“Thank you very much to the hundreds of fine poets who entered Vancouver’s Cherry Blossom Festival Haiku Invitational 2011 and helped us celebrate the wonders of cherry blossom time. Congratulations to everyone who placed, and special congratulations to the top five winners for “Best-Haiku” in the British Columbia, Canada, United States, International (outside North America), and Youth categories.

In previous years, it was always stated that “a maximum of two poems could be submitted”, but this year it was not. Thus you will notice (although I judged blindly and fairly) that there were multiples chosen by certain authors.

Not only as contest judge, but as a fellow haiku poet, it is my most sincere intent to offer the following humble and heartfelt comments, in good faith, as a future learning aid.

Within the diversity of worldwide submissions, it was obvious that many writers used multiple adjectives to reach the 5/7/5 syllable count mistakenly taught in our school systems (no longer accurate criteria) which made for haiku that appeared padded. Still, the images were good and the concepts original. Other entries contained, personification, simile, metaphor, rhyme, and other poetic devices that may work in mainstream poetry but are not recommended or suited for haiku (unless used very subtly.) Such devices block the minds of both writer and reader to grasp the natural simplicity of this ancient form.

On a more important and purely positive note, the entries were quite impressive overall, and final haiku selections are simple, straightforward, clear and concise, use everyday language, incorporate juxtaposition, contain pauses and pivots, flow smoothly, and include an element of surprise. In every category, it was most difficult to ultimately select just one lovely cherry blossom haiku over another for these top five winners (please see commentary.)

I wholeheartedly encourage authors to keep writing and to especially concentrate on

fine-tuning your haiku which can set one moment apart from all the rest. If your entry was not selected this time — perhaps next time, it will be your turn to be heard . . .”

— an’ya, 2011 Judge, Gilchrist, Oregon USA

Top Winners

• British Columbia 

Beth Skala, Nanaimo, British Columbia

• Canada

Pamela Cooper, Montreal, Quebec

• International

Quendryth Young, Alstonville, Australia

• United States

Anne LB Davidson, Saco, Maine

• Youth

Sherry Zhou, age 13, Vancouver, British Columbia

British Columbia

Sakura Awards (In Order of Merit)

