I wanted to compose haiku which will compare the sky stitched with stars and the generations of women who did needlework. Many working-class women sewed to earn a living. Privileged women stitched as a necessary accomplishment and to relieve themselves from boredom and isolation. This haiku poem reflects my nostalgia for crafts such as needlework that are being replaced by machine-made.
Starry night—
the generations of women
who did needlework
First Place, 3rd John Bird Dreaming Award for Haiku, Australian Haiku Society, 2025