2018 Haiku Contest Results
Congratulations to the winners of the 2018 Dreamers Haiku Contest! Announced on July 15, 2018…
Tiny poems with big meanings…
Winner:
To be in the summer
by Emi Miyaoka
I closed poems of Shakespeare
And I made up my mind
To be in the summer
シェイクスピア閉じて夏を志す
Honourable Mentions:
Convergence III
by Ana Martinez
Yesterday’s full moon,
wet from uncensored kisses,
dew of morning song.
Endo No Yadoya
by Charles Kersey
Briefly, in passing,
I saw your eyes and was stopped
in my heart’s echo.
The Pine
by Charlotte Nystrom
Wind blows sappy hot.
Pincones shake down the limb
and the moon shines cold.
Kerala
by Hannah Atkinson Renglich
Fishing nets hoisted,
two white-skirted men chit chat.
Dinner swims by.
Overcoat
by Joseph Cassidy-Skof
Overcast green grass,
petals peddling petrichor—
stuffed in the closet.
Zen Garden, Kyoto
by Patrick ten Brink
White pebbled waves
Around jutting black boulders
Storm in a garden
Judge’s Statement
I love Haiku. This made choosing a winner for this contest incredibly difficult for me, but I managed to make use of two criteria to narrow it down. Firstly, reference to traditional haiku style, meaning the poet uses nature themes and syllable restriction to distill a very pure piece of poetics despite (or because of) the heavy restrictions. Secondly, playing with the themes and restrictions in a meta-poetic way that breaks with traditional haiku (Most Japanese haiku these days are more free form) and shows innovation in haiku poetics and aesthetics. All of our winners struck me as either doing something interesting with the form or using the form to create something truly beautiful.
Our winner, Emi Miyaoka, accomplished both criteria simultaneously and in two languages. While her poem (to the best of my translation abilities) seems to follow haiku structure in Japanese, the English translation is equally beautiful while remaining free form. The reference to Shakespeare in a Japanese poem juxtaposes the two poetic traditions beautifully, while encouraging us to look up and be one with the beauty around us.
My heartiest congratulations to Emi Miyaoka, and to all of our winners for their lovely Haiku. And a big thank you to everyone who submitted, this has been the most fun with poetry I’ve had in my (short) career.
~James Brandon, Poetry Editor.
Read more poems, like:
Rainlight, No Last Words
The Space I Take
The damsel in distress was not for me…
before whisky after jazz
