2012 Winning Haiku
2012 Haiku Invitational Winners
presented by
Top Winners
- British Columbia
alone at the airport
a cherry blossom
on my suitcase
Marianne Baharustani, Vancouver, British Columbia
- Canada
morning tai chi—
all the prams
slowly turning pink
Lin Geary, Paris, Ontario
- United States
cherry petals falling
the pond’s oldest koi
slowly surfaces
Michele L. Harvey, Hamilton, New York
- International
school for the blind
every fingertip sees
a different pink
David Terelinck, Pyrmont NSW, Australia
- Youth
old cherry tree—
a spider weaves its cobweb
between two flowers
Cristina Ailoaei, age 14, Botosani, Romania
(Click here to see the judge's comments on the top winning poems)
The sheer number of entries to this invitational is testament to the jubilation and spirit of shared delight that cherry blossom time inspires.
As an antipodean, enjoying the mid-winter gleam of emerging wattle, I would have hesitated to accept the privilege of judging this event, had I not been four times to Japan in cherry blossom time in the last several years, the most recent occasion being in April this year.
With so much said, and written, about blooming cherry trees, it is even more admirable that fine new poems continue to be written, fresh in content and expression.
Some poems immediately tug at the senses of the reader: others emerge more slowly but convince us of their reality, of being true to the moment, with clear imagery, or evocation of sound or other senses.
There is a place for humour. ‘@YVR Status Update …’ is such a poem, but I find it utterly convincing. Having seen whiteboards in hotel foyers that daily document the progression of the blossom front, and photos in newspapers that record the first nudge of buds on cherry trees, this poem recalls the near-hysteria, and anxiety, about whether the season will be a good one, or on time. In another wry take on our modern world, cherry blossoms are sent from an iPhone, contrasting with the joy of actually walking under them. The hunk in the construction yard sweeping blossoms presents another amusing, yet realistic image.
I journeyed through the Tohoku Region in November 2010, only months before the tsunami. I do not think this selection would be complete without a tribute to all those who lost their lives and those who mourn them, and the poem in the youth section beginning ‘draw a heart in the mud…’ does this aptly and with sensitive restraint. We mourn, too, but the presence of the blossom predicates hope and slow healing.
I would like to commend the organisers of the Invitational, who presented the poems for judging anonymously and clearly formatted, accompanied by clear guidelines. A great deal of work goes on behind the scenes when convening and presenting the results of a haiku celebration of this size.
I hope the poems selected for ‘Best of ...’ and Sakura Awards, or which achieved an Honourable Mention, will rekindle, or convey, the joy of ohanami for those who read them. More importantly, I hope everyone who themselves penned a poem, or silently composed one in their mind, will recall the cherry blossoms of April 2012, and smile.
British Columbia
Sakura Awards (In Order of Merit)
Monica Wang
Burnaby, British Columbia
- missed the bus again.
cherry blossom petals
weightless in my hands.
Douglas Abel
Vancouver, British Columbia
- cherry blossom time
in Vancouver and Sendai.
will both celebrate?
Mary Franklin
Vancouver, British Columbia
- soft-pedalling
along the avenue—
cherry blossoms
Beth Skala
Nanaimo, British Columbia
- sent from
my iPhone—
cherry blossoms
Oz Hershfield
Vancouver, British Columbia
- blossoms bursting
each tree is a choir
singing to the sun
Harvey Jenkins
Nanaimo, British Columbia
- cherry blossoms
she forgets she is seven
and bored
Honourable Mentions (In Alphabetical Order)
Jordan Ali
Surrey, British Columbia
blind to the petals' slow dance
I pull her closer
- she watches the wind—
Sidney Bending
Victoria, British Columbia
- community garden
new furrows full of
cherry petals
Elehna De Sousa
Salt Spring, British Columbia
- morning commute
my wipers on low . . .
cherry blossom rain
Mary Duffy
Vancouver, British Columbia
- cherry blossoms pelt
windshields and pedestrians
take that Vancouver!
