Book of the Week – Running After Shadows by Hifsa Ashraf

Many thanks to Kenneth Pearsons for preparing the 2024 Book of the Week features.

Running After Shadows by Hifsa Ashraf uses haiku the way a surgeon uses a scalpel. Traditionally, haiku are these tiny vessels for seasonal imagery, cherry blossoms, frogs leaping into ponds, etc. Hifsa takes this structure and bends it to fit the fractured shapes of mental illness.

Her poems depict the pain and strength of women who live with mental illness. By focusing on women’s experiences, Hifsa not only amplifies their voices but also demands empathy and recognition from a world that too often overlooks their struggles. Also, by intertwining Urdu with English, she creates haiku that stand as a testament to the healing potential of haiku, bridging languages, cultures, and human experiences.

This collection is a testament to the resilience of women with mental health issues and an urgent call to dismantle the stigma surrounding their mental health. In Hifsa’s shadows, we find not just despair, but the seeds of transformation, the beginnings of a journey toward understanding and healing.

at the core
of her palm lines…
black hole

The palm, traditionally read for signs of fate, is transformed into a void—a black hole that consumes rather than reveals. This haiku captures the feeling of being trapped by forces beyond one’s control.

self-denial…
seeking the light
without shadows

She questions the nature of self-denial. Can we truly seek clarity and enlightenment if we refuse to acknowledge the darkness within us?

PTSD
shadows lengthen
over the sky’s edge

The lengthening shadows evoke the presence of past trauma. By situating this experience against the vastness of the sky, Hifsa underscores both the enormity of the pain and the possibility of eventual healing.

Schizophrenia—
chasing butterfly trails
into the woods

This poem balances whimsy and despair and the fragile beauty of butterflies contrasts with the haunting woods, showcasing Hifsa’s compassion and artistry.

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You can read the entire book in the THF Digital Library. Please share your favorite poem from the book with us.

Do you have a full or chapbook length book published in 2020 or earlier that you would like featured as a Book of the Week? Contact us for details. Haiku featured in the Book of the Week Archive are selected by the THF Digital Librarian Dan Campbell and are used with permission.