The Daily Verse
To make The Wise Owl more dynamic, we have introduced The Daily Verse, a segment where we will upload poetry all days of the week. Just send in a poem to editor@thewiseowl.art
Theme for November
Forgotten Corners
Forgotten Corners
Friday, 8th November, 2024
Autumn's Canvas
By Narinder Jit Kaur
When nature’s canvas turns into
A palette of amber and gold
The languorous earth takes a sabbatical
And the sun bears a faded smile
When the crushed leaves are strewn around
Like the shards of bleeding dreams
The passion that once set my being ablaze
Lies frozen in the deep cold chambers
When the gusty winds shake
The lone sprig of the denuded tree
A dalliance long lost, stirs somewhere
In the rusted folds of memory.
The murky mist without
Settles deep within
Choking ‘n constricting
The frail heart.
The soul longs for the Sun
That warmed it
Long ago!
About the Author
Narinder Jit Kaur, a trilingual writer, and translator, who writes with fair ease and finesse in English, Hindi, and Punjabi, is a retired Associate Professor of English. Her articles, stories, and poems are regularly published in various newspapers and magazines. She has translated five books from Punjabi to English, including three novels and two collections of short stories. Her sixth book Dawn to Dusk is a collection of 58 middle articles published in prominent newspapers. The Icicle: A Collection of Short Stories is her seventh book, her first in creative writing.
Thursday, 7th November, 2024
Haiku on Forgotten corners
Balchik…
the wind carrying cherry petals
to a forgotten queen
starlit veranda…
pierced pumpkins
out to dry
orientale dance…
on a rotten apple
moonbeams
About the Author
Steliana Cristina Voicu lives in Ploieşti, Romania and loves painting, poetry, Japanese culture, photography and astronomy. Her haiku, tanka, haiga, poetry, short-prose have been published worldwide, including Asahi Haikuist Network, Daily Haiga, The Wise Owl-The Daily Verse, Under the Bashō, Chrysanthemum and others. She is founder and editor of Enchanted Garden Haiku Journal-Romania. instagram: steliana_voicu
Wednesday, 6th November, 2024
A House and its Memories
By Sherin Mary Zacharia
Much to recollect
On those shapes
The shapes of shadows
The shadow-puzzle thrown by leaves
The green leaves of the mango tree
The mango tree in the garden
The garden in front of the house
The house was old, many lives it seen,
many tales it has to tell.
They would sit in the spaces restricted
Near the wooden stairs,
Near the grinding stone,
Near the stacked fire wood;
Those corners where sunlight retreated early
Where the rustle of mango leaves forgot to reach.
No longer their stories travel
Not anymore, from lips to ears
No more is there anyone, to tell their tales.
The house, desolate.
Its corners where secrets whispered
Now swept with dust, crumbled memories
By the cold winds.
The cold yesterdays, like fallen leaves
Slowly to be moved aside
Into secluded corners
Of the mind, left to be forgotten.
About the Author
Sherin Mary Zacharia a young poet of 21 expresses herself through her verses. She loves to write about nature most but some of her poems are on topics like mental illness and disability. She is a regular blogger (www.musingsofsher.in) and often contributes to English anthologies. She has received several awards and recognitions latest being the selection of her poem by the United Nations as part of observing World Autism Awareness Day 2023. A self-learner she likes to read, watch visual lessons and travel. Being a non speaking autistic she lets her poetry be her voice. Moonlight is her collection of poems and short prose(2017). She is a co author of Talking Fingers(2022) and Discourses on Disability (2021) Sherin is from Kochi , Kerala, India where she lives with her parents, younger sister and pet cat.
About the Author
Jan Stretch is a retired psychiatric nurse-therapist from Victoria BC Canada. She enjoys her large extended family, especially her two grandchildren and returned to thoughts of poetry on her daily walks during Covid. Jan was first published in the Dear Vaccine Anthology in 2022 and has since been published in numerous international journals, podcasts and anthologies. She especially loves writing Japanese short form and Cherita although is occasionally inspired to write longer poems. She is currently an administrator on Haiku Moments Facebook group. Insights gained from her years as a therapist and her nature walks continue to inform her poetry.
