Warp and Weft ~ Images and Words

Saturday, January 16, 2021

The Zen Space, Winter Showcase 2021

Haigaonline, January 2021

Winter Gallery

Solst(ice)

Solstice arrives with a frosting of ice on our waterways. I am enchanted by the work of wind, sunlight, and human hands, as they polish and sculpt glassy surfaces into luminosity. When deep snow arrives, this icy beauty disappears from sight for a few months. Come the spring, it shines anew for a short while, before melting into ether and earth.

Brass Bell, January 2021

solo hike

I lose track of myself

in the forest

Tsuri-doro: A Small Journal of Haiku and Senryu - Inaugural Issue #1, Jan/Feb 2021

new-fallen snow

the traces of things

unseen

Failed Haiku - A Journal of English Senryu, Vol. 6, Issue 61, January 2021

Tuesday, December 29, 2020

The Cherita, October 2020

Issue: "an old sadness"

a cloak of clouds

draped across

my shoulders

I wander

these ancient hills

that loved you

my father's shape

a small snowdrift

in this hospital bed

he opens his eyes

and calls me

by my childhood name

sea nymphs

I listen

to soft whisperings

inside

the pink nautilus

of your ear

Monday, December 28, 2020

Australian Haiku Society, 2020

Summer Solstice 2020 AHS Haiga Kukai: Non-Seasonal Entry

voyages . . .

the light we find inside

ourselves

Highly Commended

Judge's Commentary:

Ah yes, a fine reflection on the voyages through life and the light we find in ourselves is indeed what sustains and nurtures our very existence. All the great traditions speak of going within to truly know our source and what we truly are. Debbie has given us a great teaching beside the humble lighthouse - a beacon of hope and a saving grace for us all.

—Ron Moss

Summer Solstice 2020 AHS Haiga Kukai - Seasonal Entry

halcyon days

we are made of sand

and water

(Note: these haiku were written in response to artwork by Ron Moss)

Sunday, December 27, 2020

Irish Haiku Society International Haiku Competition 2020

My thanks to judge, Anatoly Kudryavitsky, for selecting the following haiku:

storm hour

the cliff's face carved

a little deeper

3rd Prize

IHS, International Haiku Competition 2020

Triveni Haikai Calendar Competition, 2020

My thanks to Kala Ramesh, Shloka Shankar, and Shobhana Kumar! The following haiku was chosen for the month of March, 2021:

balcony garden

the birds have finally

found me

Honourable Mention

Triveni Haikai Calendar Competition, 2020

Polish International Haiku Competition, 2020

My thanks to the judge, Marta Chocilowska, for the commendation!

forgotten grave

only the small bones

of leaves remain

Commended Haiku

Polish International Haiku Competition 2020

Akita International Haiku Network, 9th Akita International Haiku Contest, 2020

My thanks to judges, Ben Grafström, Hidenoru Hiruta, and David McMurray for awarding the following haiku on the theme of "Time/Temporality":

blue nemophila

I still miss the little things

about my sister

Winning Haiku

9th Akita International Haiku Contest (English Section-Open)

(there were 241 contest entries)

Note:

The Japanese hillsides near the sea are carpeted with little blue nemophila in the spring. I have also grown the white and purple varieties, but in this case, I wanted to convey the colour of my late sister's eyes. To write in the 5/7/5 format (contest requirements) without using excess words, is a challenge I enjoy. I'm also happy if I'm able to incorporate a pivot line, offering a bit of ambiguity for the reader to ponder and interpret in their own way. When read with line one, "I still miss the little things", might mean that the writer regrets not noticing small, everyday joys. When read with line two, the meaning might be taken more literally.