• spring storm—
cherry blossoms
against the glass


Tim Ashman
New Westminster, British Columbia

• cherry petals
the old man sweeps
the neighbour’s porch


sidney bending
Victoria, British Columbia

• Bad day erased
When I spot pink clouds
suspended in trees


April Besth
Delta, British Columbia

• petals fall
I become again a
blushing bride


Natalie Chapman
Coquitlam, British Columbia

• Fukushima . . .
and still the blossoms
unfurl


Susan Constable
Nanoose Bay, British Columbia

• Spring walk . . .
under cherry blossoms . . .
my wife sneezing>


Jeff Crawford
Surrey, British Columbia

• the elderly couple
arm-in-arm across the bridge . . .
moonlit blossoms


elehna de sousa
Salt Spring Island, British Columbia

• her mothers recipe
scattered cherry blossoms
embedded with text


Anne Dunnett
North Vancouver, British Columbia

• deserted cape
cherries someone planted
bloom along the shore


Garry Eaton
Port Moody, British Columbia

• My old cherry tree
A source of constant beauty
I could never repay you


Raffi Freedman
Vancouver, British Columbia

• at last! blossoms
on my daughter’s cherry tree—
I send her a photo


John Garrett
Saanichton, British Columbia

• fragrant shower
under the umbrella
of a cherry tree


andrea gradidge
Burnaby, British Columbia

• my garden
white with snow—
your pink in cherry blossoms


Alison Graeme
Nelson, British Columbia

• tie game
through the pub window
cherry blossoms


Ann Harreby
Coquitlam, British Columbia

• Outside the clinic
cherry petals fall
hope in her heart


Angelika Kolompar
Nanaimo, British Columbia

• Alone on the train
cherry blossoms
make me smile


Beverly Komukai
Burnaby, British Columbia

• a pink mist . . .
first cherry blossoms
celebrating him


Daphne Lam Chan
Vancouver, British Columbia

• I waited this year
until a strong west wind
turned the garden pink


brian lewis
Duncan, British Columbia

• garden buddha
blossoms stuck to his belly
sits in silence


Barb Little
Burnaby, British Columbia

• cherry blossoms—
we pray
for Japan


Franci Louann
Metro Vancouver, British Columbia

• As the river flows
pink dewdrops drip down
silently and calm


Paige Marriott
Prince George, British Columbia

• first time with chopsticks
cherry blossoms building
cultural bridges


Lindsay Marsh
Burnaby, British Columbia

• daybreak cherry—
the swirl of petals
as I cycle by


Vicki McCullough
Vancouver, British Columbia

• cherry blossoms
cluster near the doorway
ESL students


Hilary Miller
Delta, British Columbia

• the soft sweet scent
of cherry blossoms
permeate my thoughts


Janet Ng
Vancouver, British Columbia

• watching petals fall
the sky filled with shades of pink
skipping work today


Linda Nguyen
Vancouver, British Columbia

• I look up
to see cherry blossoms—
faces in the street


Beth Skala
Nanaimo, British Columbia

• I smile
at cherry blossoms . . .
a man smiles back


Beth Skala
Nanaimo, British Columbia

• cherry blossoms
circulate
door-to-door


Beth Skala
Nanaimo, British Columbia

• Lace shadows
on the windowsill,
cherry blooms outside


Lindsay Vermeulen
Vancouver, British Columbia

• Cherry blossoms
Streets in bloom
Strangers become friends


Jill Warner
Surrey, British Columbia

• snow-covered lions
a pink hush
cherry blossoms


Marianne Werner
Vancouver, British Columbia

• rainstorm
emptiness of cherry blossoms
on the branch


Gail Whitter
Trail, British Columbia

• cherry blossoms
holding up the full moon
we pass under


Gail Whitter
Trail, British Columbia

• writing a haiku for
cherry blossoms
instead of my thesis


Susan Yang
Burnaby, British Columbia

• cherry blossom
fragile, giving its petals
to the wind


sheelah ziajka
Vancouver, British Columbia

• This year
sakura weeps
for its homeland


sheelah ziajka
Vancouver, British Columbia

Sakura Awards (In Order of Merit)

• so much regret
as cherry blossoms scatter
at your graveside.


Belinda Betker
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

• pink petals
slipping from upper limbs
a boy's foot


Pearl Pirie
Ottawa, Ontario

• Under a cherry tree
offering my self a bouquet
without a ribbon


Liette Janelle
Boucherville, Quebec

• ginko outing—
a cherry blossom petal
lands in my notebook


Ellen Cooper
Montreal, Quebec

• cool spring—
my shadow
dark pink


Luce Pelletier
St. Basile-le-Grand, Quebec

• as if
you never left
cherry blossoms


Roland Packer
Hamilton, Ontario

Honourable Mentions (Alphabetical Order)

• thunder shower
wedding party huddles
under Cherry boughs


Patricia Benedict
Calgary, Alberta

• morning tai chi—
perfect meditation
beneath the cherry trees.


Belinda Betker
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

• even at night
beneath the glittering stars—
cherry blossom light.


Belinda Betker
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

• mortar and pestle—
I crush cherry blossoms
for my morning tea.


Belinda Betker
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

• my new job
blending paint colours—
cherry blossom spring!


Belinda Betker
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

• drifts of white
pile up on the windowsill—
not snow – cherry blossoms!


Belinda Betker
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

• empty nester
memories of so many
cherry blossoms


Peter Brady
Gatineau, Quebec

• Cherry Blossom
Bumblebee
so nice to meet you


Darren Cole
Winnipeg, Manitoba

• tree-lined footpath
a canopy of blossoms
shields me from the rain


Ellen Cooper
Montreal, Quebec

• cherry tree in bloom—
all around the same table
hummingbird and bee


Diane Descoteaux
Saint-Nicephore, Quebec

• alone once again
a single cherry blossom
on my fingertip


Marco Fraticelli
Pointe Claire, Quebec

• stepping to the back of the line
for the third time—
cherry blossoms


Lin Geary
Paris, Ontario

• sakura song—
for the new romance
changing ring-tones


Lin Geary
Paris, Ontario

• one cherry petal
falling upon another . . .
a new ‘old dream’


Chen-ou Liu
Ajax, Ontario

• cherry blossoms—
the child’s frothy mustache
curls with her smile


Terra Martin
Toronto, Ontario

• cherry petals fall
in and out
of the shadows


Christine Nelson
Athabasca, Alberta

International

Sakura Awards (In Order of Merit)

