Judged by Michael Dylan Welch, Katherine Munro, and Allan Burns

2015 Haiku Invitational Winners presented by

1LeithWheeler_Logo_2016

 

Top Winners

Vancouver

Stanley Cup playoffs
the last cherry blossoms
still hanging on
                      Jacqueline Pearce
                      Burnaby, Vancouver

British Columbia

cherry blossoms
come and go
my seventy years
                      Dan Curtis
                      Victoria, British Columbia

Canada

Alzheimer’s ward
cherry blossoms
in the fog
                      Marco Fraticelli
                      Pointe-Claire, Quebec

United States

cherry blossoms
no room in the selfie
for me
                      Joe McKeon
                      Strongsville, Ohio

International

cherry blossoms
falling
in love again
                      Brendon Kent
                      Southampton, England

Youth

cherry blossoms—
grandma tells me about
her first date
                     Georgiana Cucu , age 12
                      Botosani, Romania

Click here for commentary on winning poems.


All poems are listed in alphabetical order in each category.

Vancouver
Sakura Awards

Tourists ask for directions
I send them by way of
the cherry blossoms
                      Rita Ager, British Columbia
                      Coquitlam, British Columbia

distant cherry blossoms,
I rehearse
a conversation
                      Rachel Enomoto
                      Burnaby, British Columbia

pruning suckers
from my cherry tree—
no time for his sales pitch
                      Brenda Larsen
                      Port Coquitlam, British Columbia

prayer flags in the wind cherry blossoms
                      Vicki McCullough
                      Vancouver, British Columbia

petal storm—
the affair
I almost had
                      Jacqueline Pearce
                      Burnaby, British Columbia

cherry blossoms
shading the heron
hiding the koi
                      David Randen
                      Coquitlam, British Columbia

pink blossoms
mothers-to-be
compare bellies
                      Carl Seguiban
                      Burnaby, British Columbia

Honourable Mentions

Cherry blossoms
listen carefully
the hummingbirds have returned
                      Rita Ager
                      Coquitlam, British Columbia

Homeless man
on his paper plate
a cherry blossom
                      Marianne Baharustani
                      Vancouver, British Columbia

a parade
of babies in strollers
a blanket of pink blossoms
                      Jeannine Bertoia
                      Surrey, British Columbia

pink boughs
bending ever lower
the old man sneezes
                      George Dueck
                      Burnaby, British Columbia

our hands in prayer position
dividing
cherry blossoms
                      Brenda Larsen
                      Port Coquitlam, British Columbia

the finch & I
singing
cherry blossoms
                      Vicki McCullough
                      Vancouver, British Columbia

On my way . . .
seeing old friends,
Cherries in first bloom.
                      MyDung Quach
                      Vancouver, British Columbia

suit and skateboard
pause
cherry blossoms
                      David Randen
                      Coquitlam, British Columbia

faded blossoms
lie on rain-soaked grass—
now what will I do?
                      Joan Tyldesley
                      Vancouver, British Columbia

Stray kitten
On my doorstep
Fur matted with blossoms
                      D’Arcy Warner
                      Vancouver, British Columbia

British Columbia
Sakura Awards

strangers
bearing cherry blossoms
into the subway dark
                      Patrick Doerksen
                      Victoria, British Columbia

first cherry blossoms
a crab scuttles
in the trap
                      Tom Drescher
                      Rossland, British Columbia

cherry blossoms—
last email message
from a friend
                      Beth Skala
                      Nanaimo, British Columbia

outside the food bank
the row of cherry trees
feeds the eyes
                      Naomi Beth Wakan
                      Gabriola Island, British Columbia

Honourable Mentions

swirling in the wind
pink cherry blossom petals
cover the small grave
                      Cheryl Ashley
                      Nanaimo, British Columbia

nothing left
of grandfather’s house
yet still, the old cherry blooms
                      elehna de sousa
                      Salt Spring Island, British Columbia

cherry blossoms
a red accordion
crosses the street
                      Tom Drescher
                      Rossland, British Columbia

so little time
downtown cherry blossoms
fall on busy schedules
                      Katrina Genuis
                      Victoria, British Columbia

little girl playing
can’t see
the blossom in her hair
                      Katrina Genuis
                      British Columbia, Victoria

cherry petal
skims across still pond
on koi’s back
                      Hajime Naka
                      Kelowna, British Columbia

new dragon
among my cherry blossom
tattoos
                      Gregory Skala
                      Nanaimo, British Columbia

