This has been my first Spring/Summer haiku contest with 31 entries from 23 contestants from the United States (Missouri, North Carolina, Minnesota, Virginia, Massachusetts, Louisiana, Illinois, Vermont, Pennsylvania, New York) and New Zealand and Romania!
Below are the entries with the authors names. Results and the judges bios are at the bottom of the page!
1
a storm’s violent rage
thunder shakes my prison’s panes
yearning to be free
crystal blue above
upward glance, a child’s thank you
yellow slide awaits
Mike Hofner, Springfield, Illinois
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2
fashion bulletin
pop of pink pop of yellow
emerald shamrock
touch pink touch purple
tulip red stripes white or rose
designer lines spring
Phyllis Jean Green, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Long ago fell into the habit of writing poetry; however, it wasn’t until a year or so ago that I ‘discovered’ haiku. L o v e it. Sketchbook, Taj Mahal Review, and Harvests of New Millennium have done me the honor of publishing haiku that have come to me {seems the best way to describe the process.} ‘Been writing since I was a child. At first, I only wrote fiction and the occasional short article. So glad I spread my wings! http://www.phyllisjeangreen.info & http://www.authorsden.com/phyllisjeangreen
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3
summer hmmm summer
hum mouth melting magnolia
hammock yum sway yawn
heat sough buzz peep sigh
sockless soft shoed summer bops
music by July
Phyllis Jean Green, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
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4
heavy rains melt snow
green blades stretch up out of earth
daffodils emerge
ripened fruit bows canes
night birds sing in humid air
salmon swim homeward
Anita Gorder, Rochester, MN, by way of Alaska
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5
damp earth, sunlit, calm
nurtures redemption and life
cool mornings, fresh hope
wild underbrush
vigorous, teeming and green
quiet, kinetic
Nathaniel Brown
___
6
gray rains, chilled, hopeful
give way to radiant light
bright blossoms, cool nights
warm days, alive, ripe
usher in quiet, long heat
bright daylight, hot nights
Nathaniel Brown
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7
Last cherry blossoms –
she’s postponing for a day
her eye surgery
Climbing ladybird –
the top of the grass blade bends
to the starting point
Eduard Tara, Iasi, Romania
___
8
Twenty years later –
on the phone she’s asking me
something about spring
The last ladybird
climbing the taller grass blade –
again to the ground
Eduard Tara, Iasi, Romania
___
9
Mother Earth awakes,
her eyelids are the beauty
of the blooming plants.
Closest to the sun,
Mother Earth is set ablaze,
we have shade, does she?
Joseph Fry
___
10
the early sunlight
spring floods recessing slowly —
mississippi blues
drifting on the pond
the ducks draw timidly near —
one summer sunset
Rebecca S., Fairfax, Virginia
___
11
Grassy revival
From the calm dead of winter
A worm’s dependence.
Pink, orange sunsets
Blanketing the sea’s torment
Distant school bells heard.
Jennifer Miao, Boston, Massachussets
___
12
and now a tickle
quite unanticipated
Sol is teasing me
a full head of steam
the slap of sole on wet sand
smack into the brine
Eddie Jones, St. Louis, Missouri
___
13
endless summer sun
warms weary well-worn spirit
balm for teacher’s soul
soft spring morning rain
obliterates soot and sin
clean slate for today
Wadec, Grand Isle, LA
___
14
Heavy, the spell of
Winter white supremacy
But spring will prevail
Love in Summer
Honey, I love you
But it’s so hot and sticky
Must we sit so close?
Adam Allred, St. Louis, Missouri
___
15
Spring draughts and nectars
Kaleidoscopic juices
Drinking, drowning, drunk
To some you’re June brides
And skipping rocks and fireflies
To me you’re just hot
Adam Allred, St. Louis, Missouri
___
16
New blood streaming through
Old veins, Seasonal rebirth
arrives. The world wakes.
Majestic comfort
Summer storms rise up with strength
Fatigue washed away
Will St. Pierre, St. Louis, Missouri
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17
corduroy gives way
to linen – furrowed soil lets
unfold the tulips
wings beating sunlight,
birds brandish fallen petals
pin them on the line
Joy McCarnan, Rockford, IL
http://www.karagraphy.com
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18
Ephemeral pools,
vernal ponds live a short time.
