The Haiku Foundation, Haiku of the Day (formerly Per Diem), July 2025

Selected by R. Ganesh for the theme of "Socio-Political Ku": July 18, 2025

refugee train

small hands starfished

against the glass

1st Place, 2024 Triveni Awards 

Tinywords, Issue 25.1, May 2025

Note: this haiku received 1st Place in the 2024 Triveni Awards

 

Triveni Haikai India: haikuKATHA - unfolding the story within, Issue 38, December 2024

This issue includes the results and commentary for the 2024 Triveni Awards:

refugee train

small hands starfished

against the glass

1st Place

(note: please see the Triveni Awards tag for the commentary)

Triveni Haikai India, Triveni Awards, 2024

Honoured to receive 1st Place in the inaugural Triveni Awards! My thanks to the judges, Susan Antolin and Kala Ramesh, for their lovely comments:

refugee train

small hands starfished

against the glass

Commentary by Susan Antolin:

The verb "starfished" is brilliant in this poem. It feels essential that the verb is in the passive rather than active form. The word "starfished" accurately describes the shape of children's hands spread wide against a window and also evokes the sense that both starfish and refugee children are at the mercy of forces larger than themselves. The refugee children are themselves like starfish, carried by the ocean and deposited on the shore. Here they are on a train, looking out at the world they have been thrown into. The reader cannot but hope these small hands will be carried to safety.

Commentary by Kala Ramesh:

We went through the first, second and third selection lists and in each list, this poem scored full marks. In our final Zoom meeting, this poem surfaced to the first position. I echo Susan's sentiments, which she has voiced extremely well.