Monday, 4th November, 2024
In Autumn's Hush
By Snigdha Agrawal
in autumn’s hush, leaves descend
a fleeting dance before the end
like lives that drift from green to gold,
bloom, burn,
then quietly fold
life...
like autumn
must let go
to seed the earth
for what will grow
Purple Petunias
purple petunias...
she hides the bruises
colours once bold
now veiled in decay
like autumn leaves
turning brittle
a quiet surrender
to age...
About the Author
Snigdha Agrawal (nee Banerjee) has an MBA in Marketing and Corporate work experience of over two decades. She enjoys writing all genres of poetry, prose, short stories, and travel diaries. Brought up in a cosmopolitan environment, and educated in Convent Schools run by Irish Nuns, she has imbibed the best from Eastern and Western cultures. She has authored 4 books, namely Trail Mix, Minds Unplugged, Evocative Renderings & Tales of the Twins.
Friday, 1st November, 2024
Footfalls through Faded Leaves
By Monika Ajay Kaul
The air turns crisp,
memories endure a chill.
And I linger at the doorway
where home was once
the scent of rain on wood.
Autumn, soft and hesitant,
layers the earth in gold,
as if the trees fear letting go.
It stirs something old,
an ancient knowing
of rooms that held warmth
before seasons began to shift within me.
Exile is not distance,
but a state of being,
when home is no longer a place,
but a longing woven
into every step I take.
Leaves fall,
and with them,
debris of voices,
from a time before stillness crept in,
before the road swallowed all direction.
The brittle crack beneath my feet
reminds me..
a fragile noise,
like the way home once felt.
Alive,
before a lull settled in its place.
Memories decay,
like autumn itself,
into something tender.
A fading.
Carrying the weight of belonging,
and the ache of its loss.
I carry them,
those rooms,
that air,
the redolence.
Knowing they belong
to another season now.
Thursday, 31st October, 2024
leaves scrunch
with every step...
thoughts quieten
a mynah bobs
on the tip of a branch...
Hamlet moment
August showers
dawn pats dry
the tears
bookcase...
an abhaya mudra
raises above the words
About the Author
Kavita Ratna is a children's rights activist, poet and a theatre enthusiast. Sea Glass is her first anthology of poems. Her poems have appeared in The Kali Project: Invoking the Goddess Within, A little book of serendipity, Presence, the Asahi Shimbun, Muse India, The Wise Owl, haikuKATHA, Haiku in Action, Poetry Pea, Black and White Haiga, Scarlet Dragonfly Journal, Cold Moon Journal, Five Fleas Itchy Poetry, Haiku Dialogue, Stardust Haiku, LEAF, New Verse News, haikuNetra, Haikuniverse, failed haiku and Parcham. She has been actively involved in the Glass House Poetry Festival, Bangalore, 2024 and the Mysore Literature Festival, 2024. She is also a Pushcart Prize nominee.
Wednesday, 30th October, 2024
though encircled
its wrinkles untouched by rain —
armchair
autumn morning —
those checkout girls
gleam less brightly
the flickering of a floodlight —
autumn semitones
About the Author
Maurizio Brancaleoni lives near Rome, Italy. He holds a master's degree in Language and Translation Studies from Sapienza University. His haiku and senryu have appeared in Synchronized Chaos, Dadakuku, Lothlorien Poetry Journal, Under The Basho, among others. In 2023 one of his micropoems was nominated for a Touchstone Award, while a horror ku originally featured in the Halloween-themed issue of Scarlet Dragonfly was re-published in this year's Dwarf Stars anthology. Maurizio manages “Leisure Spot", a bilingual blog where he posts interviews, reviews and translations.