• evensong
in the convent garden
cherry blossoms


ernest berry
Picton, New Zealand

• Valley to mountain
the road turns the time back
from blossoms to buds


Valeria Barouch
Geneva, Switzerland

• cherry tree park
everything pink
on the front page


Ralf Bröker
Ochtrup, Germany

• if I'd had
just this one bridge to cross . . .
cherry blossom park


Kala Ramesh
Maharashtra, India

• cherry blossom
an ordinary pond
turns Japanese


Tracy Davidson
Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom

• cherry blossom
I stand down wind
in a swirl of pink


Elaine Riddell
Hamilton, New Zealand

• drifting down . . .
a cherry blossom
meets its shadow


Quendryth Young
New South Wales, Australia

Honorable Mentions (Alphabetical Order)

• the spider’s web
tinted with rainbow . . .
cherry petal


Greg Bingham
Nimbin, Australia

• afternoon walk . . .
her wicker basket
spills cherry petals


Leonie Bingham
Nimbin, Australia

• pink dusk—
a cherry petal hovers
over the cow pat


Helen Buckingham
Bristol, United Kingdom

• kukai in orchard—
a cherry petal settles
as kireji


Cezar-Florin Ciobîcă
Botoșani, Romania

• between us
only fallen cherry petals . . .
unspoken words


Magdalena Dale
Bucharest, Romania

• cherry blossom
the bride
pales in comparison


Tracey Davidson
Stratford-upon-Avon

• from the well I fetched
some cherry’s petals with
the bucket of water


Ana Dolenec Truban
Zagreb, Croatia

• train window—
a moment of cherry tree
between two buildings


Damien Gabriels
Leers, France

• homecoming—
the silence
of cherry blossoms


Katherine Gallagher
London, England

• the whole day
in my collar
a cherry blossom


Vladislav Hristov
Sofia, Bulgaria

• cherry blossoms
loaded on the truck
of the little boy


Silvia Kempen
Lower Saxony, Germany

• her raven-black hair
whitened with cherry petals
on her way to church


Silvia Kempen
Lower Saxony, Germany

• sweeping wind—
cherry petals frozen
to icy patches


Anatoly Kudryavitsky
Leinster, Ireland

• roaring stream—
a spray of cherry blossom
caught in the whirlpool


Natalia Kuznetsova
Moscow, Russia

• cherry blossoms—
mild breezes loosening
their first petals


Horst Ludwig
St. Peter, Germany

• blossoming cherry
above the lake . . . petals
meet on its surface


Tomislav Maretic
Gornje Vrapce, Croatia

• blossom shower . . .
even our differences
beautiful


Svetlana Marisov
Wellington, New Zealand

• temple entrance
on the monk’s sandals
cherry petals


Mark Miller
Shoalhaven Heads, Australia

• receding thunder
cherry petals line
the storm drain


Polona Oblak
Ljubljana, Slovenia

• Cherry Blossoms falling—
gingerly lifting
your small white coffin


Kate Prendergast
Melbourne, Australia

• Under an old cherry
Tenderness touching
My palms


Vera Primorac
Viškovo, Croatia

• In its beak
a sparrow carrying spring
— a cherry petal


Slavica Sarkotic
Lekenik, Croatia

• night walk—
on my left, on my right
cherry blossoms


Grzegorz Sionkowski
Torun, Poland

• cherry blossoms
keep the sky shining
in the night


Mateusz Sionkowski
Toruń, Poland

• aftershock
cherry petals
float down


Barbara Strang

Christchurch, New Zealand

• morning gingko
cherry blossom falls
into my haiku


Andre Surridge
Hamilton, New Zealand

• the end
of bare branches—
cherry blossom


Alan Taylor
Worcester, United Kingdom

• cherry blossom—
just as I was afraid
of the weather


Alan Taylor
Worcestor, United Kingdom

• Starry night—
in an old cherry tree
the first flower


Maria Tirenescu
Cugir, Romania

• cherry blossom shower—
old dog wakes to find himself
in the pink


Martin Vaughan
Dublin, Ireland

• cherry petals
still drifting in my hometown
here and there


Sasa Vazic
Batajnica, Serbia

• pink layered on white—
the flowering cherry tree
stands out in the mist


Lorraine Ward
Wellington, New Zealand

United States

Sakura Awards (In Order of Merit)

