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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 Once entries are posted, they can be revised or withdrawn ONLY by making another Comment.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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Air feels of summer
Sunbathing on the front lawn
Christmas in New York
In this autumn sky
Where birds fly in formation
Smoke now migrates South
dogwood petals drift
across my yard like snowflakes–
Christmas in July
blanketed by snow
the city still sleeps–even
the wren is silent
April sends showers
so May can give us flowers
for June-bride bowers
The shadow of smoke
ascends a sunlit brick wall:
The Upper East Side
First warm wind of spring
caresses the green grape buds
that wreathe the vine wood.
Heavy with black grapes,
the vines hide their swollen fruit,
summer’s sweet burden.
Between the vine rows,
culled fruit ferments, perfuming
autumn’s early dusk.
Broken Haiku.
Broken. Poet’s muse.
In need of restoration.
Artisan helpful.
a bolt of lightning
flashes across the night sky
distant loud rumbling
Respected judges, my sincere apologies to you. I would like to make a change to my first entry. The other two remains unchanged.
a bolt of lightning
flashes across the night sky
epiphany strikes
bough of magnolia
sways to and fro in mild air
a whiff of sweet scent
I want to withdraw my above 2nd entry and replace it with the below haiku:
Cumulonimbus
Clouds cover city skyline
Catharsis of tears
Thank you
Joydip Dutt
solid snow chunks fall
off the leafless tree branches
thudding noise on roof
Cancer clicks its claws
soundlessly in the body
of the universe
A great ladle tilts
in the Milky Way, skimming
a curdle of stars
Pillow hill of snow
on toboggans they went down
and back up again
Butterflies dancing
in shadows of cherry trees –
Venus and Ceres
Within the wind lie
wondrous words of flapping birds,
as spring’s passing by.
Oh, warm summer breeze,
rest and put your mind at ease!
Fall is coming soon.
spring swims in color
without recalling winter
scales frozen in grey
multicolored bloom
of summer leaves in autumn—
my family tree
tropical lagoon
juicy mangos yield their flesh
tigers lurking
The snowdrop lies still
Among frozen, once-green grass.
The life of those dead.
a very long war…
the orphan’s jacket loses
its sky blue color
***
moon in the daytime –
your dark side also remains
so invisible
***
a difficult truce
the grasses along the path
are getting thicker
Love hugging us so
guiding our spirits joyful
embeds tenderness.
Faith is unity
from angels calming us true
light from a rainbow.
Welcome is friendship
the stars twinkle genuine
sailing loves high ships.
Entropy bears fruit
Mighty stones erode to sand
The Sky remains blue
open heart, closed palm
vandalized by young bandits
in past echelons
Summer grows weary,
Colors cling to written petals;
Fall eyes victory.
Darn auto-correct! Here’s what I meant to write:
Summer grows weary,
Colors cling to worn petals;
Fall eyes victory.
late summer sunset
watching the waves wash away
my first sandcastle
red paper lanterns
from the long war a father
comes home in a box
falling at full blast
the last of cherry blossoms
a farewell to spring
Hibiscus flowers
like radio telescopes
turned towards the sun.
Mayflies flittering
above a pool, unaware
of the trout below.
Mottling the sunset,
starlings stream, swirl and return –
French curves brought to life.
opal opulence
sun lights on shimmering seas ~
seagulls soubresaut
burbling bubbles
mesmerizing melody ~
dragonflies descend
acoustic echo
zephyr sweeps through the valley ~
vespers in the dark
The murmurous strain
constricts and stunts, this form I’ve
held three hundred months.
Does a bent-winged bird
know more about flight than a
bird who’s unimpaired?
In a passing glance
at the hall mirror I see
me side-eye myself.
Children on the field
Dancing daffodils in spring
Gentle yellow hair.
Lightning strikes the night
Day returns for just a clip
Preview of the dawn.
Tall tree tops tingle
Heat hovers high, hunting hoards
Sweet summer stabbings.
They have been in Love from afar Forever.
Admirers of each other’s Colorful Beauty.
She is Dawn; He is Dusk.
Warmer Winds Whisper Secrets.
Trees Sway with Understanding.
Too Few are Listening.
Falling Drop of Water.
Sunlight gives a Glistening Kiss.
I See Life; All of Life.
Seaside in winter.
Stone and waves camouflage-grey.
Tourists don’t notice.
Impassioned protest,
Treaties, negotiation –
But war will still come.