Warp and Weft ~ Images and Words
Welcome to this archive of my published poetry, photography and art. Thank you for allowing me to share my creative passions with you, and for taking the time to visit. Please be kind, and do not copy any of the content on this site without permission and attribution. All rights reserved © Debbie Strange. I unfold my origami self / and swim into a lake of fire / washing my hair in ashes / the crane-legged words / of a thousand burning poems.
Mouth Full of Stones: Haikai
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- A Year Unfolding: Haiku
- Mouth Full of Stones: Haikai eBook
- Prairie Interludes: Haiku eChapbook
- The Language of Loss: Haiku & Tanka Conversations
- Three-Part Harmony: Tanka Verses
- Warp and Weft: Tanka Threads

Saturday, January 16, 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.
Tsuri-doro: A Small Journal of Haiku and Senryu - Inaugural Issue #1, Jan/Feb 2021
new-fallen snow
the traces of things
unseen
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.
Our Best Haiga: Black & White Haiga/Haisha, December 2020
Curated by Lavana Kray
December 7, 2020
(Note: this tanka originally appeared in Blithe Spriit 30.2, May 2020)
December 12, 2020
(Note: this tanka originally appeared in Moonbathing 18, 2018)
December 14, 2020
(Note: this tanka originally appeared in GUSTS 32, 2020)
December 26, 2020
Saturday, December 26, 2020
Moonbathing, Issue 23, Fall/Winter 2020
wind-stung,
our cheeks bloom
redder
than these poppies
we lay upon your grave
Frameless Sky, Issue 13, December 2020
ancient track
many feet still know
the way
lowering sky
no rainbow yet
to lift me up
Eucalypt, Issue 29, December 2020
cradling
this guitar like a baby
I sing
lullabies for all those
with empty arms
Thursday, December 24, 2020
Wednesday, December 23, 2020
Yuki Teikei Haiku Society, Haiga Holiday Celebration, December 2020
Though I was unable to attend the virtual YTHS Haiga Holiday Celebration, I was happy to share this haiga:
The Poetry Pea Journal of Haiku and Senryu, Autumn 2020
Editor: Patricia McGuire
"Voyages"
contrails
the undulation of dunes
becoming water
"Joy"
wild angelica
the candied scent
of your name
sun trap
the cat's tail tickles
my toes
"Loss"
winter jasmine
we inhale the scent
of dying stars
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