Wood frogs sing to mates.
Pollywogs emerge
When longer days warm the water.
But few become frogs.
Matthew Dickerson
lives in Bristol, Vermont and teaches at Middlebury College. He has written several books and directs the New England Young Writers Conference in May at Middlebury College’s Breadloaf campus in Vermont and both a writers’ conference and an arts conference for adults in Thetford Vermont http://www.christianityarts.org/.
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19
When snow disappears
snowdrops peek from old dead leaves.
Spring’s first white flowers.
Despised in summer
Dandelions blanket lawns
Then whiten like snow.
Matthew Dickerson, Bristol, Vermont
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20
I have gone to plant
The poppies in my garden
And await the rain.
The poppies are grown
Tall with the heat and hide me
As I watch the bees.
Hannah Anderson
lives in Vanderbilt, Pennsylvania and wishes there were more haiku contests to give her reason to ignore the laundry in the middle of the day.
___
21
Yellow green thrusts through
Deadened earth as if compelled
By resurrection
Yellow gold invades
The world in triumphant life
And celebration
Hannah Anderson, Vanderbilt, Pennsylvania
___
22
in class
open windows tempt
minds to venture out- come, come!
i’ll be there soon, Spring
in the park
blustering winds brush
the heat of sun off dark jeans.
thanks, restless Summer
Karen Rice, St. Louis, Missouri
___
23
warm night winds shove me.
even spring papers take time.
I trudge back to sleep at five.
I remember now:
Drive up hills, turn off A/C.
Welcome, warm habits.
Karen Rice, St. Louis, Missouri
___
24
Spring in the 118
spring orange rays smile wide
through Christmas lights draped across
peeling painted boards
Summer in the 118
the streetlights humming
drown out the sounds of my car
being hot-wired
Brandon Marshall, St. Louis, Missouri, 63118
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25
Spring in the 118 pt. 2
in cracks of concrete
weeds, brown and tired lay down
by naive green shoots
Summer in the 118 pt. 2
dear pigeon, how come
you forsake my sill and mock
my water pistol?
Brandon Marshall, St. Louis, Missouri, 63118
___
26
From dark, cool closets
Short sleeves and cotton emerge,
Like life in spring beds
Don’t outgrow summer’s
Sense of wonder and freedom;
Once more to the lake.
Charlie Helbling, St. Louis, Missouri
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27
Daffodils bobbing.
Tiny suns on hearty stems,
daring frost to try
Spring and Summer kiss.
Picnic romps fade drowsily
into shaded naps
Sarah Blackwell, St. Louis, Missouri
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28
climbing to the top
of cemetery hill, me
and the daffodils
gathering roses
at sunrise – the bride-to-be
hollers for more pink
Sandra Simpson, Tauranga, New Zealand
___
29
a drip of coffee
blurring the silky napkin
bright April morning
hot night of July-
in the silent coast harbour
shimmer of a ship
Oana Aurora Boazu, Galati, Romania
___
30
branches wearing sleeves
sewn cherry blossom clusters
discarding breezes
latenoon sun stranded
fishing for summer’s silver
trailing water’s edge
Yi-Ching Lin, New York, New York
http://ylphoto.wordpress.com
___
31
Poetry contest
Cluttering up my inbox,
Snuck past my filters.
Participate for fun
Or vain hope for approval?
Helpless, I conform.
