Barbara Strang
Born 1944, Invercargill, New Zealand
Living in Christchurch, New Zealand
Barbara Strang lives by the Estuary, Christchurch, New Zealand, an area devastated in recent earthquakes. She enjoys observing the small happenings of the world. Her first haiku appeared in 1993. She’s published two poetry books, Duck Weather and The Corrosion Zone, and is leader of the Small White Teapot Haiku Group.
galvanised nails
her new look
for the summer
The Perfect Weight of Blankets at Night, 2019 (NZPS Anthology)
old photograph
my jawline
against the gloom
Human/kind Journal (Issue 1.8, September 2019)
a cappella
second alto finds
her note
Kokako 31, September 2019
quake damage . . .
the blood vessels
of my retina
Prune Juice, November 2019 issue (#29)
wild ginger
she remembers
his kiss
Prune Juice, Spring/Summer issue, March 2019
winter’s end—
in the mirror a scarecrow
looks back at me
Prune Juice, Spring/Summer issue, March 2019
school reunion
she selects
her scarlet sandals
Prune Juice, Spring/Summer issue, March 2019
not speaking
the cherry on the fence line
in full bloom
Kokako 30, April 2019
he mentions regret
the moon obscured
by cloud
The Unnecessary Invention of Punctuation (NZPS 2018);
number eight wire, the Fourth New Zealand Haiku Anthology, Piwakawaka Press, Tauranga, March 2019
my sister’s absence
on the railing a blowfly
suns itself
Kokako 26, April 2017
punt passing
a new batch of tourists
stares at the ducks
Jumble Box, Haiku and Senryu from Nahaiwrimo, edited Michael Dylan Welch, 2017
his final illness
the shiny corridor
to the exit
Highly Commended in the 2015 NZPS Haiku Competition and published in their anthology scattered feathers (Nov 2015);
galaxy of dust (Red Moon 2015);
Per diem Haiku Foundation July 2015;
Wishbone Moon (Jacar Press, US, 2018).
aftershock
the newlyweds smile
through cracked glass
Highly Commended in the 2015 NZPS Haiku Competition published in their anthology scattered feathers
number eight wire (2019)
Saturday night
a lone fly circles
the lounge
Highly Commended NZPS annual haiku competition, 2014 published in the NZPS anthology Take Back Our Sky
on the dole
she inhales the scent
of coffee
Kokako 20, April 2014
sorting old letters
my past falls
on the floor
Kokako 18, April 2013
still heading out, An anthology of Australian and New Zealand haiku (paper wasp, 2013)
credit card by post
the scent of
new plastic
Haikai café, a fine line, NZPS magazine, September 2012
still heading out, An anthology of Australian and New Zealand haiku (paper wasp, 2013)
home alone—
a moth thumps
against the shade
still heading out, An anthology of Australian and New Zealand haiku (paper wasp, 2013)
front seat quarrel
the wiper blades
squeal
still heading out, An anthology of Australian and New Zealand haiku (paper wasp, 2013)
old-time dance
he adjusts
his comb over
Kokako 22, April 2015
contest results
golden flowers swirl
down the gutter
Kokako 22, April 2015
aftershock
the crack
in my biscuit
Shortlisted Touchstone Award 2011
Leaving the Red Zone, poems from the Canterbury earthquakes, Clerestory Press, Christchurch, 2016
aftershock
across the tiles
peppercorns roll
Special Mention Katikati Haiku Contest, 2012
Leaving the Red Zone, poems from the Canterbury earthquakes, Clerestory Press, Christchurch, 2016