“Last spring while I was photographing the cherry blossoms in my Vancouver, Washington neighborhood I suddenly got a whiff of something I hadn’t smelled in forty plus years: cherry tobacco pipe smoke. I knew it was cherry flavored pipe tobacco because one of my college drama professors always used it even in class and I never forgot that scent. As I turned around in the direction from where the smoke was coming I saw an elderly man also viewing the cherry blossoms while puffing on his pipe. He reminded me of my professor. Unlike that of cigarette or cigar smoke the scent wafting from his pipe was not at all unpleasant. In fact it was soothing. I found it quite fitting under the circumstances and a wonderful prompt for a haiku.”
spring breeze…
the scent of cherry
tobacco pipe smoke
Johnny Baranski
Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival Haiku Invitational 2013 –
Honorable Mention