English Original
blue on blue
a dragonfly taps
the skylight
First Place, 2010 Porad Award
Susan Constable
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
藍上加藍
一隻蜻蜓輕啄
天窗
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
蓝上加蓝
一只蜻蜓轻啄
天窗
Bio Sketch
Susan Constable (1943–2026) was an award-winning Canadian poet whose haiku and tanka appeared widely in global journals. She authored the acclaimed collection The Eternity of Waves and served as tanka editor for A Hundred Gourds (2012–2016). Constable also co-edited multiple anthologies and judged numerous international short-form poetry contests.
“Blue on blue” pulls us up into the sky, or pulls the sky down into us. The verb “taps” gives the poem not only visual but also auditory appeal. Taps are gentle but persistent. Maybe the dragonfly wants out; yet because its wings are blue, it is already merging with the sky. Also, through the skylight, the sky is entering the dragonfly. And if the dragonfly is outside, tapping to get in, it will bring the sky in with it. This poem resonates with the desire for transcendence that we all may feel from time to time... excerpted from the judge's commentary, accessed at https://sites.google.com/site/haikunorthwest/porad-haiku-award/2010-porad-award-winners
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