Honored to be in the beautiful Drifting Sands Haibun – a Journal of haibun and tanka prose, Issue 34, December 2025, with my experiential #tankaprose, “Lanterns of the Heart” among the gallery of poems by talented poets.
Lanterns of the Heart.
Neena Singh
Chandigarh, India
At the Institute for Rehabilitation of the Mentally Challenged, time feels slower, almost suspended. The children come forward shyly, then with recognition, a flood of smiles and hugs. Their eyes hold a warm welcome. The Director tells them, “no hugs, just Namaste”, I restrain her and reciprocate their hugs warmly.
The children laugh at little things—a spectacled boy is drawing a huge snail, another is coloring an orange, a girl’s smile lights up her entire face, her silent language older than words.
innocent faces
their silence ripples
as circles in water—
how small my cares seem
in the now of their world
In the craft room, youngsters showcase their creations—paper and cloth bags, jute place mats, mirrors circled with braided flax, chocolates wrapped in gold and silver foil, scented candles with pressed flowers. The Director offers me a chocolate, tasting it, the sweetness melts in my mouth.
in their eyes
no shadow of tomorrow—
only stars
lighting the present
brighter than the sun
Grateful to dear Keith Evetts, Guest Editor for the acceptance, I loved his prompt. Kudos to Sangita Kalarickal, Chief Editor, Reid Hepworth, Associate Editor, & team on the stellar publication. I am deeply humbled to have this tanka prose nominated for the Touchstone Award and the Contemporary Haibun Anthology by the Editors. 🙏💐
Congratulations to all featured #poets.