Monday, 28th October, 2024
Jasmine blooms
so without introduction
thoughts unfold
I feel a warm touch
from mother nature
secrets of darkness
the night wears its cloak
time passes slowly
memories of longing accumulate
deep is this sky
morning fog
on the mountain road ...
I search for him
on dim pathways
with my heart's own light
About the Author
Friday, 25th October, 2024
baby birds
tasting the tips
of the tiniest twigs
honeybee
the flower's lover
fluffs her golden hair
sparkles
in the stargazer's eyes
a puppet's smile
About the Author
Robert Witmer has resided in Japan for the past 45 years. Now an emeritus professor, he has had the opportunity to teach courses in poetry and creative writing not only at his home university in Tokyo but also in India. His poems and prose poetry have appeared in many print and online journals and books. His first book of poetry, a collection of haiku titled Finding a Way, was published in 2016. A second book of poetry, titled Serendipity, was published earlier this year (2023). An author’s page for Robert Witmer can be found at both the Poets & Writers and AuthorsDen websites.
Thursday, 24th October, 2024
Poems
By Kevin Cowdall
Bamboo Flute
A single high note,
piercing the afternoon air.
Then all is silent.
Old Window
Grubby old window
letting in a little light
and a lot of draught.
Sunflowers
Standing in a row,
they all raise their heads as one,
a silent fanfare.
Nightingale’s Song
A nightingale sings –
a song to gladden the heart
and lift the spirit.
About the Author
Kevin Cowdall's poems have been published in journals, magazines, and anthologies, and on web sites, across the globe and broadcast on BBC Radio, RTÉ Radio, Ireland, and local radio stations across the UK. His 2016 retrospective collection, Assorted Bric-à-brac brought together the best from three previous collections (The Reflective Image, Monochrome Leaves, and A Walk in the Park) with a selection of newer poems). His most recent collection, Natural Inclinations, features fifty poems with a common theme of the natural world.
About the Author
Jerome Berglund has worked as everything from dishwasher to paralegal, night watchman to assembler of heart valves. 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 Modern Haiku. His first full-length collections of poetry Bathtub Poems and Funny Pages were just released by Setu and Meat For Tea press, and a mixed media chapbook showcasing his fine art photography is available now from Yavanika.
Monday, 21st October, 2024
Insomnia
By Nisha Nair
I woke up to
The call of ravens
Nested outside
My window, their haven.
Half-awake and
Half in a dream
I searched the dark
To find a gleam.
Doubts arose in
My mind; is it yet
The dawn or night
Undone still? I fret.
Ravens caused a ruckus
Still, in the mid of
Night, it seemed,
Driving slumber off.
I shut the windows
Drew the blinds
Wishing upon wish
For sleep in my mind.
I counted stars
And counted sheep
Yet, I could not find
The precious lost sleep.
I read books of
Fiction and history
Still, sleep was an
Alluring mystery.
A brew of herbs didn’t
Lure sleep in
I lamented – is this
‘Cause of unknown sin?
Sleep hid away
Like a playful sprite
Despite what I did
Which seemed so trite.
‘T was nothing but a
Recap of nights, so far.
A rooster crowed somewhere
As dawn effaced the stars.
I moaned over
My fate so glum
and sleepless nights
Yet to come.
About the Author
Friday, 18th October, 2024
I am in your new house
that is yet to fully become a home
and the word sliver comes to mind.
Sliver as in
a life like glass
smashed into slivers.
Sliver as in
slivers of glass
painfully embedded in the skin
Sliver as in
slivers of glass
that shine with light and hope
not from outside but within.
About the Author
Ronita Chattopadhyay (she/her) finds refuge in words. She also makes a living out of it while supporting not for profit organisations in India. Her poems have appeared in The Hooghly Review, Roi Fainéant Press, Akéwì Magazine, Setu, Rogue Agent Journal, RIC Journal, among others, and anthologies by Querencia Press (Winter Anthology 2024) and Sídhe Press (To Light The Trails. Poems by Women In a Violent World). She lives in West Bengal, India.
