Lyrical Passion Poetry E-Zine © 2007-2019
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!
Recent Winners: "2019 World Tanka Poetry Contest"
Theme: "Love".
1st Place - $250 Grand Prize Winner
"as a sailor"
as a sailor
longing for the sea
am I for love
the kind that will be
endless fathoms deep
by an'ya
2nd Place - $125 Prize Winner
"if as the clouds"
if as the clouds
we ever drift apart
forever
remember me fondly
to your grandchildren
by an'ya
3rd Place - $50 Prize Winner
"reading your old poems"
reading your old poems
and reminiscing . . .
how the rhythm and meter
of I love you
changes over time
by Robin Anna Smith
Honorable Mentions
a Rubik’s cube twisted
into a colorful mix –
what if we could
love ourselves
just the way we are?
by Susan Burch
falling in love
under the stars
elderberry clusters
hang heavy
with juice
by Martha Magenta
parenthood
she sets the table
for our party
we pretend to enjoy
our hot cups of nothing
by an'ya
crafted with love,
this table you made
from ash trees
planted for the children
we never had
by Debbie Strange
at the edge
of a winter dream
I reach for her ...
my love in white
there, but not there
by Chen-ou Liu
Past Winners: "2018 World Haiku Poetry Contest"
1st Place - $250 Grand Prize Winner
autumn night...
the death of a star
in the sea
by Ed Bremson
2nd Place - $125 Prize Winner
a lizard drops its tail—
I, too, let things fall apart
by Amelia Cotter
3rd Place - $50 Prize Winner
midnight bandshell
the soft tremolo
of a moth
by Scott Mason
Honorable Mentions
first light . . .
a headless swan drifts
across the lake
by Kathy Lippard Cobb
sea canaries
we dip our paddles
into their songs
by Debbie Strange
night rain
popcorn swells
to vivaldi
by Kathy Lippard Cobb
her progress
across the field
sashiko stitching
by Gregory Piko
desert dusk
a buzzard settles
on the roll bar
by Scott Mason
Past Winners: "2018 Monostich Haiku Contest"
Guest Adjudicator: John Stevenson is a former president of the Haiku Society of America and former editor of Frogpond. Since 2008, he has served as the managing editor of The Heron's Nest.
1st Place - $250 Grand Prize Winner
day by day the mirror
by Gowtham Ganni (India)
Commentary:
Of the top three selections, this first one is most in danger of ending prematurely. One might read it (and perhaps it was intended) to reflect the slow but inexorable effects of time and gravity upon the poet’s changing but familiar countenance. That would be the obvious thing. But, since the poet is not invoked directly – in fact no person is invoked – it’s possible to consider just the mirror and just the passing days. That is quite another poem and one with a great deal of “something more.” It is the changes in the mirror itself, wrought by time and myriad circumstances, that are the subject of that reading.
Because we perceive the existence of something called subjective experience, each of us is a mirror in which the universe regards itself. With or without subjectivity? With or without “something more?”
There is probably something consistent in my selections from among the poems submitted for this contest. Certainly, I am attracted to a very simple presentation. The top three poems here can almost be taken in before they are read. I also appreciate poems that don’t resolve into a final form or insight without first giving me the sensation of “something more.” And the longer that sensation lasts, the better.
2nd Place - $150 Prize Winner!
two ends of a circle missing you
by Julie Warther (Ohio USA)
3rd Place - $50 Prize Winner!
birth which air bubble
by Gowtham Ganni (India)
Honorable Mentions
after the train the stillness of the tracks
by Greg Schwartz (MD, USA)
blur of the ceiling fan blades making love
by Scott Mason (NY, USA)
under and over the river crossing bridges
by Alan Summers, (UK)
the weight of rain filling his rucksack
by Jessica Malone Latham (CA, USA)
spring winds my daughter shakes off my help
by Greg Schwartz (MD, USA)
Past Winners: "2017 World Tanka Contest"
Theme "sunrise / sunset".
1st Place - Grand Prize Winner!
pastel colors
bejewel the eastern sky...
in the rubble
a man cups his hand to his ear
to listen for survivors
by Michele L. Harvey
2nd Place Winner!
first sunrise ...
alone in the attic room
my midlife
drained of all, hungry
for the silence
by Chen-ou Liu
3rd Place Winner!
mango and sky
yield the last of their fruit . . .
