Butterfly Dream: Held Breath Haiku by Sonam Chhoki

English Original

first rain releasing held breath of summer

tinywords, 13:3, 2013

Sonam Chhoki 

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

第一場雨釋放夏日屏息的呼吸

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

第一场雨释放夏日屏息的呼吸

Bio Sketch

Sonam Chhoki finds the Japanese short form poetry resonates with her Tibetan Buddhist upbringing.  She is inspired by her father, Sonam Gyamtsho, the architect of Bhutan's non-monastic modern education and by her mother, Chhoden Jangmu, who taught her: “Being a girl doesn’t mean you can’t do anything.” She is the principal editor, and co-editor of haibun for the United Haiku and Tanka Society journal, cattails.

One Man's Maple Moon: Blue Thrush Tanka by Sonam Chhoki

English Original

wind-ruffled

on the bare rocks

a blue thrush sings

is this an urging

I should hope again

Editor’s Choice, cattails, October 2023

Sonam Chhoki 

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

風迎面吹拂

棲息在裸露的岩石上

一隻藍色畫眉鳥在歌唱

這是一種催促

我應該再次希望嗎

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

风迎面吹拂

栖息在裸露的岩石上

一只蓝色画眉鸟在歌唱

这是一种催促

我应该再次希望吗

Bio Sketch

Sonam Chhoki finds the Japanese short form poetry resonates with her Tibetan Buddhist upbringing.  She is inspired by her father, Sonam Gyamtsho, the architect of Bhutan's non-monastic modern education and by her mother, Chhoden Jangmu, who taught her: “Being a girl doesn’t mean you can’t do anything.” She is the principal editor, and co-editor of haibun for the United Haiku and Tanka Society journal, cattails.

One Man's Maple Moon: Claw-Tipped Wind Tanka by Sonam Chhoki

English Original

there’s a hole 

in my heart

and all night

the claw-tipped wind 

is ripping the prayer flags

Eucalypt, 34, 2023

Sonam Chhoki 

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

我的心頭

有一個洞

整夜

尖爪的大風

都在撕扯著祈禱旗

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

我的心头

有一个洞

整夜

尖爪的大风

都在撕扯着祈祷旗

Bio Sketch

Sonam Chhoki finds the Japanese short form poetry resonates with her Tibetan Buddhist upbringing.  She is inspired by her father, Sonam Gyamtsho, the architect of Bhutan's non-monastic modern education and by her mother, Chhoden Jangmu, who taught her: “Being a girl doesn’t mean you can’t do anything.” She is the principal editor, and co-editor of haibun for the United Haiku and Tanka Society journal, cattails.

One Man's Maple Moon: Final Glance Tanka by Sonam Chhoki

English Original

a final glance

through rain-splatttered screen

my ancestral home

so much left behind

so much carried with me

Atlas Poetica, 9, Summer 2011

Sonam Chhoki 

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

透過雨滴濺濕的紗窗

的最後一瞥

我的祖屋

留下這麼多東西未帶走

我仍然帶走這麼多東西

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

透过雨滴溅湿的纱窗

的最后一瞥

我的祖屋

留下这么多东西未带走

我仍然带走这么多东西

Bio Sketch

Sonam Chhoki finds the Japanese short form poetry resonates with her Tibetan Buddhist upbringing.  She is inspired by her father, Sonam Gyamtsho, the architect of Bhutan's non-monastic modern education and by her mother, Chhoden Jangmu, who taught her: “Being a girl doesn’t mean you can’t do anything.” She is the principal editor, and co-editor of haibun for the United Haiku and Tanka Society journal, cattails.

Butterfly Dream: Summer Rain Haiku by Sonam Chhoki

English Original

first rain releasing held breath of summer

tinywords, 13:3, February 11 2014

Sonam Chhoki 

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

第一場雨釋放了夏天的氣息

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

第一场雨释放了夏天的气息

Bio Sketch

Sonam Chhoki finds the Japanese short form poetry resonates with her Tibetan Buddhist upbringing.  She is inspired by her father, Sonam Gyamtsho, the architect of Bhutan's non-monastic modern education and by her mother, Chhoden Jangmu, who taught her: “Being a girl doesn’t mean you can’t do anything.” She is the principal editor, and co-editor of haibun for the United Haiku and Tanka Society journal, cattails.