Canada
Sakura Awards

grandfather watching
the baby watching
pink petals on the updraft
                      Lin Geary
                      Paris, Ontario

cherry blossoms
floating in the lake
tonight’s moon
                      Norman Wm. Muise
                      Guelph, Ontario

auditions . . .
the last blossom
to open
                      Roland Packer
                      Hamilton, Ontario

gone too soon
sakura blossoms
my old friends
                      Debbie Strange
                      Winnipeg, Manitoba

Honourable Mentions

spring breeze—
my shoes fill
with cherry petals
                      Ellen Cooper
                      Montreal, Quebec

biking the blossoms—
a few drops
of last night’s rain
                      Pamela Cooper
                      Montreal, Quebec

admiring cherry blossoms—
a stranger hands me
his camera
                      Tamara De Dominicis
                      Burlington, Ontario

I miss you
more and more
blossoms falling
                      Marco Fraticelli
                      Pointe-Claire, Quebec

moving day . . .
cherry petals floating
on a pool of sky
                      Chen-ou Liu
                      Ajax, Ontario

murmured prayer—
cherry blossoms bow
to the wind
                      Terra Martin
                      Toronto, Ontario

nightfall
between blossoms
clusters of stars
                      Terra Martin
                      Toronto, Ontario

sojourners—
the cherry blossom
nudges the wind
                      Marianne Paul
                      Kitchener, Ontario

petal showers—
the sweet lightness
of a sigh
                      Marianne Paul
                      Kitchener, Ontario

far from home—
knitting pink angora
into blossoms
                      Marilyn Potter
                      Toronto, Ontario

in and out
of translation—
cherry blossoms
                      Veronika Zora Novak
                      Toronto, Ontario

United States
Sakura Awards

cherry blossom park
the rescue dog barks
for the first time
                      Roberta Beary
                      Bethesda, Maryland

falling cherry petals . . .
a beggar turns
his back to the crowd
                      Meik Blöttenberger
                      Hanover, Pennsylvania

car repossession—
the cherry blossoms on top
taken too
                      Susan Burch
                      Hagerstown, Maryland

bookmark
a single cherry petal
keeps her page
                      Kyle D. Craig
                      Indianapolis, Indiana

cherry blossoms—
a blind man taps his cane
beneath the trees
                      Tina Crenshaw
                      Charlotte, North Carolina

the angry words
I regret saying to you . . .
cherry blossom rain
                      Kayla Daley
                      Hattiesburg, Mississippi

her sidewalk sketch
of cherry blossoms—
scent of rain
                      Carol Judkins
                      Carlsbad, California

of the many things
my mother planted—
weeping cherry
                      Barbara Kaufmann
                      Massapequa Park, New York

jumping rope . . .
school children
and cherry blossoms
                      Melvina Noel
                      Reston, Virginia

festival poster
a cherry petal
dots the i
                      Barbara Snow
                      Eugene, Oregon

each step
a little lighter . . .
cherry blossoms
                      Kevin Valentine
                      Mesquite, Texas

cherry blossoms—
young lovers discuss
forever
                      Kevin Valentine
                      Mesquite, Texas

pushpins on a map . . .
cherry trees blossoming
here and there
                      Julie Warther
                      Dover, Ohio

he ties his shoelaces
into rabbit ears
first blossoms
                      Michelle Schaefer
                      Bothell, Washington

Honourable Mentions

coming and going
they remind me of you
cherry blossoms
                      Johnny Baranski
                      Vancouver, Washington

cherry blossoms
a moment of grief
for my mother
                      Traci Barlow
                      Birmingham, Alabama

a warm spring . . .
cherry blossoms waft over
from my neighbor’s tree
                      Brad Bennett
                      Arlington, Massachusetts

lost
among the blossoms
cherry moon
                      Mark E. Brager
                      Columbia, Maryland

late to a meeting
blaming it
on a cherry tree
                      Alan S. Bridges
                      Littleton, Massachusetts

morning rush—
cherry petals crowd
the busker’s cap
                      Theresa A. Cancro
                      Wilmington, Delaware

