| 2008 Best Canadian Poem
a winter blizzard Marilyn Potter 2008 Best Youth Poem evening prayer— Damian Margolak |
Visit The Haiku Rock at VanDusen |
| 2008 Best B.C. Poem late for work— cherry petals in my hair Jessica Tremblay Burnaby, British Columbia 2008 Best U.S. Poem cherry blossoms Ferris Gilli Best International Poem in clearing mist Tito (Stephen Henry Gill) |
Cheryl Ashley
Nanaimo, British Columbia
a chessboard
abandoned in the park
cherry blossoms
Colin Barber
Marion, Arkansas
Reminiscing . . .
as her walker wheels
gather cherry blossoms
Una Bruhns
North Vancouver, British Columbia
early shift
the roadsweeper’s cart
fêted with blossoms
Helen Buckingham
Bristol, United Kingdom
the shared smiles
of passing strangers . . .
cherry blossoms
Karen Cesar
Tucson, Arizona
job interview—
through the office window
cherry blossoms
Amitava Dasgupta
Houston, Texas
cherry blossom . . .
trembling with the weight
of its bee
Billie Dee
San Diego, California
under the blossoms
business men
loosen their ties
Julie Downsbrough
Burnaby, British Columbia
my old cherry tree—
beneath its falling blossoms
his last resting place
Gill Foss
Maberly, Ontario
cherry blossom rain . . .
I take the convertible
back to the showroom
Alice Frampton
Seabeck, Washington
cherry blossoms
pink
in the blind woman’s hand
Keith Frentz
Tauranga, New Zealand
cherry petals
falling
into words
Zeljko Funda
Varazdin, Croatia
first cherry blossoms—
creaking swings
in the twilight
Damien Gabriels
Leers, France
the rest of the day—
cherry blossoms
to spare
Gary Hotham
Zwingenberg, Germany
senior’s arm
rests against the branch
with no cherry blossoms
Jean Anne Jorgensen
Edmonton, Alberta
wheeling herself
to the living room window . . .
cherry blossoms
Darrell Lindsey
Nacogdoches, Texas
blossoms
on a leafless bough—
the evening star
Peggy Lyles
Tucker, Georgia
cherry blossoms—
our moonlit walk
becomes longer
Tomislav Maretic
Gornje Vrapche, Croatia
cherry buds
my daughter tries on her first
brassiere
Jacek Margolak
Kielce, Poland
his children’s names
forgotten . . . he asks about
cherry blossoms
Marilyn Murphy
Providence, Rhode Island
on the empty bench
where we last kissed
cherry blossoms
Neil Muscott
Peterborough, Ontario
cherry blossoms . . .
a child asks
if they are real
Rita Odeh
Nazareth, Israel
storm warning lifted
her car sheds
cherry petals
Richard R. Powell
Nanaimo, British Columbia
stolen kiss
under the cherry tree her cheeks
the colour of petals
Katarzyna Predota
Nowy Dwor Mazowiecki, Poland
blossomy footpath—
difficult for the snail
to wend its way home
Gabriel Rosenstock
Dublin, Ireland
wash day
grandpa’s pant cuffs
full of cherry petals
Marilyn Sandall
Seattle, Washington
tattoo booth
she inquires about
a cherry blossom
Grant D. Savage
Ottawa, Ontario
cherry blossoms
collect at the base of the tree
her painted toes
Trish Shields
Courtenay, British Columbia
alone
a cherry petal settles
in the other chair
Judt Shrode
Tacoma, Washington
calving season
cherry blossoms fly
from kicked-up heels
John Stone
Elverta, California
neglected garden—
the slow drift of cherry petals
from my neighbor’s tree
Sasa Vazic
Batajnica, Serbia
dusky full moon—
the shadows of cherry blossoms
across the path
Sharon Hammer Baker
Findlay, Ohio
petals drift
from the busker’s flute
decorating his grey hair
Winona Baker
Nanaimo, British Columbia
shaking off
cherry blossoms
the deaf dog
Roberta Beary
Washington, District of Columbia
branches of blossoms
fill the viewfinder
a child skips by
Jeannine Bertoia
Surrey, British Columbia
cherry blossom
the bees read each petal
in detail
Tony Beyer
New Plymouth, New Zealand
cherry blossoms
a young girl dances
along the boulevard
Leonie Bingham
Stony Chute, Australia
cherry blossoms
falling; we too
separate
Peter Brady
Gatineau, Quebec
dappled shade
the toddler’s fist spills
cherry petals
Nathalie Buckland
Nimbin, Australia
Fluttering down
through driving hailstones . . .