One Man's Maple Moon: Pumice Stone Tanka by Sonam Chhoki

English Original

pumice stone

in the morning shower

to scour 

the feel of him, the smell of him

into the sewer

Bamboo Hut, 1,  2013

Sonam Chhoki 

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

一塊浮石

在早上淋浴時

用來洗刷掉在我身上

他的感覺, 他的氣味

並沖進下水道裡

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

一块浮石

在早上淋浴时

用来洗刷掉在我身上

他的感觉, 他的气味

并冲进下水道里

Bio Sketch

Sonam Chhoki finds the Japanese short form poetry resonates with her Tibetan Buddhist upbringing.  She is inspired by her father, Sonam Gyamtsho, the architect of Bhutan's non-monastic modern education and by her mother, Chhoden Jangmu, who taught her: “Being a girl doesn’t mean you can’t do anything.” She is the principal editor, and co-editor of haibun for the United Haiku and Tanka Society journal, cattails.

Poetic Musings: Mumbai Commute Haiku by Sonam Chhoki

Mumbai commute

each train window

colored with people

Wild Plum, Spring 2015

Sonam Chhoki 

Commentary: Written through a sympathetic lens (by using "coloured" not "crowded"), Sonam's train haiku keenly captures an overcrowded train scene in the sixth most populous metropolitan area, with a population of over 23 million, in the world,

The verb (in the past tense), "colored," is layered with multiple meanings, which could refer to the colors of work clothes, various ethnicities, multi-cultures, or diverse religions of Indian commuters.

And the following train haiku could be read as a sequel to Sonam's:

train tunnel --

the sudden intimacy

of mirrored faces

Best of Issue Haiku, Presence, 22, 2004

Beverley George

One Man's Maple Moon: Finality Tanka by Sonam Chhoki

English Original

leaving without words

you erased all tomorrows

such finality ...

even in dreams we meet

without words

Kernels, Summer 2013

Sonam Chhoki 

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

一言不發地離開

你抹去了所有的明天

這樣的結局 ...

即使在夢中我們相遇

也無話可說

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

一言不发地离开

你抹去了所有的明天

这样的结局 ...

即使在梦中我们相遇

也无话可说

Bio Sketch

Sonam Chhoki finds the Japanese short form poetry resonates with her Tibetan Buddhist upbringing.  She is inspired by her father, Sonam Gyamtsho, the architect of Bhutan's non-monastic modern education and by her mother, Chhoden Jangmu, who taught her: “Being a girl doesn’t mean you can’t do anything.” She is the principal editor, and co-editor of haibun for the United Haiku and Tanka Society journal, cattails.

One Man's Maple Moon: Recurring Dream Tanka by Sonam Chhoki

English Original

recurring dream --

on the stone steps to the house

my mother

in green and black brocade

how young, how alone 

A Hundred Gourds, 1:1, December 2011 

Sonam Chhoki 

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

反覆出現的夢 --

在通往房子的石階上

我的母親

身穿綠色和黑色的錦緞

多麼年輕, 多麼孤獨

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

反覆出现的梦 --

在通往房子的石阶上

我的母亲

身穿绿色和黑色的锦缎

多么年轻, 多么孤独

Bio Sketch

Sonam Chhoki finds the Japanese short form poetry resonates with her Tibetan Buddhist upbringing.  She is inspired by her father, Sonam Gyamtsho, the architect of Bhutan's non-monastic modern education and by her mother, Chhoden Jangmu, who taught her: “Being a girl doesn’t mean you can’t do anything.” She is the principal editor, and co-editor of haibun for the United Haiku and Tanka Society journal, cattails.

Butterfly Dream: Mumbai Commute Haiku by Sonam Chhoki

English Original

Mumbai commute

each train window

colored with people

Wild Plum, Spring 2015

Sonam Chhoki 

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

孟買通勤

豐富多彩的民眾填滿

每個火車窗口

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

孟买通勤

丰富多彩的民众填满

每个火车窗口

Bio Sketch

Sonam Chhoki finds the Japanese short form poetry resonates with her Tibetan Buddhist upbringing.  She is inspired by her father, Sonam Gyamtsho, the architect of Bhutan's non-monastic modern education and by her mother, Chhoden Jangmu, who taught her: “Being a girl doesn’t mean you can’t do anything.” She is the principal editor, and co-editor of haibun for the United Haiku and Tanka Society journal, cattails.