Thursday, 17th October, 2024
a child’s glazed eyes
sweets behind glass
just out of reach
one small coin
clutched in her fist
is it enough
a host of swallows
swirl beneath storm clouds
frenzied last supper
planted pink
my poppy blooms
bright red
a mind of her own
About the Author
Belinda Behne grew up in the midwest, but she has spent most of her adult life in the vibrant culture of New York City. Her first career, as a teacher of special education, led her to the love of art, literature and theatre. She has pursued her passions of acting, writing poetry and performing professional voice-overs for more than three decades. She currently enjoys living on the edge of a salt marsh, where life continues to inspire her in new ways. Her poetry can be found in LEAF Journal, The Wise Owl, Scarlet Dragonfly, and Cold Moon Journal.
Wednesday, 16th October, 2024
When Memories Refuse to Fade
By Sarojkanta Dash
Dear Mukesh, every time I hear a song
We enjoyed on the radio long ago
I'm lost, deeply saddened, my heart racing
Against the wall of memories, washed clean with tears
The picture remains vivid, refusing to fade
You had no voice, yet sang to the tabla's beat
I had a voice, but never learned the rhythm's sway
That was me, and you knew it, in your own way
In your absence, life's rhythm is now a discord
I never wrote a good hand, yours was harder to read
But now, I cherish the letters you wrote from afar
The scribbles that once hurt my eyes are now softened with love
I wonder, were you born to be a rebel, wild and free?
Yet, you lacked the refinement of spirit, rough and carefree
You strayed too far, never to return, leaving me
To ponder, and remember, and yearn.
About the Author
Dr. Sarojkanta Dash is a bilingual writer and scholar from Odisha, India. He is a pioneering figure in Odia literary criticism, with a focus on formalism and close reading. His published works include the Odia short story collection "Anuragara Basna" (2010) and "Scarred Memories: Reconstruction of Experience in Partition Narratives" (2015), a seminal work in trauma studies. His poems have been featured in international anthologies. With proficiency in English and Odia, Dr. Dash continues to make valuable contributions to literature, solidifying his position as a trailblazing figure in Odia literary criticism.
Tuesday, 15th October, 2024
first spring walk
an empty swing
in the park
faded photo
on the mantelpiece
sound of wind howling
afternoon stroll
an elderly couple
holding hands
Monday, 14th October, 2024
Fathers
Kavita Ezekiel Mendonca
My father and my spouse’s father
Shared coincidences in stories we now tell about them
Both rose early in the Bombay mornings,
His father woke up at 5am, tiptoed zigzag around the sleeping children
Had a shower, tea, contemplated the mango tree outside
Then immaculately groomed, he spoke no words
Left without breakfast, on the motorcycle
Parked at the bottom of the apartment building.
My father woke up early too
Dressed neatly, drank tea he made himself
“Seize the Day,” he said, his only words
And walked briskly to catch the 8:15 train.
He left the house without breakfast too.
In stories we remember both fathers
as we drink our chai on the patio outside.
I had never met my spouse’s father
He had met mine many times.
Poet's Note: My spouse and I often tell stories about our families. Many of my poems are written about both families, in order to to preserve our legacies and our memories. The poem “Fathers” is inspired by Robert Hayden's poem "Those Winter Sundays." Both my father and my spouse’s father were creatures of habit. Each had a distinctive personality but there were some striking similarities as well.
About the Author
Kavita Ezekiel Mendonca has been a teacher of English, French and Spanish in educational institutions in India and internationally. Her poems have been published in various journals and anthologies, including the Yearbook of Indian Poetry in English and The Journal of Indian Poetry in English by Sahitya Akademi. ‘Family Sunday and other Poems’ was published in 1989 and a chapbook ‘Light of the Sabbath’ in September 2021. She was nominated for a Pushcart Prize for her poem “How to Light Up a Poem” in 2020.
Friday, 11th October, 2024
A Mom's Note on the Counter
By Biswajit Mishra
“Good morning little one,
Happy birthday,
live long, and
always be happy.