cherry blossoms.
Matthew Coleman
Salt Spring Island, British Columbia
wrinkled hands
reach to touch it –
cherry branch in bloom
Sonia Coman
Cambridge, Massachusettes
Mother’s Day picnic
pitchers of pink lemonade
among the blossoms
Pamela Cooper
Montreal, Quebec
Cherry blossoms—
Young lovers shake fallen
petals from their hair
Jeff Crawford
Surrey, British Columbia
The white cane
caresses the low branches—
a smell of blossoms.
Willy Cuvelier
Gullegem, Belgium
evening breezes
stir the cherry blossoms—
a newborn’s sweet breath
DeVar Dahl
Magrath, Alberta
On the old bench
two lovers illuminated by
the cherry blossoms
Magdalena Dale
Bucharest, Romania
weeping cherry
my sandwich peppered
with pink petals
Susan Delaney
Plano, Texas
frog chorus—
half hidden in blossoms
a heron scans the pond
Elehna de Sousa
Salt Spring Island, British Columbia
Carpet of blossoms—
my granddaughter in her pink dress
does a twirl
Lesley Donaldson
Vancouver, British Columbia
tea leaves—
a wandering blossom
begins to melt
Jamie Edgecombe
Devon, England
tropical holiday
away from home
I dream of cherry blossoms
Tracie Fisher
White Rock, British Columbia
raincoast garden
cherry petals land
on the seaweed mulch
Ann Forest
Cortes Island, British Columbia
a blanket
under the cherry blossoms—
two freckled faces
Laryalee Fraser
Salmon Arm, British Columbia
after lovemaking
cherry blossoms
Marco Fraticelli
Pointe Claire, Quebec
Cherry blossoms!
The tax computation
falls onto the grass.
Volker Friebel
Tuebingen, Germany
in a gust of petals
his old box camera
pink pink pink!
Lin Geary
Paris, Ontario
grumbling husband—
all over his car
sodden cherry blossoms
Ann Harreby
Coquitlam, British Columbia
Amidst the blossoms
I thought I saw
Her smile again
Neil Hershfield
Vancouver, British Columbia
patio breeze
leaving the blossoms
fallen
Jim Kacian
Winchester, Virginia
Cherry blossoms
we wear
our party clothes
Doris Kasson
Belleair Bluffs, Florida
alone
after returning the ring
cherry blossom rain
Deborah P. Kolodji
Temple City, California
stairs covered
with cherry blossom petals . . .
piano music
Anthony Anatoly Kudryavitsky
Dublin, Ireland
reading Chekhov
with cherry blossoms blooming
in grandma’s garden
Natalia Kuznetsova
Moscow, Russia
cherry blossoms . . .
paper lanterns glow pink
under the stars
Catherine J.S. Lee
Eastport, Maine
cherry trees in bloom . . .
the cracked sidewalk
of the science museum
Paul M.
Bristol, Rhode Island
fine mist falling—
cherry blossoms stick
to the duck’s back
Curtis Manley
Bellevue, Washington
date under a cherry—
the lovers leave with petals
still on their car
Dubravko Marijanovic
Zagreb, Croatia
cherry blossoms
a child’s arms back and forth
to make a snow angel
Terra Martin
Toronto, Ontario
cherry blossoms!
we remember
to exhale
Scott Mason
Chappaqua, New York
poised
on a storm-drain grate—
cherry petal . . .