Butterfly Dream: Rice Seedlings Haiku by Sonam Chhoki

English Original

rice seedlings darkening spring rain

Autumn Moon Haiku, 1:2 Spring/Summer 2018 

Sonam Chhoki 

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

稻苗使得春雨變暗

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

稻苗使得春雨变暗

Bio Sketch

Sonam Chhoki finds the Japanese short form poetry resonates with her Tibetan Buddhist upbringing.  She is inspired by her father, Sonam Gyamtsho, the architect of Bhutan's non-monastic modern education and by her mother, Chhoden Jangmu, who taught her: “Being a girl doesn’t mean you can’t do anything.” She is the principal editor, and co-editor of haibun for the United Haiku and Tanka Society journal, cattails.

Butterfly Dream: Late Night Bus Haiku by Sonam Chhoki

English Original

late night bus
the lonely smell
of street rain

Editor’s Choice,  Cattails, September 2014

Sonam Chhoki 


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

深夜巴士

街雨

的寂寞氣味

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

深夜巴士

街雨

的寂寞气味

Bio Sketch

Sonam Chhoki finds the Japanese short form poetry resonates with her Tibetan Buddhist upbringing.  She is inspired by her father, Sonam Gyamtsho, the architect of Bhutan's non-monastic modern education and by her mother, Chhoden Jangmu, who taught her: “Being a girl doesn’t mean you can’t do anything.” She is the principal editor, and co-editor of haibun for the United Haiku and Tanka Society journal, cattails.

One Man's Maple Moon: Urge Tanka by Sonam Chhoki

English Original

deep winter
untrammelled by the urge
to sow, weed and reap
I let things be
revisit ancestral dreams

Otata, August 2017

Sonam Chhoki 


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

深冬

不受播種，除草和收割

慾望的驅使

我就讓事情隨它去

並重溫祖先的夢想

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

深冬

不受播种，除草和收割

欲望的驱使

我就让事情随它去

并重温祖先的梦想

Bio Sketch

Sonam Chhoki finds the Japanese short form poetry resonates with her Tibetan Buddhist upbringing.  She is inspired by her father, Sonam Gyamtsho, the architect of Bhutan's non-monastic modern education and by her mother, Chhoden Jangmu, who taught her: “Being a girl doesn’t mean you can’t do anything.” She is the principal editor, and co-editor of haibun for the United Haiku and Tanka Society journal, cattails.

One Man's Maple Moon: Firstborn Tanka by Sonam Chhoki

English Original

our firstborn calls
at the rain-blurred window
I wake up
with a raw ache
to hold him to my breast

Skylark, 6:1, Summer 2018

Sonam Chhoki


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

在雨滴朦朧的窗戶邊
我們的長子大聲喊叫
我醒來
有點心痛
把他抱在我胸前

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

在雨滴朦胧的窗户边
我们的长子大声喊叫
我醒来
有点心痛
把他抱在我胸前


Bio Sketch

Sonam Chhoki finds the Japanese short form poetry resonates with her Tibetan Buddhist upbringing.  She is inspired by her father, Sonam Gyamtsho, the architect of Bhutan's non-monastic modern education and by her mother, Chhoden Jangmu, who taught her: “Being a girl doesn’t mean you can’t do anything.” She is the principal editor, and co-editor of haibun for the United Haiku and Tanka Society journal, cattails.

Butterfly Dream: Butter Lamps Haiku by Sonam Chhoki

English Original

autumn offering
moths eddying in the light
of butter lamps

Autumn Moon Haiku,  1:1, Fall/Winter 2017–2018

Sonam Chhoki


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

秋祭
飛蛾在酥油燈光下
環繞不停

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

秋季祭
飞蛾在酥油灯光下
环绕不停


Bio Sketch

Sonam Chhoki finds the Japanese short form poetry resonates with her Tibetan Buddhist upbringing.  She is inspired by her father, Sonam Gyamtsho, the architect of Bhutan's non-monastic modern education and by her mother, Chhoden Jangmu, who taught her: “Being a girl doesn’t mean you can’t do anything.” She is the principal editor, and co-editor of haibun for the United Haiku and Tanka Society journal, cattails.