• from the bullet train
a blur of blossoms
spring twilight


Margaret Chula
Portland, Oregon

• dying blossoms
on cherry wood boats—
each one a prayer


Alexander Prokic
Novi, Michigan

• for a moment
the war be damned
cherry blossoms


Johnny Baranski
Vancouver, Washington

• cherry blossom . . .
the baby's hand unfolds
around my finger


Margaret Dornaus
Ozark, Arkansas

• honor guard —
row upon row
of flowering cherries


Cara Holmon
Portland, Oregon

• wing beats
of a hidden bird
this cascade of blossoms


Marilyn Appl Walker
Madison, Georgia

• driving home
the wipers wave
cherry petals


Jennifer Met
Troy, Idaho

• losing my job
a flurry of cherry blossoms
sticks to my wet cheeks


Stephen Leslie
Schoharie, New York

• the river bends
with cherry blossoms
where the light falls


Thomas Martin
Beaverton, Oregon

• cherry blossoms
part of my childhood
follows me home


Stephen A. Peters
Bellingham, Washington

Honorable Mentions (Alphabetical Order)

• cherry blossom—
the expectant mother
counts the petals


Melissa Allen
Madison, Wisconsin

• her scent
coming my way
cherry blossom


Ed Baker
Takoma Park, Maryland

• from the mist
--to break the silence—
cherry blossoms


brett brady
Pahoa, Hawaii

• rising sun—
ten thousand cherry blossoms
drift into the sea


Julie Cain
Sturgis, Mississippi

• first cherry buds
our newborn opens
her fists


Billie D
San Diego, California

• he lingers
under cherry blossoms
retirement day


Mary Davila
Buffalo, New York

• cherry blossoms—
we visit the graves
of the unknown


Margaret Dornaus
Ozark, Arkansas

• mountainside orchard
first to unfold—
cherry blossoms


Elizabeth Fanto
Timonium, Maryland

• the pale pink—
cherry petals touching
tip to tip


Donna Fleischer
Windsor, Connecticut

• reluctant spring
beneath the cherry blossoms
flooded paper cranes


Victor Gendrano
Lakewood, California

• falling cherry blossoms . . .
the first turn
of a somersault


Michele L. Harvey
Hamilton, New York

• near the gate
cherry blossom petals on the path
we have taken


Gary Hotham
Scaggsville, Maryland

• the first kick
of her unborn daughter
cherry blossom dawn


Catherine J. S. Lee
Eastport, Maine

• passing time
under the cherry tree
the senior’s group


Carole MacRury
Point Roberts, Washington

• cherry blossom shadows . . .
tracing the birdsong
to the bird


David McKee
Madison, Wisconsin

• cherry blossoms
the horse carriage
comes to a halt


Harrisham Minhas
Herndon, Virginia

• we look away
our feet lost
in cherry blossoms


Robert Perret
Troy, Idaho

• cherry blossoms
walking the path with her
that goes both way


Stephen A. Peters
Bellingham, Washington

• new grass sprouts
beneath the cherry blossoms—
our dog’s grave


Marion Alice Poirier
Boston, Massachusetts

• sparrows drink
their reflections
cherry blossoms


Becky Ramotowski
Tijeras, New Mexico

• weeping cherry
waiting for the new buds too
a pair of deer


Bruce Ross
Hampden, Maine

• Lacy blossoms shine
as elixir of moonlight
twinkles into the dawn.


