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Our 2023 Haiku Competition is on now HERE.
WHO
Anyone in the world, of any age or background, may participate. Among members of the Society of Classical Poets, everyone including Advisory Board members may participate, if not involved in judging the contest. The winner, if not resident in the United States, must have a PayPal account or a bank that accepts US checks, in order to receive prize money.
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PRIZE
$100
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JUDGE
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WHEN
Now until August 15, 2022. Results to be announced August 30, 2022.
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WHERE
Post your entries in the Comments below.
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WHAT
Each competitor may submit up to three haiku of traditional form: three lines per poem with 5 syllables in the first line, 7 syllables in the second, and 5 in the third. Entrants are recommended to conform to other traditional haiku requirements outlined HERE. They should be new poems, written since the closing of the 2021 haiku competition. Although this competition is held in summer, haiku dealing with any season are acceptable.
If you want coaching on haiku features, please read the examples and explanation before submitting your entries. Once entries are posted, they can be revised or withdrawn ONLY by making another Comment. This is permitted until the competition closes, but do take reasonable care to complete work to your satisfaction before you enter it. Please do not use the Comment area as your scratch pad. That is discourteous to other competitors, to interested readers, and to the judge and will disqualify you.
Entries that do not meet basic traditional haiku requirements may be deleted. Anyone who submits more than three entries will have ALL his or her entries disqualified, unless excess entries are clearly withdrawn by a later Comment.
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PAST WINNERS
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1.
cool winds shake reeds loose
darkness floods over still water
a chorus of frogs
2.
red-leafed mango trees
new birthings swell pale yellow
consummating love
3.
calamansi fruit
sun-yellowed and ripening
closer than we were
Science Fiction
A form of genre,
What do you like most in it?
Keep an open mind.
Knowledge
Very powerful,
One can read and learn a lot,
Have an open mind
Death
A reality,
It reaches us all, too,
This is how it is.
I Enjoyed Reading Your Haiku, I Thought “DEATH ” Fell Short. I Could Be Wrong, Take Care.
Fall’s Fashion Show’s here!
Toasted browns, yellows, and reds
Brand new repeat looks.
Let’s meet, you and I
Under winter cherry trees
Love won’t wait till spring.
Waterfall rushing
like pink gowns, twirling and swirling
the cherry blossom dances.
Bird who never flew
flapped his wings, stayed on the ground
hangs his head in shame.
Clock ticks life away
never, not going to die
until the clock stops.
Hey there chickadee!
How sweetly your song welcomes
fair weather migrants
Long after the sun
has set behind the mountains
its light yet lingers
Vernal blood pulses
the snowmelt from alpine heights
My body, a river
Queen Anne’s lace is quick
sudden crowd on our corner
uninvited offspring
bare feet picking through
damp stones left at a low tide
each reveal deep space
dog’s paw in mid-air
nose to a fresh sudden breeze–
pet rabbit escaped
Oaks self-amputate,
drifting their sun-toned decay:
alms for future sprouts.
California fires
feast, then scatter their takings.
Stone-fruits thrive in ash.
shaking her body
a pencil rewinds stuck songs
on old cassettes
full moon in the sky
found on the bed of the sea
mystical moonglade
scintillating stars…
darkness doesn’t matter to them
they well know their worth
wintry white petals
drift into frozen sunset
napping on lone bench
a fallen oak leaf
floating down mountain river
journey to the sea
Martin, “These buds opening” and “Curious concert” were submitted in the 2021 competition, and “Curious concert” earned a place among runners-up. It is so good I used it among examples for “What Makes A Good Haiku?” The 2022 competition asks for new haiku, written during the past year. And each competitor may submit only three entries. Please reply here to withdraw the older haiku which are not eligible. And if you wish, add another to the two eligible ones above.
Dear Margaret,
Thanks for letting me know. I didn’t realize that “Curious Concert” was among the runner-up in last year’s contest. (I’ll submit 2 new ones.)
That’s great news. In fact, I’m going to read your article about “What Makes a Good Haiku.” I can’t wait to read it!
I’ll try to delete those two haiku you mentioned. I’m not sure how to do it. But if you know how, please feel free to do so.
All the best,
Martin
Cicadas singing
From the boughs of tall green pines –
Sun casts long shadows
(entry #2)
Heron stands, wings spread
Waiting for fish to swim close.
Turtles bask on log
(entry #3)
Down from the gray sky
Flutter flakes of fresh white snow.
Air smells of woodsmoke
Of course! I will alert the moderator to delete your previous entries, and I look forward to the new ones.
Scouring summer woods
for the chanterelle mushroom;
a faun watches me.
June wind breathes sea grass.
June wind breathes the ocean waves.
My kite inhales, soars.
Our herb garden’s song:
summertime thyme, mint, and
basil in concert.
Embers damp with dew.
Sun looms on the horizon;
The last campfire, gone.
autumn breeze flipping
through pages to the bookmark
of dried rose petals
Your last day of work
The sky beaming baby blue
Air tangy with earth
I watched a leaf fall
to the ground without a sound . . .
heard its silent song
Tonight planet Mars
is caught in the moon’s halo
Red Warrior at peace
In the deep of sky
a great white cloud, a shadow
My mother looks down
suddenly sunshine
maxes daylight hours coaxing
our crops to ripen.
sweet smell of grass: a
field with horses galloping
summer heat lingers.
shiver crunching leaves
walk briskly bundled up to
Thanksgiving Dinner.
Take a sip of tea
Allow nature bless your tongue
As you watch the rain
Rich bloom of colours
The earthy scent of wet soil
–Remnants of the rain.