One Man's Maple Moon: Final Glance Tanka by Sonam Chhoki

English Original

a final glance
through rain-splattered screen
my ancestral home
so much left behind
so much carried with me

Atlas Poetica, 9, Summer 2011

Sonam Chhoki


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

透過濺雨的屏窗
最後一瞥
我的祖居
留下了這麼多東西
並帶走這麼多東西

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

透过溅雨的屏窗
最后一瞥
我的祖居
留下了这么多东西
并带走这么多东西


Bio Sketch

Sonam Chhoki finds the Japanese short form poetry resonates with her Tibetan Buddhist upbringing.  She is inspired by her father, Sonam Gyamtsho, the architect of Bhutan's non-monastic modern education and by her mother, Chhoden Jangmu, who taught her: “Being a girl doesn’t mean you can’t do anything.” She is the principal editor, and co-editor of haibun for the United Haiku and Tanka Society journal, cattails.

One Man's Maple Moon: Buckwheat Fields Tanka by Sonam Chhoki

English Original

white flowers
of the buckwheat fields
glowing in moonlight ...
the summer of our meeting
caught in the lens of my heart

Eucalypt, 22, 2017

Sonam Chhoki


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

蕎麥田中
的白花
在月光下發亮 ...
我們會面的那個夏天
反映在我心中

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

荞麦田中
的白花
在月光下发亮...
我们会面的那个夏天
反映在我心中


Bio Sketch

Sonam Chhoki finds the Japanese short form poetry resonates with her Tibetan Buddhist upbringing.  She is inspired by her father, Sonam Gyamtsho, the architect of Bhutan's non-monastic modern education and by her mother, Chhoden Jangmu, who taught her: “Being a girl doesn’t mean you can’t do anything.” She is the principal editor, and co-editor of haibun for the United Haiku and Tanka Society journal, cattails.

One Man's Maple Moon: Last Day of the Year Tanka by Sonam Chhoki

English Original

last day of the year
poems I could have written ...
a bulbul follows
drifting leaves
to the stone cairn

Skylark, 1, 2013

Sonam Chhoki


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

一年的最後一天
我本來可以寫詩 ...
一隻夜鶯尾隨
漂流的葉子
來到紀念石碑之處

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

一年的最后一天
我本来可以写诗 ...
一只夜莺尾随
漂流的叶子
来到纪念石碑之处


Bio Sketch

Sonam Chhoki finds the Japanese short form poetry resonates with her Tibetan Buddhist upbringing.  She is inspired by her father, Sonam Gyamtsho, the architect of Bhutan's non-monastic modern education and by her mother, Chhoden Jangmu, who taught her: “Being a girl doesn’t mean you can’t do anything.” She is the principal editor, and co-editor of haibun for the United Haiku and Tanka Society journal, cattails.

One Man's Maple Moon: Wish-Fulfilling Tree Tanka by Sonam Chhoki

English Original

to paint you
the wish-fulfilling tree
I have used
some ink of the night
on sheaves of moon-lit clouds

Eucalypt, 18, 2015

Sonam Chhoki


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

為了你
描繪一顆行願樹
我採用
黑夜的一些墨水
畫在月照雲彩的繩輪上

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

为了你
描绘一颗行愿树
我采用
黑夜的一些墨水
画在月照云彩的绳轮上


Bio Sketch

Sonam Chhoki finds the Japanese short form poetry resonates with her Tibetan Buddhist upbringing.  She is inspired by her father, Sonam Gyamtsho, the architect of Bhutan's non-monastic modern education and by her mother, Chhoden Jangmu, who taught her: “Being a girl doesn’t mean you can’t do anything.” She is the principal editor, and co-editor of haibun for the United Haiku and Tanka Society journal, cattails.

Butterfly Dream: Palm Reader Haiku by Sonam Chhoki

English Original

stars veining the sky ...
the palm reader couldn’t tell
our fates were tied

Otata, 14, February 2017

Sonam Chhoki


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

繁星點點的天空 ...
看手相的人無法分辨我們的命運
糾結在一起

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

繁星点点的天空...
看手相的人无法分辨我们的命运
纠结在一起 


Bio Sketch

Sonam Chhoki finds the Japanese short form poetry resonates with her Tibetan Buddhist upbringing.  She is inspired by her father, Sonam Gyamtsho, the architect of Bhutan's non-monastic modern education and by her mother, Chhoden Jangmu, who taught her: “Being a girl doesn’t mean you can’t do anything.” She is the principal editor, and co-editor of haibun for the United Haiku and Tanka Society journal, cattails.