rusty sun
father's plough returns
to the earth
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.
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- Awards & Honours
- Images & Words
- Other Writing
- Photography Publications
- Poetry of Light Photography Exhibition
- Readings/Videos
- A Year Unfolding: Haiku
- Mouth Full of Stones: Haikai eBook
- Prairie Interludes: Haiku eChapbook
- Random Blue Sparks
- The Language of Loss: Haiku & Tanka Conversations
- Three-Part Harmony: Tanka Verses
- Warp and Weft: Tanka Threads
Saturday, August 01, 2020
Stardust Haiku, Issue 43, July 2020
Honoured to have the following haiku chosen for the "In the Starlight" feature:
neonatal unit
the bleat of a mother
missing her lamb
neonatal unit
the bleat of a mother
missing her lamb
Tanka 2020: Poems from Today's World, Red Moon Press 2020
My thanks to editor-in-chief Alexia Rotella for choosing the following tanka:
taking a knee . . .
the black hollyhocks
in my garden
fall victim, one by one
to another killing frost
rain doves build
a nest on our balcony
we, too
are learning the art
of sheltering in place
this curse
should be named
corvid19
the way it pecks
holes in our lungs
empty cathedral . . .
he sings for everyone
and for no one
this moment of healing
in a quarantined world
(for Andrea Bocelli)
taking a knee . . .
the black hollyhocks
in my garden
fall victim, one by one
to another killing frost
rain doves build
a nest on our balcony
we, too
are learning the art
of sheltering in place
this curse
should be named
corvid19
the way it pecks
holes in our lungs
empty cathedral . . .
he sings for everyone
and for no one
this moment of healing
in a quarantined world
(for Andrea Bocelli)
Prune Juice Book of Senryu, Celebrating 10 Years: 2009 - 2019
Thrilled to be one of the 85 top contributors from Prune Juice Journal's first 29 issues, with work selected by past editors, Steve Hodge, Terri L. French, Alexis Rotella, Liam Wilkinson, and edited by Brent Goodman! My work has appeared in 17 issues since 2014.
transplanted . . .
a bleeding heart
in the surgeon's garden
#12 2014
frogspawn
the way you wriggle
out of lies
#19 2016
in the tracks
of a dog I wish were mine
snow sparkles
#20 2016
sheet lightning
my hands find the bones
of your hips
#22 2017
peeling paint
all the backstories
we don't know
#23 2017
last testament
we inherit the bulk
of her shame
#23 2017
bagpipers
just far enough away
to move me
#25 2018 (shortlisted for the 2018 H. Gene Murtha Senryu Contest)
transplanted . . .
a bleeding heart
in the surgeon's garden
#12 2014
frogspawn
the way you wriggle
out of lies
#19 2016
in the tracks
of a dog I wish were mine
snow sparkles
#20 2016
sheet lightning
my hands find the bones
of your hips
#22 2017
peeling paint
all the backstories
we don't know
#23 2017
last testament
we inherit the bulk
of her shame
#23 2017
bagpipers
just far enough away
to move me
#25 2018 (shortlisted for the 2018 H. Gene Murtha Senryu Contest)
Our Best Haiga: Black & White Haiga/Haisha, July 2020
Curated by Lavana Kray
July 6, 2020
Note: this haiga originally appeared in Ephemerae 1C, November 2018
July 13, 2020
Note: this tanka originally appeared in GUSTS 31, Spring/Summer 2020
July 19, 2020
Note: this tanka originally appeared in Blithe Spirit 30.1, February 2020
July 30, 2020
Note: this tanka received a Commendation in the Climate Change: The Burning Issue 2020 Tanka Contest (administered by Mandy's Pages)
NeverEnding Story, June 2020
Translated into Chinese by Chen-ou Liu:
wheat fields
tousled by fingers
of wind
I tuck a strand of hair
behind your ear
Honourable Mention, 2018 Sanford Goldstein Int'l Tanka Contest
Chen-ou Liu's Comments: (excerpted from commentary by judges Jessica Malone Latham and Neal Whitman)
...This tanka brought out the romance of life expressed in gentle moments, and oh how gently we are brought into this scene. In this poem, love is in wind and wheat, love is expressed by tucking hair with hands. While we sat in the presence of this poem, it enabled each of us to feel this sacred moment of love, and to reflect on our symbols of affection and tenderness. For us, we ultimately fell into a moment of appreciation and quietude...
wheat fields
tousled by fingers
of wind
I tuck a strand of hair
behind your ear
Honourable Mention, 2018 Sanford Goldstein Int'l Tanka Contest
Chen-ou Liu's Comments: (excerpted from commentary by judges Jessica Malone Latham and Neal Whitman)
...This tanka brought out the romance of life expressed in gentle moments, and oh how gently we are brought into this scene. In this poem, love is in wind and wheat, love is expressed by tucking hair with hands. While we sat in the presence of this poem, it enabled each of us to feel this sacred moment of love, and to reflect on our symbols of affection and tenderness. For us, we ultimately fell into a moment of appreciation and quietude...