Your breakfast is on the kitchen table,
eat all, don’t leave anything,
your lunch box is in your backpack.
Dress properly, don’t forget the jacket,
wear your cap too, it’s getting cold,
ask Nani or wake up Papa if you need help.
Remember to eat the ginger juice with honey
in the little stainless steel bowl
on the counter,
your throat doesn’t sound good.
Go carefully my dear,
I will see you after I am back,
we will have your birthday special in the evening.
Be a good boy, love,
and stay blessed, always,
my treasure.
Mama”
The sun woke up.
Note: Nani- older sister in Odia
Thursday, 10th October, 2024
dew on her grave
the many eyes
of the sun
rosebush
a raindrop
on every thorn
the old pier groans
so many come and go
syllables of salt
About the Author
Robert Witmer has resided in Japan for the past 45 years. Now an emeritus professor, he has had the opportunity to teach courses in poetry and creative writing not only at his home university in Tokyo but also in India. His poems and prose poetry have appeared in many print and online journals and books. His first book of poetry, a collection of haiku titled Finding a Way, was published in 2016. A second book of poetry, titled Serendipity, was published earlier this year (2023). An author’s page for Robert Witmer can be found at both the Poets & Writers and AuthorsDen websites.
Wednesday, 9th October, 2024
Footsteps...
By Ketaki Mazumdar
in a constant wandering
I flow with the clouds
in moments of realisation
am the lotus
in the moonlight
at your feet
am the peacock that dances
with the sound of the rain
and the strains of the Dark One's flute
I return to You over and over again
I burn in an ecstasy
waiting for that unity
we shared every lifetime
in my soul's journey
About the Author
Ketaki Mazumdar is an educationist and a poet. She is a recipient of many awards. Her poetry reflects her excitement with the beauty of nature, emotions of grief, joy, love and also gently touches on the spirituality and mysticism of life.
THE DAILY VERSE POETS
Click hyperlink to read
Late Summer Storm by Belinda Behne
Haiku on Nostalgia by Marguerite Doyle
When grief pours...by Ranu Unyal
Haiku on Nostalgia by Govind Joshi
Lazy Afternoons by Geeta Varma
Cedars at Dusk by Belinda Behne
Reflections on August by Sreelekha Chatterjee
THE DAILY VERSE POETS
Click hyperlink to read
Morning Solitude by Peter A Witt
Poems on Solitude by Jennifer Gurney
The Colored Umbrella by Dr Mary Annie
Poems on Solitude by Mona Bedi
Micro-Poems on Solitude by Snigdha Agrawal
Micro-Poems by Barbara Anna Gaioraldi
Riding a Unicorn by Petrouchka Alexieva
Midsummer Magic by Jennifer Gurney
Midsummer Magic by Sasha Clark
Poems on Midsummer magic by Jennifer Gurney
Midsummer Musing by Gopal Lahiri
Week 3, May 2024
On the Face of it by Hester L Furey
I Remember Mart Oliver by Oscar Houck
Final Week, May 2024
Music of the Lake by Peter Witt
How do I feed my marriage by Bruce Whitacre
Burst of Colours by Amrita Mallik
Haiku on Colours by Steliana Voicu
Week 2, May 2024
Haiku: On Transformation by Steliana C Voicu
The Sky Over the Ganga by Satbir Chadha
Life is like a box of chocolates by Petrouchka Alexieva Haiku on Colours by Govind Joshi
Light & Shadow by Carolyn Crossly
Haiku on Light & Shadow by Govind Joshi
Towards Mutualism by James Penha
Haiku by Steliana Cristina Voicu
Haiku by Satyanarayana Chittaluri
More Haiku with Titles by Tomh Bakelas
The Summoning by Kathleen Chamberlin
A Visitor by Kathleen Chamberlin
Haiku with Titles by Tomh Bakelas
The Night Sky by Debra S Mascarenhas