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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 Once entries are posted, they can be revised or withdrawn ONLY by making another Comment.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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Baisali Chatterjee Dutt
the full moon and i
have a loud conversation…
we both know heartbreak
snowflakes on my tongue
melt away within seconds…
blink of a lifetime
after the rainfall
the world so fresh, so alive
…and so the birds sing
watermelon seeds
come to rest in our back yard
the first stars appear
Cardinals and Jays
Cross fall field in thrilling ways:
Electrified fans!
End of Summer drought
My Lake bed recedes ten feet
Now sand for small hands
Motor boats speed by
I await for six p.m.
Ahh. My peaceful pier.
An alien race
If they exist they wonder
Do humans exist?
Silent red balloon
Soars high into blue freedom
Pop! It falls to earth
Croaking frogs at night
Curious and active cats
clearly took a bite
Dear Editor in Chief,
I am writing to submit my three Haiku poems for consideration.
1)
Water leaps and sings,
In a joyful, liquid dance,
Splash of life’s embrace.
2)
Beneath the sun’s glow,
Flowers’ shadows softly dance,
Nature’s grace on show.
3)
Boughs stretch to the sky,
Leafless trees in winter’s grasp,
Nature’s grace revealed.
Spring Cloud Kiting
A thin contrail
Tethered a puff of cloud
To a high floating whale.
try meditation?
my own breath makes me anxious.
get high, coos the babe.
train in the tunnel
the cold gaze of a stranger
in the frosted glass
all windows open
what are the good answers to
voices of the night
a bird hovering –
just living in the moment
as long as it lasts
late summer sunset—
laburnum blossoms scatter
their scent of yellow
*
a cold lonesome night…
through the half-open window
climbs the harvest moon
*
rice planting women
hands and feet move in rhythm
with the old folk song
dirty tombstone-
olive trees of grandad
no longers blooming
night of shooting stars-
the cries of a newborn child
in the distance
immobile dusk…
a gentle scented breeze
pushes me onward
Carmela Marino
evening prayer service…
with candles and rosary beads,
light from the full moon
waiting for the bus…
a flurry of dawn snowflakes
tumble past the moon
a turkey buzzard
silhouetted by the moon…
my empty gas tank
talking and talking
to the grave of my dad
the summer twilight
august waning moon
helping her little daughter
with a prayer
evening prayer
the sea illuminated
by colours of dusk
walking on the grass
her soles crushed the tiny blooms –
wet soil stuck to toes
gold dandelions
grow old, feather into snow-
white wishes wind blows.
How brightly heaven
Shines! Everyone sees the moon,
But no one sees mine.
Blue bottle flies in
The sky. Mother’s relapse. Glass
Shatters, and my heart.
near the bomb crater
children push their matchbox cars
away from the war
Picking blackberries
Heat and bugs and thorns torment
but the pie’s worth it!
Sweet warm goat milk streams
into the silver bucket.
Watch out for the hoof!
scented garden blooms
white jasmine flowers perfume–
feel mother’s presence
spring walk in garden
cocoon sheds shell, a new life
white dot blue wings flies
pink cherry blossoms–
she stands in gloom, tears fall
leaves on vacant bench
A deep mossy well,
A Woden bucket falls in,
Splash!!!!! The sound echoes
An electrifying lighting!!
A clamouring thunder,
The distant rumble…
The whirling tempest
With greed seeks water’s hot breath
Low chance of yielding
The gold finch, urgent,
flitting. No loneliness to
cruelly crush him.
Aging dog and cat
keep trying. To what avail?
It’s all in the tail.
It looks good on paper,
it should work. Then, like the wind,
Careless caprice comes.
ducks and geese standing
on the islands that emerge
as their pond dries up
***
on a scorching day,
a sparrow tells her babies
about the bird bath