Lyrical Passion Poetry E-Zine © 2007-2012 P.O. Box 17331 Arlington, VA 22216
Editor's Note: Our winning writers use intensely focused language to change the way that readers view the world. Congratulations to all of our winners!
Newest Winners "2012 Haiku Pen Contest"
Edward Bremson - "pregnant women"- 1st Place ! - $ 175.00 Winner
pregnant womenat the picnicbudding magnolias
Seren Fargo
- "searing heat"- 2nd Place ! - $ 75.00 Winnersearing heat
she decides to shed
her chemo wig
Timothy Russell & Earl Keener
- "torrential rain-" & "a waver of light"- 3rd Place Tie! - $ 40.00 Winnertorrential rain-
the trumpet vine quite
inconsolable
Timothy Russell
a waver of light
in the arch of the sea stack
starfish
in the arch of the sea stack
starfish
Earl Keener
Honorable Mentions
heat shimmer
the corrugated shadow
of a roofer
Andre Surridge
steady drought...
still the sunflowers bow
to the sun
John Hawk
spring night
the dog and I stop
and listen
John Soules
only noticing
when they stop-
cicadas
Seren Fargo midsummer
browning on the beach
a half-eaten apple
Tracy Davidson
Recent Winners "2011 Senryu Contest"
Andre Surridge - "Zen monastery"- 1st Place ! - $ 150.00 Winner
Zen monastery
finding myself
lost
NO SECOND PLACE WINNER
Chen-ou Liu- "bullfrog chorus"- 3rd Place ! - $ 30.00 Winner
I practice saying
I love you
Honorable Mentions
sidewalk book sale
a kid's lemonade
the best-seller
- Al Fogel
freedom
the start we give ourselves
rope swing
- Susan Murata
spaghetti sauce --
we meet each other
half way
- Claire Everett
Previous Winners "2011 Haiku Pen Contest"
Adjudicator: Lee Gurga, editor of Modern Haiku Press.
Paul Smith - "everything I see"- 1st Place ! - $ 150.00 Winner
everything I see
I am...
autumn moon
Cezar F. Ciobîcă - "thunders-"- 2nd Place ! - $ 70.00 Winner
thunders-
dandelion fluff rises
without a god
Al Fogel - "winter solitude"- 3rd Place ! - $ 40.00 Winner
winter solitude
a tarnished half-heart
in the jewelry box
Honorable Mentions
the tracks
of your leaving...
moon-sifted snow
- Claire Everett
ocean roar
a toddler lifts a seashell
to his mouth
- Al Fogel
faded jeans
the moon-washed hills
of dreamland
- Ernest J. Berry
snow boots
dripping on old news --
the scent of coffee
- Marion Poirier
flannel p.j.s—
explaining the divorce
to young daughters
- Ignatius Fay
Previous Winners "2011 Spirit of Japan Tanka Contest"
Adjudicator: Alexis Rotella, Writer. Alexis Rotella can be followed on twitter @tankaqueen. Order her LIP PRINTS and LOOKING FOR A PRINCE on line.
Kathy L. Cobb - "my baby photos"- 1st Place ! - $ 150.00 Winner
my baby photos
ruined in the flood—
pieces of me
lost somewhere inside
mother's failing mind
The earth is going through her changes and whether we want to or not, we are changing along with her. What we once counted on is no more. So many have occurred great loss in recent times. We see people in the news searching the rubble for photos and momentos, we visit our elderly parents in nursing homes but often only the shells of who they were remain. The memory banks of our mothers, our fathers are diminishing or are gone. We stand on the shores of time as the big magic slate of the cosmos lifts the sticky page of the past to a new beginning.
Kathy L. Cobb - "bastard of a man"- 2nd Place ! - $ 70.00 Winner
bastard of a man
glamorized, immortalized
in black and white—
my mother’s wounds
too deep to be photographed
David Terelinck - "the pearls"- 3rd Place ! - $ 40.00 Winner
the pearls
of Cassiopeia spilled
across the sky . . .
a nightjar calls from the tree
where we carved our initials
Honorable Mentions
back home
after a weekend
in the city
content to watch tomatoes
slowly ripen on the vine - John Soules
exotic spices
the air alive
with the cacophony
of rickshaw
hooters - Tracy Davidson
avoiding the cracks
like I did back then
a little boy
willing his mum
to get well - Paul Smith
funeral
sad memories of
grandma
the smell of old lady
and ribbons of drool - Ignatius Fay
from her hospice bed
she repeats the word "why"—
the fallen branch
of a Christmas cactus
roots into air - Seren Fargo
Winners "2010 World Haiku Contest"
Ernest J Berry - "terminal."- 1st Place ! - $ 150.00 Winnershe skirts
the word
Ignatius Fay - "donor forms"- 2nd Place ! - $ 60.00 Winner
donor forms
while the body is still warm
lilac breeze
Chen-ou Liu - "a dried lotus leaf"- 3rd Place ! - $ 30.00 Winner
a dried lotus leaf
in Tibetan Book of the Dead...
