Kokako 44, a Haiku Journal based in Aotearoa NZ,

 

The scent of shadows

How fragrant is the cemetery fence! Long ago, mother wove it with climbing flowers. It’s not very relaxing to live nearby. Every day, the bell reminds you about death. Sometimes, the gravediggers laugh and no matter what your  mood  is, a  thought always flies over this fence. But children don’t feel like this, they tell each other stories by the roadside to while away the time until mom will come home again. To them, death is a honeysuckle-scented garden.

mother’s portrait –

ink is running down

the right eye

Creative Inspirations / Poetry publication March / April 2026

GPS failure –
on their well known way
the man, the tree
*
one robot, two, three...
the scent of spring,
ever more wasted
*
man in the woods –
the stag roar vanishing
in its own echo

Cantos: A Literary and Arts Journal

 

Société littéraire de Laval - Canada - Revue Entrevous 30, février 2026

 

TRIYA, a bilingual journal of haiku, tanka and micro poems, Feb. 2026

 Editor’s Note

 

 

spring celebration -

birds returning to their nests

except for the peace dove

~ Lavana Kray

 

This haiku by Lavana Kray does more than capture a seasonal moment. It speaks to the poignancy of absence. In its delicate balance of presence and absence, homecoming and exile, this haiku distills the ache of what is missing into a single, unforgettable stroke. Look out for Lavana’s haiku, beautifully transformed into a haiga in the haiga section, and discover the poet’s story behind its creation.

Teji Sethi

 

 HAIGA NO.2

 

Haiga im focus, Februar 2026

 Curated by Claudia Brefeld

 

 

GINYU HAIKU GALLERY 108 / DECEMBER 2025. SELECTED AND COMMENTED BY BAN'YA NATSUISHI

 

a stat ploaia -

copii jucând badminton

peste sârma-nghimpată

 

the rain is over -

children playing badminton

over the barbed wire 

 

2

rachete, drone -

bătrânul distilează

livada cu pruni

 

rockets, drones...

the old man distilling

his plum orchard

 

3

orfan de război -

căutând spirit pereche

prin pădure

 

war orphan -

searching for a kindred spirit

in the woods 

 

4 

 

lucrări de toamnă –

doi orbiți de putere

împart pământul

 

autumn field work –

two power driven men

divide the earth

 

5

 

club 50 plus –

alte condoleanțe,

aceleași fursecuri

 

club 50 plus –

different condolences,

same snacks

 

6

drum lung înainte –

la capăt de tunel, bănci

fără picioare

 

long way ahead –

at the end of the tunnel

benches with no legs

 

7 

se aude coasa –

m-aș salva înmugurind,

dac-aș fi floare

the sound of a scythe –

if I were a flower, I would save

myself by budding

Songbirds Waka Anthology 2026

 

dry flowers -

whispering I might leave 

tomorrow 

a last cup of water 

on the windowsill for you