a fireball
illuminates the dark
life streaks by
before we know
what to make of it
I have learned
how to keep silent . . .
these pebbles
under my tongue
seasoned with rue
candle ice the way you blow hot and cold
frigid weather
a red rose shatters
on impact
Editor's Choice
This haiku took me back to an educational video that I had seen long ago, where a rose shattered after being dipped in liquid nitrogen. A startling observation by Debbie Strange from Canada, where frigid weather is the norm for a good part of the year and the cold freezes the red rose enough to shatter it on impact. The poet uses a powerful and unique image here. On another level, the use of 'red rose' and its various allusions cannot be escaped by the reader. Thank you Debbie Strange, for the many possible readings.
—Geethanjali Rajan
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