Micki Schomaker Jackson
Bellingham, Washington

• Your cherry blossoms
hang over my backyard fence--
Let’s talk again


Charlotte Sheer
Foxboro, Wisconsin

• cherry blossoms
drifting on a twilight breeze--
one croak opens the night


Carrie Sikorski
Vashon Island, Washington

• story time—
a koi
parts the cherry blossoms


Tim Singleton
Columbia, Maryland

• too many
for the cat —
swirling blossoms


Heidi Stahl
Redmond, Washington

• dusk
still the cherry blossoms
glow


Neal Whitman
Pacific Grove, California

• dewdrops
in every cherry blossom
the rising sun


Josh Wikoff
Petaluma, California

• cherry petals fall
through his loose overalls
I hug his ribs


Ruth Yarrow
Seattle, Washington

• bubbles in the creek
disappear into rapids . . .
cherry blossoms


Sophie Kirkby, age 11
New South Wales, Australia

• breath of wind
cherry blossoms filling
the hopscotch


Andra-Ioana Andronic, age 13
Botoșani, Romania

• frosty days—
in my mother’s diary
a cherry blossom


Vlad-Sergiu Ciobîcă, age 11
Botoșani, Romania

• Cherry blossoms
My neighbor in song
With the birds


Sophie Kirkby, age 11
New South Wales, Australia

• I looked in the sky
There was something about them
How they waved in wind


Lauren Baxter, age 10
Richmond, British Columbia

• climbing the tree
pink everywhere
picking cherry blossoms


Liat, age 8
Richmond, British Columbia

• recess outside
running around the trees
pink petals on our cheeks


division 7, Blair Elementary Library, ages unknown
Richmond, British Columbia

• Vast pink cherry tree
as simple as a clear glass
as complex as earth


Armaan Abraham, age 9
Langley, British Columbia

• gust of wind—
the naked doll dressed
by cherry blossoms


Cristina Ailoaei, age 13
Botoșani, Romania

• Silently awake
Angelic pearls surround me
Feels like a pure dream


Priya Banga
Prince George, British Columbia

• the sense of cherry
blossoms gently unwind me
now I take a walk


rene batson
Winnipeg, Manitoba

• gloomy day—
only the cherry tree in blossom
brightens the garden


Vlad-Sergiu Ciobîcă, age 11
Botoșani, Romania

• Beneath the blue sky
Cherry blossoms are blooming
Filling up the street


Joyce Chang, age 16
Maple Ridge, British Columbia

• Going for a walk;
see the late blossoms,
feel the early bees . . .


Caitlin Chong, age 13
Vancouver, British Columbia

• Running into Pink
I feel blossoms in my hands
falling all around


Emerson Cooke, age 10
Richmond, British Columbia

• Pink cherry blossoms
Fluttering to the soft ground
Staying very still


Jasmeen Deol, age 12
Surrey, British Columbia

• It is dark out
Til cherryblossoms fall
And light the way


Brian DeSousa, age 12
Winnipeg, Manitoba

• stuck in traffic
the wind brings them to me
cherry blossoms on my car


carl flores
Winnipeg, Manitoba

• Blossoms . . .
the funeral brings me down
I plant a cherry tree


Lauren Fotheringham, age 10
Vancouver, British Columbia

• so soft and silky
as small as a stone marble
Cherry Blossoms


Prabhu Gill, age 12
Surrey, British Columbia

• as thin as paper
yet filled with memories
cherry blossoms


Kelly Hamachi, age 17
Mountain View, California

• After the spring rain
Pink petals float gently
Across the small stream


Danielle Hao, age 15
Burnaby, British Columbia

• cherry blossoms flow
falling to the perfect grass
shining in the sun


Gurpreet Heer, age 12
Surrey, British Columbia

• falling very slow
carried gracefully by wind
pink is all around


Fraser Jang-Milligan, age 13
Vancouver, British Columbia

• You try to make me
See reason, but all I see
Are cherry blossoms


Nicole Kapphahn, age 16
Prince George, British Columbia

• Beneath pink,
Cherry blossom petals—
A life so short


Lucy Li, age unknown
Calgary, Alberta

• Cherry blossoms
So high up on the tree
I reach out to grab one


Tracy Ly, age 15
Portland, Oregon

• My dog stops,
Sniffs . . .
eats a cherry blossom.


Erin McHugh, age 10
Vancouver, British Columbia

• pink cherry blossom
drift on the sky as they go
one lands on my palm


Beyda Mermer, age 10
Richmond, British Columbia

• The water droplets
Sit peacefully on petals
Of cherry blossoms


Katie Nelson, age 16
Prince George, British Columbia

• I walk down the street
In the midst of the blossoms
Bright and Beautiful


Jessica Porter, age 11
Richmond, British Columbia

• Children sit and watch
Cherry blossoms fluttering
In the very windy sky


Ravneet Sahota, age unknown
Surrey, British Columbia

• Delicate flower
Pretty perfumed flower
Floating on the water


Alysha Smith, age 16
Prince George, British Columbia

• cherry blossoms bloom
little by little they fall
now they form a swirl


Nancy Song, age 9
Richmond, British Columbia

• Someone’s funeral
Cherry blossoms cover ground—
finally at peace . . .


Bill Tang, age 11
Vancouver, British Columbia

• The world is dark
cherry blossoms
bloom


Charlie Tang, age 13
Vancouver, British Columbia

• cherry blossoms fall
filling in the concrete
making it pink


javi toor
Surrey, British Columbia

• Like cotton candy.
Floating through the skies above,
Love rains down on me


Dylan Wagner, age 16
Prince George, British Columbia

• Vancouver Canucks
lining up for the handshakes—
cherry blossoms fall.


Richard Wong
Vancouver, British Columbia

• A little pink tree
Growing beside the classroom
Standing tall and still


Woody Wu, age 10
Richmond, British Columbia

• I take a bite
subtle, yet there it is
cherry blossom


Hannah Xiao, age 14
Vancouver, British Columbia