I find the sweet spot
between making waves
and making do
by Claire Everett
Honorable Mentions
first light
tickling my back
I turn around
and curl deeper
into your warmth
by Shrikaanth Krishnamurthy
at Trader Vic’s
taking the umbrella off
my tequila sunrise
once again I tell you
I’m not that kind of girl
by Margaret Chula
sunset moonrise
over the South China sea
as if forever
were a window
and we were look-outs
by Kath Abela Wilson
sparrows
fight over sunflower seeds
as if hoping
they too can reach
the sun
by Jessica Malone Latham
Past Winners"2017 World Haiku Contest"
Theme "things that fly".
Jay Friedenberg, NY- "headless scarecrow"- 1st Place Grand Prize! - $ 250.00 Winner!
headless scarecrow
a raven picks the stuffing
out of its neck
by Jay Friedenberg, NY
There are several elements of this winning haiku poem that make it resonate with the reader. The first line of the poem creates an eerie visual and heavy silence. The scarecrow, usually associated with autumn, gives the haiku its seasonal element and the headless scarecrow immediately captures the reader's attention. The writer draws us further into the dramatic scene of a raven, which symbolizes death, picking the scarecrow apart. While the visual imagery of this poem is fantastic, the reader can also imagine the unsettling sounds of the pesky raven pulling at the scarecrow.
The writer, ultimately, leaves the reader wanting more with the dramatic 'end scene'. What happened before and after this? All of the words in this poem flow smoothly. This is truly a powerful haiku with lasting imagery. -The Editors
2nd Place Tie!
daybreak...
one blackbird
lifts the flock
by Julie Warther
perching hummer...
the weight of this world
lifts
by Julie Warther
3rd Place Winner!
broken butterfly wing
the salt tracks of her tears
by Cynthia Rowe
Honorable Mentions
sky burial
vultures circling
the silence
by Chen-ou Liu
slightest sparrow...
every color of spring
in its song
by Jann Wright
thanksgiving—
an old man and a few crows
share the dumpster
by Kathy Lippard Cobb
faltering light ...
alone with the cry
of a loon
by Chen-ou Liu
burial ground
shadow birds through
shadow trees
by Rick Hurst
Past Winners"2016 World Haiku Contest"
Debbie Strange- "fog deepens"- 1st Place Grand Prize! - $ 200.00 Winner
fog deepens
the sound of rabbits
nibbling night
Rajan Garg- "campfire" -2nd Place!
campfire
sparks a galaxy
between us
Meric Ikuri - "dark in the west"- 3rd Place!
the moth,
I hear,
bullies butterflies
Honorable Mentions:
lily
the perfume
introduces her
by Mercy Ikuri
another spring
mum's origami frog
by heart
by Claire Everett
cherry blossoms
falling from the edge
of a dream
by Rajan Garg
wonder what it held
once upon a time...
little dipper
by Julie Warther
autumn gale
how that last leaf
holds on
by Jay Friedenberg
her new poem
teardropscoalesce
by Gregory Piko
Past Winners"2015 World Haiku Contest"
Cynthia Rowe- "bare branch"- 1st Place Grand Prize! - $ 200.00 Winner
bare branch
the wild persimmon
snow-flecked
Claire Everett- "first love" -2nd Place!
first love
summer outgrows
its lanes
Julie Warther - "dark in the west"- 3rd Place!
dark in the west
mushrooms just under
the surface
Honorable Mentions:
snowed in ...
( this longing
deep inside )
by Chen-ou Liu
storm clouds the inside of a tulip
by Julie Warther
antelope
the humming of wind
in barbed wire
by Debbie Strange
blue sea glass
a man of war decays
in the sun
by Debbie Strange
old railway track
a tumbleweed skips
through wild grass
by Cynthia Rowe
"2015 Best of the Best" (Editors Choice Awards)
Best of the Best TANKA (2015)
our ancestral home
now in ruins
every nook
a secret pathway
into my childhood
by Shloka Shankar
Best of the Best HAIKU (2015)
at the beach
the umbrella
waves
by Elizabeth Crocket
"2014 Best of the Best" (Editors Choice Awards)
Best of the Best TANKA (2014)
Pink camellia
in a shot glass
again I steal a sniff
of its perfume
like the thief I am
by Alexis Rotella
Best of the Best HAIKU (2014)
my grandma:
even the moon
has scars
by Surbhi Grover
Past Winners"2014 World Haiku Competition"
Carole Harrison (Australia) - "cicada dusk . . ." - 1st Place Grand Prize Winner! $200.00
cicada dusk . . .
