Cherry Blossom Storm

pink moon
a cherry petal
in my teacup

The Pakistan Japan Cultural Association (PJCA), Islamabad, works to build friendship, understanding and cooperation between Pakistan and Japan through cultural, literary and educational exchange. The PJCA has long championed Japanese form micropoetry in Pakistan, and in 2026 declared it the Year of Haiku. From that vision came Sakura Fubuki, Pakistan’s first international multilingual haiku anthology, developed in partnership with the Embassy of Japan in Pakistan. The project drew 657 haiku from 335 poets across 45 countries.

The title Sakura Fubuki translates as “cherry blossom blizzard” or “cherry blossom storm” – a fitting image for an anthology rooted in one of haiku’s most beloved and enduring themes.

It is an honor to have my haiku included in this anthology. Haiku has a way of crossing every kind of border, and this collection captures that beautifully, gathering human thought, emotion and imagination into a single, resonant whole. Each poem appears alongside English, Urdu and Japanese translations.

I am grateful to Editor Hifsa Ashraf for the care and dedication she brought to curating and shaping this anthology.

Click here to read Sakura Fubuki.