Book Review: ‘A Peacock’s Cry – Seasons of Haiku’

Writer: Nina Singh
Publisher: Possibility Publication, April 2025
Total page: 150

There are some books that settled in your mind like a sweet raga. You want to read some parts of that composition again and again-this book is also the same. This Haiku-collection book “A Peacock’s Cry” by Nina Singh is a beautiful emotional journey, in which the depth of every season is cherished through Haiku.

The cover of the book attracts attention rapidly. The figure of ‘peacock feathers’ created by Tej Teethi is very simplicity and attractive, while inspired by ‘Gond Art’, Kigigo (Ritu Lyam Symbol) is designed by Preeti Aisola – especially images of autumn and winter. The writer takes the readers to the depths of Haiku on ‘KiGo’ written by the author Allen Summers and the famous Haiku poet Pravtha Kumar Padhya.

Nina’s poems in the spring are full of freshness and a sense of rebirth.
“Spring clouds… / magnolia blossoms / scent the sky”
Here clouds and flowers together are bringing your fragrance to the sky.

Summer poems introduce tenderness and innocence:
“Summer Grass… / I Whisper My Secret / to the Dew”
It gives Haiku readers an opportunity to fly to imagination.

In the monsoon, the poetess has expressed the beauty of rain through peacock:
“Rain Bath / Sheding the dust / a peacock’s cry”
It is also an inspiration for the title of Haiku book.

A spirit of sadness and viraha in autumn:
“New Moon / All The Stories / Mom Never Told”
This composition touches the hearts of the readers – like untold stories of relationships.

In the winter, there is a feeling of mist and solitude:
“Deepening Fog / The Fant White Call / of a Gray Heron”
This haiku invites meditation and silence.

“A Peacock’s Cry” is a book that invites a quiet break in today’s busy life. Every page has a melodious ragini of sensations that give a spiritual satisfaction to the soul by the end.

The book is available on Amazon in both Kindle and Paperback versions.

– Padma Priya
(A published Haiku poet from Hyderabad)

What is haiku?
Haiku is a traditional style of Japanese poetry, which consists of only three rows – 5 in the first, 7 in the second, 7, and 5 in the third. It often presents the feelings of nature, season, and moment particularly particular. The beauty of Haiku lies in its simplicity, silence and symbolism.