winter dusk
Honorable Mentions
twilight tide -
each sibling scattering
bits of her - Kathy Lippard Cobb
mating season
the train disappears
between hills - Ernest J Berry
dead end street-
realizing there is no one
to inherit my things - Seren Fargo
dusk
the chances
I meant to take - Amelia Cotter
bitter cold
salt stains on the road
to the cemetery - Timothy Russell
Winners "2010 Think TANKA Contest"
eagle
in an updraft...
wondering
who I might have been,
otherwise
Claire Everett - "unshackled from myself"- 2nd Place ! - $ 50.00 Winner
unshackled from myself
I am just
a passing thought
in the mind
of the forest
Claire Everett- "and the ghosts"- 3rd Place ! - $ 25.00 Winner
and the ghosts
of our dreams
will dance as butterflies
weaving the colours
of what might have been
Honorable Mentions
when I am gone
doctors will donate this heart
to someone else
only to find you
deep within the scar tissue - Kathy Lippard Cobb
dreams banished
from the clear blue sky
I count
the number of birthday cakes
eaten in the attic - Chen-ou Liu
no coffin,
just laid out on a gurney
under a quilt…
you’d be so proud to know
I didn’t waste a penny - Irene Golas
a friend pays
to have a star named
after her—
I ponder our human need
to own the unownable - Kathy Lippard Cobb
I wrap myself
in the soft underside
of a memory -
it smells
of you. - Claire Everett
Winners "2010 Haiku Pen Contest" - 2010
Adjudicator & Commentator: Ferris Gilli, Associate Editor, The Heron's Nest
moss-covered rocks . . .
mother never talks about
the one that died
Certain elements must be present if a haiku is to resonate; indeed, resonance itself is the key to a successful haiku. In only eleven words, fifteen syllables, this poem answers the requirements: effective juxtaposition of disparate images; immediacy and credibility; a sense of season and balance of nature and humanity; clarity, focus, and concision; plain language and musicality, and meaning beyond the surface imagery.
Waiting to be discovered by the reader, unstated feelings layer this piercing haiku. With intuition and skill, the author invites readers in, “hooking” us and evoking emotion by drawing our focus to that which is not spoken. Different readers may find different interpretations. For me, the phrase “moss-covered rocks” suggests summer. The covering of moss denotes the passage of time (indeed, the overall haiku depiction is timeless). The words “never talks about” imply a long-lasting situation. With the third line, I become aware of a tragedy. Yet even as I ponder this event that might have occurred long ago, I remain firmly in the present with the author, whose depth of current emotion can be inferred from what lies beneath the surface of this absolute observation: “mother never talks about / the one that died.”
It is easy to imagine that “the one that died” was a sibling, perhaps an infant, whose death and the circumstances surrounding it were so devastating for the mother that even now she cannot speak of the lost child. Perhaps for the poet, the moss-covered rocks are a trigger, stirring memories of the event or sharpening the need to “get it out in the open” with the mother. The intriguing juxtaposition of images suggests that the poet’s mood is one of resigned wistfulness, while the last two lines create an aura of mystery. I sense that the writer would gain comfort from talking about “the one that died,” that the poet’s own feeling of loss is nurtured by the mother’s silence.
In order for a haiku to reach its potential, poet and reader become partners. A haiku is like a bell that may sound a subtly different tone for each person who taps it. The poet produces the “bell,” and the reader must tap it in order to experience its resonance. Using not a single unessential word, the poet wisely leaves room for exploration in this significant and captivating haiku. I am grateful for the opportunity to explore the rich depths of “moss-covered rocks.”
Ferris Gilli - September 09, 2010
Irene Golas - "lilac on the breeze..."- 2nd Place ! - $ 50.00 Winner
lilac on the breeze...
I miss the bounce
of my ponytail
Ernest J. Berry - "plum blossoms"- 3rd Place ! - $ 20.00 Winner
plum blossoms
lovers stop to touch
each other
Honorable Mentions
night wind
a skateboard rattles by
without a rider - Ernest J. Berry
half moon--
the coyote's cry
incomplete - Seren Fargo
hometown
my childhood surrounded
by wildflowers - Ernest J. Berry
funeral orchids—
the young mother
changing diapers - Kathy Lippard Cobb
thirteen years of drought
the raven’s voice
grows hoarser - Lorin Ford
Winners "2009 World Tanka Competition" - 2009
Adjudicator : Pamela A. Babusci, Editor, Moonbathing
Paul Smith - "motionless"- 1st Place ! - $ 120.00 Winner
motionless
the butterfly
has gone
and taken with it
a whole universe
Paul Smith
Worcester, UK
Paul Smith lives in Worcester in the UK with his wife and children. Alongside poetry he has recently developed a
passion for longbow archery. His poems have been published in numerous print and online journals including,
Modern English Tanka, Blithe Spirit, Ambrosia, Presence, Magna Poets, Ash Moon Anthology, Simply Haiku and
3Lights Gallery. Read more of Paul’s poetry at his blog PaperMoon.
