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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 a U.S. resident, must have a PayPal account or a bank that accepts U.S. checks, in order to receive prize money.
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PRIZE
$100
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JUDGES
J. Thomas Rimer, Professor Emeritus of Japanese Literature, Theatre, and Art at the University of Pittsburgh; former chief of the Asian Division of the Library of Congress.
Margaret Coats, Ph.D. in English and American Literature and Language from Harvard University; retired from a career of teaching literature, languages, and writing that included considerable work in homeschooling for her own family and others.
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WHEN
Now until September 16, 2023, 6 pm EST (New York time). The original Sept. 15 deadline has been extended for those in other time zones. Results to be announced September 29, 2023 (corresponding with Tsukimi—the Japanese Moon Festival).
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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.
IMPORTANT: By submitting haiku to this contest, the contestant declares that the poems are his or her own work, and that they were written after July 2022. Please submit using your first and last name, as we may find it difficult to distinguish between contestants who have similar first names.
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 Once entries are posted, they can be revised or withdrawn ONLY by making another Comment.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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My haiku entry
Huge trees wag their heads
Leaves take flight across the air
A storm is brewing
The wind through the trees
Awakens me with its breeze
A new day to seize.
Burned by rays all day
flowers wilting, skin dripping
waiting for the storm
departing autumn
the wall clock of late grandma
in sync with silence
answers turn into
the monosyllabic words—
winter seclusion
nothing compares to
the imprints of our children—
pomegranate seeds
Walk tropical night
Full moon vibrant tower cloud
Deep heaven background
snowflakes on wet snow
the heaviness and lightness
of being alone
deer leaping into
the cover of prairie grass
those three words uttered
cicadas shimmer
late summer thin air quivers
a chainsaw cuts through
sunflowers in bloom
search the south skies: ten thousand
soldiers in array
a plastic shopping
bag waving from a tree branch
whose leaves are changing
Wild asters blooming
Beside an angel in prayer
A splash of purple
After moans of birth answer
groans from sorrowing earth.
A cry of hope.
Deep in the dark soil
holding life, seeking light
A mustard seed of faith
Unburnt dewy leaves
Heavy sighs on morning breeze
Summer senescence
the layered canyon
committing to memory
water over rock
Staring, standing close,
the two friends await morning’s
halters in my hands.
translucent webs spun
on colorless foliage
display a buffet
On a summer day
The bluebirds come out to play
While singing their songs
solo at the bridge
the itinerant sax man
performs for the stars
roasting marshmallow
comet streaks across the fire
summer’s afterglow
Milk cows once filled a
Dilapidated old Barn,
With the Milk of Life.
Michael W Howe
2023
I gave a Eulogy to my Dad in haiku.. He passed away last fall at age 93.
Born in ‘29
What great fortune lies ahead?
The Great Depression
Farm living is hard
It’s cold inside this morning
I can see my breath
A one room schoolhouse
Half of my class is absent!
Angie must be sick
Electricity!
No more Christmas tree candles
Or kerosene lamps
Autumn, back in school
Most are grieving summer’s end
I rejoice, no chores!
All study and work
At the U of M except
Football Saturday
Post war in Berlin
As counterintelligence
Some of the best years.
Terry peak ski trip
Red sweater girl, you play bridge?
I do, name’s Mary.
Wedding and marriage
Let us start a family
Now Cathy then Paul
First day to last day
Commuting to work in style
Black Mercedes Benz!
Remington, Sperry
Unisys, Lockheed Martin
Same job but new name
Working 30 years
Using precious vacation
Fixing or camping
Pinewood derby built
With Dad’s engineered design
Not fair to others
Baseball game tonight
Pitcher Paul needs to warm up
Dad to the rescue
Same house on Charlton
New kitchen, yard, and basement
Pride of ownership
Schematic sketches
Adjusted by plans A through Z
Persistence pays off
Measure twice, cut once
With the right tools and knowledge
Everything fixed
Oh, random device
How old are your batteries?
Yellow sticky note
Oh, random yard tool
Where is your proper storage?
Labelled in garage
Looking for advice?
Five researched articles here
But your decision
New mattress needed
Choice made easy by
Consumer reports
Growing tomatoes?
Variety, soil, water
Details in my book
Shoulder surgery
Won’t my tennis game suffer?
I’ll play left-handed.
Ah retirement
Travel, tennis, read, relax
There was time to work?
Box wine, terra chips
Ipad, freecell, recliner
Happy hour at 4
Patient, loving, kind,
Gentle, strong, meticulous,
Words to describe Dad.
My work is complete
93 years, time to rest
Thanks, well done my child
Amazed by this life story!
This is such a wonderful set of haiku and an even more delightful life story. Loved it a lot
synchronous in flight
well-schooled, these summer fledglings
bird-brained should be praise
nothing constant here
only motion and flux, yet
still sand, still water
sunset through white pines
our soup will need reheating
eyes feast first tonight
Blackout
Liquor infuse tear.
Daylight merge to nightfall rage.
Sunrise will come soon.
Thank you for reading my haiku:
snow-laden branches
his easel and paintbrushes
are gathering dust
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white jasmine flowers
stud the twirling dancer’s braid
stars trail the full moon
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midwinter stillness
the stone angel embedding
in moss and silence
in this fall silence
still raindrops and healing drops:
drip, drip, drip, drip, drip
the autumn full moon
I’m beginning to think what
the other side is
the crowded ballroom
and snowflakes swirl quietly
outside the window
I am waken up
by the song of a titmouse –
the alarm clock’ sound
a water lily
in the sky… the clouds sailing
somewhere under it
lamp on the terrace –
shadows of the moths flutter
on the wall behind
To Classical Poets Society
Please note that as I was uncertain whether all 3 of my haiku submissions could be entered under one comment or each required its own comment submission I entered them both ways, In either case I only submitted three haiku not six which would disqualify me from the competition
Thank you