Honored to be in the beautiful Drifting Sands Haibun – a Journal of haibun and tanka prose, Issue 33, September 2025, with my #haibun, “War and Peace” among the gallery of poems by talented poets.
Grateful to dear Dr. Anna Cates, Guest Editor, @Sangita Kalarickal, Chief Editor & @Reid Hepworth, Associate Editor, for the acceptance & publication. 🙏💐
Congratulation to all featured poets.
War and Peace.
Neena Singh
Chandigarh, India
air raid siren
amid the darkness
moonflowers
It begins with the sound — shrill, rising, slicing the dusk like a blade. The siren is followed by a blackout, and everything dissolves into shadow: lights are off, ceiling fans stop, conversations halt, the city holds its breath. We pull the curtains tight, switch off phones, and light a single candle.
My grandson asks if war has begun. Grandpa’s voice is calm telling him it’s a mock drill. Yet the next day, reality strikes, the sky feels no longer mine, with missiles flashing like gargantuan fireflies.
That night, I dream of green fields and children of both countries flying kites—no borders, no flags, no fear.
ceasefire
granny hums louder
shelling peas
Author’s Note: Title borrowed from Leo Tolstoy’s “War and Peace”.