Garry Eaton
Port Moody, British Columbia
- fewer blooms
on the windowsill this year
my bonsai cherry
Garry Eaton
Port Moody, British Columbia
- somewhat tamed
by blossom time
the cherry's wildness
Esta Mun
Richmond, British Columbia
- Zoobi Doobi
cherry blossoms fall
on dancing umbrellas
Jackie Poon
Richmond, British Columbia
- @YVR Status Update:
cherry blossoms spotted
#collectivesighofrelief
Yeddanapudi Radhika
Vancouver, British Columbia
- falling blossom
the boy waits
with open palms.
Yilin Wang
Gibsons, British Columbia
- blossoms scatter in the storm . . .
his withered hands catch
a cherry petal wish
Canada
Sakura Awards (In Order of Merit)
Patrick M. Pilarski
Edmonton, Alberta
- blossoms folded in new snow the paws of a spring hare
Huguette Ducharme
Saint Pie, Québec
- untied shoes
in the cherry petals
a homeless man
Pamela Cooper
Montreal, Québec
- weeping cherry—
a petal lands
in my bento box
Marilyn Potter
Toronto, Ontario
- supermoon—
gathering cherry petals
in her light
Terra Martin
Toronto, Ontario
- blossoms
opening, opening
each face
Honourable Mentions (In Alphabetical Order)
Peter Brady
Gatineau, Québec
- blowing at me
blowing past me
cherry blossoms
Peter Brady
Gatineau, Québec
- cherry blossoms
at last the chance
to speak to her
Lyudmila Burdan
London, Ontario
- under the pink cloud
with my son
hanami time
Ellen Cooper
Montreal, Québec
- falling—
on my wide-brimmed hat
cherry petals
Lin Geary
Paris, Ontario
- where his name-tag was—
just a sprig
of cherry blossoms
Jean Jorgensen
Edmonton, Alberta
- cherry blossoms
against her pale cheek
April rain
Chen-ou Liu
Ajax, Ontario
- cherry blossoms fall . . .
ask first graders what they love
about yesterday
Terra Martin
Toronto, Ontario
- clutched
in the tiny fist
cherry blossoms
Roland Packer
Hamilton, Ontario
- new love blossoms . . .
within each cherry
a stone
United States
Sakura Awards (In Order of Merit)
Carole MacRury
Point Roberts, Washington
- construction site—
the hunk in the hard hat
sweeping blossoms
Johnny Baranski
Vancouver, Washington
- cherry petals
gathered around the gravesite
reserved for me
Angela Terry
Lake Forest Park, Washington
- that fine line
between blossoms and fruit . . .
again crossing it
Billie Dee
San Diego, California
- one more spin
around the old neighborhood
cherry blossom rain
Jennifer Met
Troy, Idaho
- mid-dream
the puppy's tail stirring
cherry petals
Rebecca Drouilhet
Picayune, Mississippi
- brief lives
today the cherry blossoms
seem more permanent
Honourable Mentions (In Alphabetical Order)
Philip Allen
Hartland, Wisconsin
- after the news
pink blossoms light
upon her scarf
Brett Brady
Pahoa, Hawaii
- her memory
with every cherry petal
drifting away
Beate Conrad
Waterford, California
- white cherry petals
filling the cracks of the stairs
to the cathedral.
Margaret Dornaus
Ozark, Arkansas
- cherry blossoms . . .
the unfinished poem
in my pocket
Terri French
Huntsville, Alabama
- cherry blossoms . . .
the pregnancy test stick
turns pink
Michele L. Harvey
Hamilton, New York
- cherry grove—
the wordless touch
of a lover’s hand
Cara Holman
Portland, Oregon
- remission
cherry blossoms
lighten the sky
Cara Holman
Portland, Oregon
- cherry blossom petals
this quiet hour
before dawn
Elena Naskova
Seattle, Washington
- Earth Day . . .
the bees feasting on
cherry blossoms
Stephen A. Peters
Bellingham, Washington
- cherry blossoms
with my child
some of my childhood too
William Shehan
Chicago, Illinois
- cherry blossoms
fall only once
first love
Angela Terry
Lake Forest Park, Washington
- lengthening days . . .
a whisper of cherry blossoms
in the wind
Marilyn Appl Walker
Madison, Georgia
- a young boy
hidden in the cherry limbs . . .