pine needles threading me
the moon
Chen-ou Liu - "a monarch" - 2nd Place! $70.00
a monarch
folds into silence...
budding petals
Jackie Maugh Robinson - "last breath" - 3rd Place! $30.00
last breath
of the last dinosaur
in tar pit bubbles
Honorable Mentions:
hot soup
my tongue screams
I wait
by Patricia Cyr
walking barefoot
in wet sand
low breakers erase me
by Jackie Maugh Robinson
memorial garden …
the shadowy gleam
of a ghost orchid
by Cynthia Rowe
moth wings
the folding and unfolding
of laundry
by Tracy Davidson
the cherry blossom
they'll never see again...
Fukushima
by Tracy Davidson
Past Winners "2013 Best of the Best" (Editors Choice Awards)
sunrise ...
sliding down a blossom's
wetness
by robert d. wilson
the world outside,
full of the whirling news
of destruction . . .
but inside,
this cup of tea
by M. Kei
Past Winners"2013 Wintry Haiku Contest"
Meik Blöttenberger- "wind chill--"- 1st Place Grand Prize! - $ 100.00 Winner
wind chill--
a child puts his ear
to the snowman's chest
Seren Fargo- "granite skies" -2nd Place! - $ 50.00 Winner
granite skies
the weight
of this grief
Claire Everett - "winter stars..."- 3rd Place! - $ 25.00 Winner
winter stars...
the true extent
of the Holocaust
Honorable Mentions:
winter sunrise
the side of me
no one sees
by Poppy Herrin
blending in even more
a moth
frozen to a leaf
by Seren Fargo
snow angels--
a letter to my daughter
I'll never send
by Kathy Lippard Cobb
Past Winners"2013 World Tanka Contest"
Guest Adjudicator: M. Kei
M. Kei is a tall ship sailor and award-winning poet. He is the editor-in-chief of Take Five : Best Contemporary Tanka, and the editor of Atlas Poetica : A Journal of Poetry of Place in Contemporary Tanka. His second collection, of Slow Motion : The Log of a Chesapeake Bay Skipjack, is Recommend Reading by the Chesapeake Bay Project. He also the author of a gay Asian-themed science fiction/fantasy novel, Fire Dragon. He can be followed on Twitter @kujakupoet, or visit AtlasPoetica.org.
First Place Theresa "Tish" Davis $ 150.00 (US) , Award Certificate, Free copy of Fire Pearls 1; published by Keibooks
my spoon
tapping a can
for the feral cats;
my brother, homeless,
in an unnamed woods
The poet gives us a ‘dry’ tanka, a ‘shasei’, or sketch from life. There is no overt emotion, no metaphors or similes, no poetic artifice: just two facts, simply stated. Yet the juxtaposition of the two invites comparison and allows us to imagine the poet’s feelings. The feral cats are strangers, but they have learned to trust the poet’s kindness and come when it serves their needs, but the poet’s brother, who presumably grew up with the poet, does not.
Does the homeless brother know or believe in the poet’s kindness? He must not, or he would come, like the cats, when it was offered. It is generally understood that homeless people have problems that make them homeless; it’s rare for people to choose to do without. Is it mental illness? Estrangement from his family? Has he lost a job or had a mortgage foreclosed and is too ashamed to face those he knows? Is he an alcoholic? A drug addict? A veteran who can’t readjust to civilian life? A convict who can’t find a job?
The tapping spoon reminds me of the triangle my mother would ring for dinner. The metallic sound rang through the neighborhood and called her family home. Hope and optimism are in the ringing; the poet stands and waits for those who will answer. The cats come, a small faithful certainty in an uncertain world. Maybe one day the missing brother will answer too. Or maybe not. Like the feral cats, he is directed by his own inner urgings that are a mystery to everyone else.
