HAIKU DIALOGUE – Working with the Soil – working with the soil in a modern context

Working with the Soil with Guest Editor Arvinder Kaur

Human beings share an inextricable relationship with the soil. The word “human” itself is derived from humus, the organic matter, symbolising the intertwined nature of human life and soil. Our connection gets established right at the time of birth, and we share a deep emotional bond with our land. Deriving sustenance from it we take pride in our Mother Earth and swear by its sanctity. Many cultures have deep, spiritual connections with the soil evident in the myths of Earth goddesses and creation stories in folklore where legendary figures are born from it and mysteriously vanish into it. Some of the earliest means of livelihood are connected to the soil. Agriculture and farming have been our mainstay since time immemorial. Soil shapes our food securities and is, therefore, the backbone of economies. An agriculturist, like anyone else, faces lots of challenges. Natural calamities can ruin a whole year’s hard work and sometimes a poor farmer finds it hard to meet the daily needs of his family. The recent floods in northern India have completely altered the nature of the soil which may require scientific intervention not many will be able to afford.

The gardener works with the soil and draws livelihood by nurturing and manicuring. Horticulturists and viticulturists too transform the soil and bring their own science and artistry to it. Potters mould clay to shape their own destinies and perhaps those of others. Earthen lamps light up homes in a most beautiful and aesthetic way. Then there are brick-makers, construction workers, architects, archeologists, environmentalists…the list is endless. Modern-day farming also benefits from the work of soil scientists, engineers and conservationists. Everything reminds us of the earth beneath our feet and when it shakes, it spells disaster.

However, it remains true that the earth is the symbol of quiet patience, receiving whatever is given to it, a fallen leaf or a yet-to-germinate seed, bearing the weight of our lives, our cities and keeping our histories close to its bosom. So, our relationship with the soil is not just professional, it is something much more intimate and deep. It is a relationship of faith and of hope. The farmer who sows the seed knows and hopes the earth will nurture it. The gardener tends the flower bed with a hope that the earth shall respond with an exquisite reward for his hard work. As the potter shapes the clay, he also shapes memories. There is no better teacher for the lesson of decay and renewal than the earth itself. And this lesson is the very basis of our lives. We are born on this earth, and we are bound to return to it.

How do we relate to our soil? In the weeks that follow we shall explore the fundamentals of this relationship.

prompt:  working with the soil in a modern context 

Soil scientists listen to the earth’s quiet stories – of roots, minerals, and renewal. Their work safeguards the living ground that feeds and sustains us. Environmentalists stand where wild spaces meet human ambition. They remind us that progress without care is fragile, restoring what is wounded and urging us to treat the planet as a shared inheritance. Architects dream in light and form, transforming spaces into meaningful places. Their designs increasingly echo the wisdom of scientists and the pleas of environmentalists, creating harmony between human needs and the earth’s integrity.

We look forward to your poems.

The deadline is midnight Eastern Standard Time, Saturday, December 27, 2025.

Please use the Haiku Dialogue submission form below to enter one or two original unpublished haiku inspired by the week’s theme, and then press Submit to send your entry. (The Submit button will not be available until the Name, Email, and Place of Residence fields are filled in.) In the Poem box, with your poem(s), please include any special formatting requirements & your name & residence as you would like it to appear in the column. Please note that by submitting, you agree that your work may appear in the column – neither acknowledgment nor acceptance emails will be sent. All communication about the poems that are posted in the column will be added as blog comments.

Join us next week for Arvinder’s selection of poems on the topic of working with the soil in a modern context…

Bios:

Guest Editor Arvinder Kaur, author, translator and an award-winning poet, specializes in English literature and Media Studies. She was one of the founding editors of the bilingual haiku journal Wah. She has been a guest editor at Triveni, Failed Haiku and recently at The Haiku Foundation’s Haiku Dialogue. Her haiku have appeared in several national and international journals. She is the author of four books of micropoetry, two of which are bilingual where she has translated her own work into vernacular. Her books have been very well received in India and abroad. She lives in Chandigarh, India with her family.

Assistant Editor Lafcadio, a former teacher, now works from home writing, editing and proofreading study guides for nursing textbooks. She lives in Tennessee. She has written poetry for a long time but a couple of years ago fell in love with Japanese micropoetry and hasn’t looked back. Lafcadio has been published in a number of journals and anthologies. She writes under the nom de plume of Lafcadio because nom de plume is so fun to say. You can read her poems on Twitter (X) @lafcadiopoetry or BlueSky @lafcadiobsky.

Assistant Editor Vandana Parashar is an associate editor of haikuKATHA and one of the editors of Poetry Pea and #FemkuMag. Her debut e-chapbook, I Am, was published by Title IX Press (now Moth Orchid Press) in 2019 and her second chapbook Alone, I Am Not, was published by Velvet Dusk Publishing in April 2022.

Lori Zajkowski is the Post Manager for Haiku Dialogue. She lives in New York City and enjoys reading and writing haiku.

Managing Editor Katherine Munro lives in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, and publishes under the name kjmunro. She served as Membership Secretary for Haiku Canada for ten years, and her debut poetry collection is contractions (Red Moon Press, 2019). Find her at: kjmunro1560.wordpress.com.

Portrait by Laurel Parry

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Photo Credits:

Banner photo credit:  Pratham S.S. Jolly & Ravi Singh (Canada)
Prompt photo credit:  prompt photo two: Ravi Singh (Canada)

Haiku Dialogue offers a triweekly prompt for practicing your haiku. Posts appear each Wednesday with a prompt or a selection of poems from a previous week.