Paul Smith - "snowdrops"- 2nd Place ! - $ 50.00 Winner
snowdrops
bathed in morning light -
I imagine death
beautiful
like that
Kathy Lippard Cobb - "pebbles"- 3rd Place ! - $ 20.00 Winner
pebbles
ripple a galaxy—
the knowledge
that in this grand design
I am insignificant
Kathy Lippard Cobb
Bradenton, Florida
Recent graphic design graduate from Manatee Community College. Kathy has won numerous awards in haiku/
tanka competitions and has been Associate Editor for White Lotus (haiku/tanka journal) since 2005.
Honorable Mentions
this is the park bench
that waits, always faithful
for my return
where I sit and contemplate
the river's changing moods -Patricia Prime
jasmine tendril
stretching in an upward spiral
I too
grasp for a hold
on the future -André Surridge
tattered butterfly
on the same stone
as yesterday—
my life too
has stopped moving -Kathy Lippard Cobb
Winners "2009 World Haiku Competition" - 2009
Ernest J. Berry - "night rain"- 1st Place ! - $ 110.00 Winner
the down pipe
relieves itself
James Tipton - "autumn fog" & Ernest J. Berry "morning sickness" - 2nd Place Tie ! - $ 25.00/ ea. Winner
the old porch
fills with the past
morning sickness
the drier pauses
between cycles
the drier pauses
between cycles
Barbara A. Taylor - "autumn light" & Sandra Simpson "the last leaves" - 3rd Place Tie ! - $ 10.00/ ea. Winner
autumn light
streaks a setting sun
on the batik
the last leaves
so wrinkled and dry
holding hands anyway
so wrinkled and dry
holding hands anyway
Honorable Mentions
all day snow
the mail carrier's bootprints
there and gone -Jennifer Gomoll Popolis
mating season
the bumblebee's hum
deepens -Ernest J. Berry
this morning my son
taller than me –
the first coloured leaves -Sandra Simpson
sweeping up the hairs
of the old dog
one last time -James Tipton
the clack of fallen branches
neatly piled--
autumn dusk -Jennifer Gomoll Popolis
lamb-like mounds
snow huddles
under the pines - Patricia Prime
Winners "Haiku Blossoms" Contest - 2009
Ernest J. Berry - "nude beach" & " katrina"- 1st Place Tie ! - $ 130.00 Winner
nude beach
she covers
her hairdo
katrina
he reels in
his fishing boat
he reels in
his fishing boat
Marek Kozubek - "spring meadows"- 2nd Place ! - $ 40.00 Winner
spring meadows
the scent of primroses
plucked for no one
Ernest J. Berry - "invisible gate"- 3rd Place ! - $ 10.00 Winner
"invisible gate"
a little girl chains it
with daisies
Honorable Mentions
gap in the trees
morning sun straight through
a daffodil - Diana Webb, UK
drought
the vacant lot
blossoms - Ernest J. Berry, New Zealand
a long look
at the plum blossom
fading so soon - Patricia Prime, New Zealand
Winners "Wintry Haiku" Contest - September 2008
Marek Kozubek - "first snow"- 1st Place ! - $ 100.00 Winner
first snow
tracks of a homeless man
from sill to sill
"Thank you, thank you, thank you! It is incredible! I am glad very much. Dear Raquel, If it is possible, send my cash award $100 to "Women for Women International" please, ok.? The warmest greetings - Marek Kozubek
Marek is an office worker, living in the beautiful mountainous town -Zywiec. He loves the beauty of mountains and mountain journeys. He's been writing haiku for several years. It is his real passion. His favourite classic writer is Yosa Buson. He likes music, too. He is an Elvis Presley and Roy Orbison fan.
Catherine J.S. Lee- "hunger moon"- 2nd Place ! - $ 30.00 Winner
hunger moon
a deer nudges snow
under the apple tree
Patricia M. Benedict- "snow-covered hedge"- 3rd Place ! - $ 15.00 Winner
snow-covered hedge
even the smallest branch
holds its own Mt.Fuji
Honorable Mentions
first snow
how lightly
the cat steps - Timothy Russell, Ohio
arctic morning
the panting postman follows
his steaming breath - Patricia M. Benedict, Calgary, Canada
snow
the mourners
huddle closer - Timothy Russell, Ohio
Christmas dinner
lifting the mistletoe
over my head - Francis W. Alexander, Sandusky, Ohio
