Syrian Child Refugee Tanka Poem by Chen-ou Liu

the dervish
of first snowflakes…
a Syrian
child refugee talking
to the foreign sky

Runner-Up,2019 British Haiku Society Awards

Judge's Commentary: This is a well-crafted tanka that begins with snow falling, identifying who sees it, where and their reaction to it. The use of "dervish" refers to the meditative movements of disciples of Sufism. The snow is moving and so is the child, a Syrian refugee in a new land. One wonders what the child makes of all this.