article. Nassim Nicholas Taleb,

The New York Times bestseller author, believes the unread

books in our library heighten us of all that we

don't know. He adds “Indeed, the more you

know, the larger the rows of unread

books. Let us call this collection

of unread books

an antilibrary.”

 

I pile up a deep glance at my personal collections and feel there are so many layers of wisdom in between ‘sound and silence’.

in early twilight

as if the stars descend

on the jasmine tree

how wonderful to add

one more from mine

Author’s Notes: 

1. Antilibrary – An unread pile of books that one intends to read.

2. Reference to the article on Tsundoku:   https://bigthink.com/neuropsych/do-i-own-too-many-books/

Contemporary Haibun Online, Issue 19.3, 2023 (Ed. Tish Davis)

https://contemporaryhaibunonline.com/cho19-3-table-of-contents/pravat-kumar-padhy-tsundoku/

 Mankind

 

descending from the trees the early humans start walking upright a big leap forward

 

in predawn

the migratory birds

 

might have witnessed the flow of rivers and waves of the ocean listening to their voices as they trail under the sun, rain and snow in a marathon journey

 

stare up and fly ahead in search of a new renewed dream of nesting beyond 

 

deep in the sky

an abode of newness

man for a mission to usher in

  

Contemporary Haibin Online (Ed Tish Davis, Issue 20.1, 2024 )

https://contemporaryhaibunonline.com/cho-20-1-table-of-contents/pravat-kumar-padhy-mankind/