Vicki McCullough
Vancouver, British Columbia
Behind cherry blossoms
Two blue tracksuits
A quick kiss
Helen Moon
Salt Spring Island, British Columbia
waking up at night
whiteness of cherry blossoms
is the only light
Lukasz Muniowski
Plonsk, Poland
gentle breeze
curtain folds catch
the first cherry petal
Boris Nazansky
Zagreb, Croatia
evening joggers
along the roadside
spent blossoms
Roland Packer
Hamilton, Ontario
pavement café
my cup overflowing
with cherry blossom
Katrina Shepherd
Dunblane, Scotland
sudden shower
you kiss
each petal on my face
Sandra Simpson
Tauranga, New Zealand
through the hedge
one by one
cherry petals
Karen Sohne
Toronto, Ontario
whirl of cyclists
windswept cherry blossoms shift
to yet another spot
Carmen Sterba
University Place, Washington
pink snow—
already the cars fashion
new ruts in the road
Richard Stevenson
Lethbridge, Alberta
morning stroll—
first cherry petal
I become the breeze
Maria Steyn
Johannesburg, South Africa
between
the toddler’s toes
pink cherry petals
Andre Surridge
Hamilton, New Zealand
first blossoms . . .
grandmother reaches
for the newborn
Theresa Thompson
Lufkin, Texas
Swaying here, swaying there
from the cherry blossom tree
a wet pair of pants.
Tina Tran
Vancouver, British Columbia
again and again
in the reflecting pool
cherry blossoms
Charles Trumbull
Evanston, Illinois
cherry tree in bloom—
a bride blushes
beneath her veil
Ursula Vaira
Lantzville, British Columbia
with a minimum
of restrained brush strokes—
mum’s cherry blossoms
Geert Verbeke
Flanders, Belgium
lovers’ path
two bluebirds disappear
into cherry blossoms
Marilyn Walker
Madison, Georgia
My old cat listens
to the falling pink blossoms
under the cherry tree
Blaine Weiss
Langford, British Columbia
funeral day
the cherry blossoms
about to break
Sheila Windsor
Worcester, England
walking with him
through cherry blossoms
remembering you
Laquita Wood
Washington, District of Columbia
the day you leave—
first blossom
opens on my cherry tree
Helen Yong
Christchurch, New Zealand
family picnic
a child slips cherry blossoms
behind granny’s ear
Quendryth Young
Alstonville, Australia
2008 Youth Sakura Award Winners
a picnic day
today’s weather:
cherry blossom
John Chung (17)
Vancouver, British Columbia
I lick the foam
from my milkshake—
cherry blossom
Sophia Frentz (15)
Tauranga, New Zealand
fallen petals
it’s a pity to take
the next step
Mateusz Sionkowski (17)
Torun, Poland
cherry blossoms
I walk on and on
not stopping once to say grace
Janice Yang (6)
Vancouver, British Columbia
Cherry blossoms—
Petal after petal
The only movement
Sherry Zhou (9)
Vancouver, British Columbia
2008 Youth Honourable Mentions
Squishing petals
Little boys
Drinking pink lemonade
Heather Berringer (11)
Vancouver, British Columbia
around the moon
a garland of cherry blooms
in the young lovers’ eyes
Héloïse Bonnet (15)
Rodez, France
Snowing in spring?