M. Kei
Second Place Kathy Lippard Cobb $ 75.00, free copy of Catzilla; published by Keibooks
polaroids
in the bottom
of a red hatbox—
years after death
dad shows up
Third Place Susan Burch $ 50.00
lined up at Auschwitz
a little girl sings
a lullaby
that lingers in my head
long after the gunshots
Honorable Mentions
how gently the leaf
takes its place in water—
may it be so
when death
calls my name
by Paul Smith
they called us
to collect her things
not knowing
what to do with her teeth
we left her smile in the trash
by Debbie Strange
a tiny thing
our paper boat that drifted
so far away:
I wake in the night
full of milk for no one
by Violette Rose-Jones
this year all the camellias died
still tiny, curled buds—
all I knew of them
their butterfly-flutter kicks
then nothing
by Violette Rose-Jones
he tosses his line
casually, from the bridge
into the river
he admits, he’s had to let go
of everything else
by Michele L. Harvey
Past Winners "2013 Haiku in Bloom Contest"
Claire Everett - "spring mist "- 1st Place ! - $ 150.00 Winner
spring mist
steaming in its caul
the newborn lamb
Kathy Lippard Cobb - "ducks crossing— "- 2nd Place ! - $ 75.00 Winner
ducks crossing—
a pregnant woman
waddles behind
Earl Keener - "crocuses bloom"- 3rd Place! - $ 50.00 Winner
crocuses bloom
grandpa doffs
his hat
Honorable Mentions
a scrub jay’s whisper song
trying to remember
who I used to be - Seren Fargo
lesser celandine
all the time
we think we have - Thomas Powell
Mother’s Day
an empty swallow’s nest
feathered with frost - Ron Moss
floating bobbers
two old men
trade snores - Kathy Lippard Cobb
spring fog
the world ends
at the lot line - Ignatius Fay
"2012 Best of the Best" (Editors Choice Awards)
guitar~
caught in a web
of fingers
by Martin Pedersen
autumn sparkles
like summer shape-shifted
and bottled like wine-
from a distance
we drink to tomorrow
by Clive Oseman
Past Winners "2012 Love Tanka Contest"
David Terelinck - "in fire-flung shadows"- 1st Place ! - $ 175.00 Winner
in fire-flung shadows
I kiss the Islamic moon
of her dark lips . . .
scent of narcissus
opening to the night
Paul Smith - "disappearing"- 2nd Place ! - $ 75.00 Winner
disappearing
as moonlight laps
against the shore...
all of you
all of me
Claire Everett & Chen-ou Liu - "is this the place?" & "sultry dusk ..."- 3rd Place Tie! - $ 40.00 Winner
disappearing
as moonlight laps
against the shore...
all of you
all of me
Claire Everett &
Chen-ou Liu - "is this the place?" & "sultry dusk ..."- 3rd Place Tie! - $ 40.00 Winneris this the place?
your breath on my spine
as you lift my hair...yes
here, where the twining birches
bend to touch the stream
Claire Everett
sultry dusk ...
the nape of her neck
draws me in
as a streetlamp
beckons to the moth
the nape of her neck
draws me in
as a streetlamp
beckons to the moth
Chen-ou Liu
Honorable Mentions
once, I think
she told me she loved me...
retracing my path
through ancient woodland to hear,
perhaps, the nightingale
Claire Everett
my thirst
for you can never be
quenched
soft rain on hyacinths
stain our leafless bodies
Pamela A. Babusci
this couple
oblivious to rush hour
on waterloo bridge
people pass on either side
of their passionate kiss
André Surridge
stretching
to touch our initials
carved long ago
our youth found
on this old oak
Allen Reichert
across the sky
crows call and answer
all day
I check the machine
for the sound of your voice
John Soules
Past Winners "2012 Haiku Pen Contest"
Edward Bremson - "pregnant women"- 1st Place ! - $ 175.00 Winner
pregnant women
at the picnic
budding magnolias
Seren Fargo
- "searing heat"- 2nd Place ! - $ 75.00 Winner
searing heat
she decides to shed
her chemo wig
Timothy Russell & Earl Keener
- "torrential rain-" & "a waver of light"- 3rd Place Tie! - $ 40.00 Winner
torrential 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
Past Winners "2011 Best of the Best Poetry Contest"
Alexis Rotella- 2011 Editors Choice Award for Haiku - $50.00 Winner
cranking up
the dawn--
geese
Chen-ou Liu - 2011 Editors Choice Award for Tanka - $50.00 Winner
bare maple tree
standing on the front lawn...
with no one around
I speak to it
in my mother tongue
Past 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
Past 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
Past 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
Past 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
Past 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
Past 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
Past 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
Past 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
Past 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
Past 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