English Original
refugee train
small hands starfished
against the glass
First Place, 2024 Triveni Awards
Debbie Strange
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
難民列車
小手像海星一樣張開
緊貼著玻璃
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
难民列车
小手像海星一样张开
紧贴着玻璃
Bio Sketch
Debbie Strange is a chronically ill Canadian short form poet, haiga artist, and photographer. Snapshot Press released her first full-length haiku collection, Random Blue Sparks, in 2024. It received 3rd Place honours in the 2025 Haiku Society of America’s Merit Book Awards. An archive of awards and publications can be accessed at http://debbiemstrange.blogspot.ca/ and you are welcome to follow her @Debbie_Strange on X and @debbiemstrange on Instagram.
The haiku places a heavy, geopolitical subject ("refugee train," L1) against a fragile, personal one ("small hands," L2). This contrast—the massive, moving machine versus the stationary, tiny hands—is a classic haiku technique for creating depth.
ReplyDeleteThe verb, "starfished," is the emotional anchor of the haiku. It creates a stark, physical image of small fingers spread wide, suggesting vulnerability, a search for stability, or a desperate attempt to connect with the world passing by.
And the glass in L3 acts effectively as both a literal and figurative barrier. It highlights the "othering" of the refugee experience—the children are visible to the world, yet physically separated from safety or a permanent home.