NeverEnding Story, June 2019

Translated into Chinese by Chen-ou Liu:


mute swans
under a moon bridge
the things
I should have confessed
make no difference now

1st Place
2016 Fleeting Words Tanka Contest


Chen-ou Liu's comments: (excerpted from the judge, an'ya's commentary)

"...Selected for the first place in this competition, is this tanka by a well known author from Canada, Debbie Strange. Smoothly composed, the words "mute swans" in line 1 and "under a moon bridge" in line 2 starts it off beautifully. Debbie creates a distinct pause before she goes into lines 3 and 4 which juxtapose with a human relationship. This tanka then finally spills over to line 5, in a flowing crescendo and the moment of closure. Simple images, and straightforward words make this tanka work for anyone and everyone who reads it..."

The Haiku Foundation, Haiku Dialogue Week 21, June 2019

"What's at Hand" prompts by Craig Kittner: a broken shell


beach drift . . .
we mend the cracked wings
of angels

The Haiku Foundation, Haiku Dialogue Week 19, June 2019

"What's at Hand" prompts by Craig Kittner: a fallen leaf


unmarked grave . . .
a thousand red maples
offer their leaves

Modern Haiku, Vol. 50.2, Summer 2019

golden hour
wood ducks whistle
us to the edge

Moonbathing, Issue 20, Spring/Summer 2019

uncertainty
seeps through the fog . . .
we can't find
our footing on this bridge
already crossed

Hedgerow Poems, Number 127, Spring 2019

Le Prix Jocelyne-Villeneuve, Haiku Canada 2019

Honoured to have the following watercolour featured on Le Prix Jocelyne-Villeneuve Haiku Canada trifold announcing the winners of the contest!