blossom shower
International
Sakura Awards (In Order of Merit)
Margaret Beverland
Katikati, New Zealand
- a crow
always a crow—
weeping cherry
Glen Fletcher
Maldon, Australia
- late spring,
this cherry blossom tree
one flower from darkness
Ernest Wit
Warsaw, Poland
- first year of her death
bees pollinate the blossoms
on a broken branch
Marion Clarke
Warrenpoint, Northern Ireland
- canal bank . . .
each cherry tree touching
its neighbor
Chung Hoo Tiong
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- first hanami
coaxing the spring child
to smile
Quendryth Young
Alstonville, Australia
- tread gently
upon these cherry blossoms
last year's lie beneath
Sheila Windsor
Worcester, England
- hanami
a last year's leaf
makes lace
Honourable Mentions (In Alphabetical Order)
Sanjuktaa Asopa
Belgaum, India
- even
on a dented beer can
cherry blossoms
Margaret Beverland
Katikati, New Zealand
- twirling
in the street vent's heat
cherry blossom
Claudia Brefeld
Bochum, Germany
- after picnic
the o-bento filled
with cherry blossoms
Adam Chmielnicki
Sosnowiec, Poland
- many temptations,
over a cherry blossom
a young bee buzzing
Frank Dietrich
Düsseldorf, Germany
- cherry blossoms
after thousands of haiku
still beautiful
Cathy Keal
Bristol, United Kingdom
- cherry blossom
bonsai - wonder
how to prune it.
Anatoly Kudryavitsky
Dun Laoghaire, Ireland
- their branches almost touching . . .
glass-house cherry tree
and the one outside
Maria Kowal-Tomczak
Opole, Poland
- new ice cream shop
cherry petals enter
with every customer
Doris Plitzko
Stein, Germany
- cherry blossoms—
a basketful of
rice dumplings
Gabriel Rosenstock
Co. Dublin, Ireland
- ocean of pink—
a blackbird's yellow beak
among the blossoms
Vania Stefanova
Sliven, Bulgaria
- playful wind—
a cherry petal
in the popcorn
Turgay Uceren
Mugla, Turkey
- earthquake anniversary
kids are building a house
on a cherry tree.
Yukiko Yamada
Osaka, Japan
- moving day
still in bud
weeping cherry
Youth
Sakura Awards (In Order of Merit)
Salisa Jatuweerapong, age 12
Lake Forest Park, Washington
- draw a heart in the mud
you fill it with tears . . .
top it with a blossom
Jerry Xu, age 9
Vancouver, British Columbia
- under a tree
struggling with my homework—
a blossom falls on me
Emma Upsdell-Reddekopp, age 12
Vancouver, British Columbia
- pink sailboats
lost in the rapids...
young hands craft more.
Courtney Cheung, age 11
Vancouver, British Columbia
- in the lunchbox
are some rice, pork, a plum,
and a cherry blossom
Travis Kung, age 10
Coquitlam, British Columbia
- ch er ry bl os so ms
sc at ter
on the picnic
Honourable Mentions (In Alphabetical Order)
Rohin Ahluwalia, age 10
Vancouver, British Columbia
- cherry blossoms
all in a nice, neat row
getting blown apart
Erin Chong, age 10
Vancouver, British Columbia
- recess, and tag
running with petals on my face
precious pearls of pink
Kai Hamilton, age 7
New Westminster, British Columbia
- blossoms are creamy.
it feels much like a wedding.
do you think it does?
Adin Kwok, age 13
Vancouver, British Columbia
- the show is about to start—
cherry blossoms wither . . .
just like my voice
Alexa Panusa, age 7
New Westminster, British Columbia
- up high in a tree
petals flying all around.
let me watch them fall.
Mana Salehiparast, age 10
Coquitlam, British Columbia
- eating a sandwich
I look up to see
cherry blossoms
Andrew Sze, age 12
Vancouver, British Columbia
- even a cherry blossom
can puncture—
the darkest force.
Jennifer Wu, age 10
Coquitlam, British Columbia
- ohanami
kin gather
cherished memories
Sherry Zhou, age 14
Palo Alto, California
- one year ago
one country away I stood waiting—
cherry blossoms
Grace Zhu, age 11
Vancouver, British Columbia
clicking on the sidewalk—
pick up mud with pink petals.
- her stilettos