cherry blossoms
not knowing their name
the toddler points
                      Kyle D. Craig
                      Indianapolis, Indiana

anniversary—
a gentle blossom rain
to mark his passing
                      Margaret Dornaus
                      Paradise, Arkansas

six degrees
of separation
cherry blossoms
                      Robert Michael Drouilhet
                      Picayune, Mississippi

what little hope
I have left for this world . . .
first cherry blossom
                      Chase Gagnon
                      Detroit, Michigan

all around sakura
mother’s wheelchair
tipped back
                      Connie Gildersleeve
                      Clinton Township, Michigan

dancing petals . . .
the very first time
she calls him daddy
                      Michele L. Harvey
                      Hamilton, New York

first blossoms—
the carpenter bee and I
work out our differences
                      Tzetzka Ilieva
                      Marietta, Georgia

cherry blossoms
mixing it up
with birdsong
                      Barbara Kaufmann
                      Massapequa Park, New York

made smaller
by the blossoming cherry
. . .my old house
                      Carole A. MacRury
                      Point Roberts, Washington

weeping cherry
a story told
to a new generation
                      Ann Magyar
                      Brighton, Massachusetts

blossom-covered path
to the new house
like the old one
                      Ann Magyar
                      Brighton, Massachusetts

cherry blossoms
upping the odds
she’ll say yes!
                      dl mattila
                      Oakton, Virginia

concert hall garden
the descant
of cherry blossoms
                      Andrew Shattuck McBride
                      Bellingham, Washington

dining alfresco
at a table for one
cherry blossoms
                      Joe McKeon
                      Strongsville, Ohio

on the calling card
of a friend long gone
cherry blossoms
                      Catherine Anne Nowaski
                      Rochester, New York

messaged
from phone to phone
cherry blossoms
                      Victor Ortiz
                      San Pedro, California

shared hammock
love bends
the cherry trees
                      Dru Philippou
                      El Prado, New Mexico

homecoming
only the cherry blossoms
as I remember
                      Marion Alice Poirier
                      Boston, Massachusetts

between
our joined hands
a pink blossom
                      April Serock
                      Smithfield, Pennsylvania

sound of a gravel rake
in the rock garden
floating pink petals
                      Judt Shrode
                      Tacoma, Washington

new friends
promise to return
cherry blossom time
                      Arthur Solomon
                      Federal Way, Washington

try once more
to see it his way
cherry blossoms
                      Heidi Stahl
                      Teaticket, Massachusetts

while we walk
our daughter runs ahead
first bloom
                      Neal Whitman
                      Pacific Grove, California

International
Sakura Awards

sakura night . . .
the pink cheeks
of the chef
                      Sanjuktaa Asopa
                      Belgaum, India

falling blossoms . . .
a hibakusha tells of
his childhood
                      Claudia Brefeld
                      Bochum, Germany

test results
petals
on the breeze
                      Helen Buckingham
                      Somerset, England

cherry trees in bloom—
I do not open up
to my therapist
                      Ana Drobot
                      Bucharest, Romania

gun salute—
the silent fall
of cherry blossoms
                      Arvinder Kaur
                      Chandigarh, India

under the cherry tree
a lover asks
for an eraser
                      Ernesto P. Santiago
                      Solano, Philippines

among the cherry blossoms
a blackbird puffs up
and keeps silent
                      Heike Stehr
                      Moers, Germany

the child
I’ll never have
cherry blossoms
                      Rachel Sutcliffe
                      Huddersfield, England

cherry blossoms—
my hometown
on TV
                      Yukiko Yamada
                      Nagoya, Japan