Cliff Sodergren, St. Louis, Missouri
_______
Results
Grand Prize Winner-Joy McCarnan for haiku pair 17
1st Runner-up-Yi-Ching Lin for haiku pair 30
2nd Runner-up-Eduard Tara for haiku pair 8
3rd Runner-up-Matthew Dickerson for haiku pair 18
4th Runner-up-Eduard Tara for haiku pair 7
___
Best Spring HaikuJoy McCarnan for Spring haiku 17 & Yi Ching Lin for Spring haiku 30
1st Runner-up-Eduard Tara for Spring haiku 8 & Matthew Dickerson for Spring haiku 18
2nd Runner-up-Sarah Blackwell for Spring haiku 27
3rd Runner-up-Will St. Pierre for Spring haiku 16
4th Runner-up-Anita Gorder for Spring haiku 4
___
Best Summer HaikuEduard Tara for Summer haiku 7 & Edward Tara for Summer haiku 8
1st Runner-up-Joy McCarnan for Summer haiku 17
2nd Runner-up-Matthew Dickerson for Summer haiku 19 & Hannah Anderson for Summer haiku 20
3rd Runner-up-Anita Gorder for Summer haiku 4, Matthew Dickerson for Summer haiku 18, & Yi-Ching Lin for Summer haiku 30
4th Runner-up-Nathaniel Brown for Summer haiku 5, Wadec for Summer haiku 13, & Hannah Anderson for Summer haiku 21
Judges
Bob lives in University City, studies social work, cooks loads of food, and writes bad poetry. You can read some of his poems at okigetit.wordpress.com. Bob has been bedeviled by the fact that he is not allowed to judge AND enter contests like this one, since he loves both roles.
Sharon Fox is a reference librarian and professor at St. Louis Community College. She is an avid collector, reader and listener of poetry. She has attended the four-day biennial The Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival since 1998 where Robert Hass often reads his translations of selected haiku by Kobayashi Issa.
Jeremy Clive Huggins strives for clarity and brevity. Which means that he eyes it enviously and critically. Which makes him an ideal judge. Also, he is underemployed and has much free time, which helps. He has two essays forthcoming in anthologies this year. His essays are too long. He learns from you.
Brady Shuman is a librarian in St. Louis whose least favorite thing about spring is Claritin.
Heidi Vincent graduated from Calvin College an unemployable Lit major specializing in theater. Sadly, she is quite unqualified to judge Haikus, nevertheless, she does so with an obsessive thoroughness which makes up for her lack of qualification.
This page has the following sub pages.
The Dassler Effect 
first impressions? here’s what stood out to me after a very quick read-through: “salmon swim,” “to me you’re just hot” (how fun!), “corduroy gives way to linen — furrowed earth…” (how clever!), “streetlights humming,” “once more to the lake,” and of course, “snuck past my filters” (how accusatory! i love it!).
and probably the most sobering line: “but few become frogs.” how sad and how true… seems like a metaphor for something.
excellent crop of entries, neil! i congratulate you on soliciting in all the right places and can’t wait to give them a more thorough going-over!
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What is more wonderful than a beautifully-conceived and -written haiku?
So many beauties here. Pity the judges!
I was late to discover the joys of ‘playing with’ haiku.
Quickly became addicted. One habit I have no intention
of giving up.
Thank you for providing haiku lovers with a forum, and
for running contests. Lot of work, I know.
Think I’ll sign off with an off-the-cuff ku. {Forgive it, for it
knows not its flaws; nor is it responsible.:)!
writer wilting on the vine
ku comes along and waters
bit of sun and voila
xOx Phyllis xOx
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Good set this year! I’m with Bob on the “furrowed earth” entry! Loved it! I can’t wait to find out who wrote #17 as well as #30. Something struck me about the tone of #30.
P.S. I have NOT officially given Neil my results…you know…in case you feel the need to bribe me! I love dark chocolate, dry red wine, and tator tots. Just saying.
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i am so honored to be among such great haiku-writers. thank you, dear readers and judges, for selecting my works as both a winning selection and runners-up! i am so thrilled! thank you, Neil, for the opportunity!
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Congrats on a great contest & the great entries!
Jenny
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My haiku must have got lost in transition!
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I’m thrilled with the results! Well done Joy and Yi-Ching!
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Hurrah, everybody! It has been a delight to judge these entries — the perfect study break during the end of my semester. Thank you all, especially Neil, for making this contest possible. Every entrant should feel proud of this work. 🙂
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Thanks to Neil, to the judges, and to all the other entrants for making possible a fun and encouraging competition. I feel honored to have been included!
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Thank you all for your hard work and beauty that you have created. And thank you for another reason to avoid laundry in the middle of the day.
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