Moonbathing, Issue 22, Spring/Summer 2020
I wait for you . . .
nakedness perfumed
with almond oil
a veil of starlight
pinned over my hair
nakedness perfumed
with almond oil
a veil of starlight
pinned over my hair
Haiku 2020: 100 Notable Ku from 2019, Modern Haiku Press, 2020
Thrilled to be included in this anthology edited by Lee Gurga and Scott Metz!
summer fair
our dog retrieves
a lost boy
Mariposa 40, Spring/Summer 2019
summer fair
our dog retrieves
a lost boy
Mariposa 40, Spring/Summer 2019
Frameless Sky, Issue 12, June 2020
prairie meadow
we are still chasing
summer dreams
robin migration
the promises we make
to keep in touch
a deserted beach
strewn with seashells
and echoes
why do I always wait
for you to fill my sails
we are still chasing
summer dreams
robin migration
the promises we make
to keep in touch
a deserted beach
strewn with seashells
and echoes
why do I always wait
for you to fill my sails
#FemkuMag: An E-zine of Womxn's Haiku - Issue 25, June 2020
Guest Editor: Elizabeth Alford
inner peace
i offer it
to the world
quarantine
even the dust bunnies
are multiplying . . .
My thanks to Elizabeth for choosing the following vertical haiku for a "Femku Feature"!
languid
afternoon
we
change
places
with
shadows
inner peace
i offer it
to the world
quarantine
even the dust bunnies
are multiplying . . .
My thanks to Elizabeth for choosing the following vertical haiku for a "Femku Feature"!
languid
afternoon
we
change
places
with
shadows
Australian Haiku Society, 2020
Winter Solstice 2020 AHS Haiga Kukai: Non-Seasonal Entry
shadow play
the yin and yang
inside my cup
Winter Solstice 2020 AHS Haiga Kukai: Seasonal Entry
snowy woodpile
a small spark begins
to sing
Note: These haiku were written in response to the photographic prompts by Ron Moss.
shadow play
the yin and yang
inside my cup
Winter Solstice 2020 AHS Haiga Kukai: Seasonal Entry
snowy woodpile
a small spark begins
to sing
Note: These haiku were written in response to the photographic prompts by Ron Moss.
Atlas Poetica, Number 40, 2020
pistil and stamen
evening wind
heavy with the perfume
of sweet peas
we are tendrils clinging
to each other's heart
sunflowers
from a market stall
we warm
ourselves with memories
of happier times
I shower
you with petals
this ceremony
the simple hallmark
of mourning
my garden
is wizened now
but soon
it will be plump
and ripe with snow
evening wind
heavy with the perfume
of sweet peas
we are tendrils clinging
to each other's heart
sunflowers
from a market stall
we warm
ourselves with memories
of happier times
I shower
you with petals
this ceremony
the simple hallmark
of mourning
my garden
is wizened now
but soon
it will be plump
and ripe with snow
Blithe Spirit, Vol. 30, Number 2, May 2020
prairie town
rusted rails lead us
into sunrise
this guitar
handed down to me
still bears
the fingerprints of songs
I know by heart
I ramble
along whin-covered cliffs
s e a r c h i n g
for the perfect stone
to add to your cairn
Note: This issue also contains the results and commentaries for the 2019 British Haiku Society Awards, which may be accessed under The British Haiku Society tag on this blog. I was thrilled to receive four awards in the annual tanka contest! My thanks to judges an'ya and Gregory Longenecker.
rusted rails lead us
into sunrise
this guitar
handed down to me
still bears
the fingerprints of songs
I know by heart
I ramble
along whin-covered cliffs
s e a r c h i n g
for the perfect stone
to add to your cairn
Note: This issue also contains the results and commentaries for the 2019 British Haiku Society Awards, which may be accessed under The British Haiku Society tag on this blog. I was thrilled to receive four awards in the annual tanka contest! My thanks to judges an'ya and Gregory Longenecker.
Our Best Haiga: Black & White Haiga/Haisha, June 2020
Curated by Lavana Kray
June 3, 2020
Note: this haiku previously appeared in Poetry Pea, May 20, 2019
June 6, 2020
Note: this tanka previously appeared in Panning for Poems 12, Autumn 2019
June 9, 2020
Note: this haiga previously appeared in Under the Basho, 2018
June 16, 2020
Note: this tanka art previously appeared in Ribbons 15.3, Fall 2019
June 29, 2020
Note: this haiku received 2nd Place in the 2019 Morioka 1st Int'l Haiku Contest
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