Haiku-inspired Poems

This is Samir Sobhy's first collection of poems which are inspired, both in spirit and content, by the well-known short three-line Japanese poetic form: Haiku. Nevertheless, the author does not follow all the rules of a 'pure' haiku form. All the poems are in three short lines, but not in the traditional 5/7/5 syllables of Japanese haiku. The most important point is that each poem is complete and self-sufficient, describing a scene, telling a story, expressing a thought, or a sentiment. The subjects covered by the poems are quite wide, including nature, scenes, meditation, love, lost love, ancient rites, melancholy, solitude, and death. The poems are grouped under these subjects, but none has a title. The general mood of the collection is rather melancholic and dark, though sparks of hope and sunshine can easily be found.