Honourable Mentions

snow-heavy blossoms
their hands
share a pocket
                      Nathalie Buckland
                      Nimbin, Australia

so light
yet blossom ripples
reach the edge
                      Steven Clarkson
                      Taupo, New Zealand

they were not
on my to-do list, and yet . . .
cherry blossoms
                      Bernadette Duncan
                      Rottweil, Germany

two street musicians
nothing but cherry petals
in the violin case
                      Engin Gülez
                      Mersin, Turkey

last cherry blossom
I agree
to divorce
                      Robert Kania
                      Warsaw, Poland

cherry blossoms
notes forgotten
at the piano lesson
                      Capotă Daniela Lăcrămioara
                      Galați, Romania

cherry petals
on the wind
—my loved ones’ faces
                      Anna Mazurkiewicz
                      Chelm, Poland

late afternoon . . .
touching the blossom
with the tip of her cane
                      Jo McInerney
                      Boolarra, Australia

sharing the bench
the old busker
and cherry petals
                      Mark Miller
                      Shoalhaven Heads, Australia

hometown visit
cherry blossoms
past their prime
                      Polona Oblak
                      Ljubljana, Slovenia

bicycle thief—
on her blouse
cherry blossom
                      Stella Pierides
                      Neusaess, Germany

sharing an umbrella
with a stranger
cherry blossom rain
                      Vanessa Proctor
                      Sydney, Australia

cherry blossoms—
the jingle of my keys
on his key ring
                      Dorota Pyra
                      Gdańsk, Poland

a cherry petal
caught in the cobweb . . .
stolen kisses
                      Rosie Roumeliotis
                      Athens, Greece

blossom moon
the pregnancy line
turning to pink
                      Cynthia Rowe
                      Sydney, Australia

painting a cherry tree
a camera click
distracts me
                      Iliyana Stoyanova
                      St Albans, England

#hanami in #Rome—
wind uploads fresh petals
on our profiles
                      Tomasz Szymczak
                      Chojnice, Poland

skylark song
my sumi-e cherry branch
starts to blossom
                      Maria Tomczak
                      Opole, Poland

Milky Way—
our secret path
of cherry blossoms
                      Steliana Cristina Voicu
                      Ploești, Romania

blossoming cherry
out of a deep shadow
mother waves at me
                      Mila Vukmirovic
                      Belgrade, Serbia

every window
to the third floor and back
cherry blossoms
                      Sheila Windsor
                      Bexhill-on-Sea, England

Youth
Sakura Awards

childhood home
on the old swing
cherry blossoms
                      Nadin Ghileschi, age 13
                      Botoșani, Romania

The popular girl and
the goth girl are
friends, under blossoms
                      Leah Liu, age 9
                      Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Strangers—
sharing the shade under
a cherry tree
                      Amanda Luu, age 15
                      Surrey, British Columbia

In a carved heart
on an old cherry tree:
two faded initials.
                      Amanda Luu, age 15
                      Surrey, British Columbia

Honourable Mentions

crowded city
bright yellow cab
windshield wipes cherry blossoms
                      Sophia Hambleton, age 10
                      Vancouver, British Columbia

cherry petals—
lighter and whiter
granny’s hair
                      Branzei Ioana, age 12
                      Botoșani, Romania

Cherry blossom trees
Are big and some are small ones
I have a small one
                      Kathy Le, age 10
                      Aldergrove, British Columbia

Sitting on the bus all alone
She looks down
Sees a single blossom
                      Megan Lord, age 9
                      Vancouver, British Columbia

It never snows
It only rains
White and pink cherry blossoms
                      Taeja Podmore, age 11
                      Vancouver, British Columbia

In my open hand
A cherry blossom falls
I remember your touch
                      Harmani Sandu, age 13
                      New Westminster, British Columbia

math lesson
counting the cherry blossoms
outside
                      Bartosz Sawicki, age 12
                      Szczecin, Poland

marathon finish line
cherry petals falling
under the winner’s feet
                      Bartosz Sawicki, age 12
                      Szczecin, Poland

glowing blossoms
leave a trail
to your doorstep
                      Kishal Scholz, age 14
                      Mission, British Columbia

While reading a book
cherry blossoms flutter down
blocking the final word
                      Aaron Sze, age 10
                      Vancouver, British Columbia

bulldozer—
the cherry tree
falls to its knees
                      Sarah Sakura Welch, age 9
                      Sammamish, Washington

a walk in the park—
pink petals of cherry blossoms
on our ice-cream
                      Wiktoria Wolska, age 11
                      Nowy Targ, Poland

Aunt’s arrival—
on the cage with the cat
cherry blossom petals
                      Wiktoria Wolska, age 11
                      Nowy Targ, Poland

under the moonlight
we lie among the fallen—
cherry blossoms
                      Sherry Zhou, age 17
                      Palo Alto, California

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