Rubber boots and scarf
Oh! Cherry blossoms
Alicia Chung (11)
Vancouver, British Columbia
The sweet flush of youth
My daughter’s glowing pink cheeks
Soft cherry blossoms
Alana Cook (16)
Maple Ridge, British Columbia
Cherry blossoms—
the ball bounces
pink waves of flying petals
Olivia Feng, age 11
Vancouver, British Columbia
the bouquet
of pink blossoms
a poem for my eyes
Zoe Sweetgrass Forest (11)
Cortes Island, British Columbia
The whisper of the wind—
the song of the blossoms
completes the silence
Natasha Hemer (12)
Vancouver, British Columbia
Cherry blossoms everywhere
like eyes
they see through me
Catherine Kwok (17)
Vancouver, British Columbia
An early morning
the cherry blossoms
against the pane
Heather LePard (12)
Vancouver, British Columbia
My heart and my mind
are overflowing with dreams
to bloom like blossoms
Jessica Lao (11)
Vancouver, British Columbia
The flute plays
a haunting crescendo
blossoms twirl
Iris Lo (16)
Vancouver, British Columbia
Soft as your skin
Cherry blossoms caress my face
I long for you
Megan Lozada (17)
Vancouver, British Columbia
fallen to the ground
cherry blossoms find me
lying on the ground
Jana Markovic (10)
North Vancouver, British Columbia
A hot spring day
Light
Shining off cherry petals
Charlotte McNeil (10)
Vancouver, British Columbia
cherry blossoms
adorn my poodle
her eyes light up
Jadah Pereira (8)
Miramar, Florida
pink petals fall
reminding me of the days
when you were still here
Valerie Shim (16)
Vancouver, British Columbia
Cherry trees
White petals falling to the ground
Into my apple pie
Victor Tang (10)
Vancouver, British Columbia
I can feel their movement
I can hear their music
Cherry blossoms
Alexa Uppal (11)
Vancouver, British Columbia
Falling pink petals
Like winter
In spring
Leena Yamaguchi (11)
Vancouver, British Columbia
Forever in bloom
Cherry blossoms caught in the wind
Inked onto my skin
Stephanie Yee (17)
Vancouver, British Columbia
softly on the ground
beautiful cherry blossoms
falling everywhere
Karsen Yolland (13)
Agassiz, British Columbia
2008 Judges’ Comments
“The primary purpose of reading and writing haiku is sharing moments of our lives that have moved us, pieces of experience and perception that we offer or receive as gifts. At the deepest level, this is the one great purpose of all art, and especially of literature.”
—William J. Higginson, The Haiku Handbook: How to Write, Share, and Teach Haiku
A common quality of poems selected for the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival’s 2008 Haiku Invitational is how they capture moving moments. The images move us as readers by conveying the feelings of experiencing blossoming cherries. These poems are gifts not only to the poets who wrote them, but to all of us who read them.
This year we expanded our selection categories to include a best British Columbia poem, in addition to best poems for Canada, the United States, elsewhere internationally, and for youth. It has been the haiku committee’s dream to have these winning poems engraved in stone. On April 3, 2008, this dream came true. The top 2008 poems, together with the top winners from 2007 and 2006, have been sandblasted into a stunning haiku rock at the new Honorable David Lam Cherry Grove at Vancouver’s VanDusen Botanical Garden. We are grateful to the garden for providing a beautiful home for the haiku rock and to its staff for expert installation. We also thank Northwest Landscape and Stone Supply for donating the beautiful basalt column, and thank Bob Tiller and his staff for sandblasting the winning poems into the stone. Generations of visitors can now enjoy these poems in a spectacular garden setting. If you live in or near Vancouver, or might ever visit, we hope you will take the opportunity to see the garden so you can enjoy the haiku rock yourself.
For this year’s Haiku Invitational, we received nearly 800 haiku. They came from 36 countries, our most yet, including Brazil, United Arab Emirates, Nigeria, Kenya, Nepal, Israel, South Africa, and many other countries. In addition to our selection of the top five haiku, which we comment on individually below, we’ve also selected a large number of Sakura Award winners and Honourable Mentions for adults and youth. We are pleased to offer our congratulations to these poets and our thanks to everyone who entered.
The real prize, of course, is writing the poetry itself—and being more keenly aware, through haiku, of the seasonal changes around you. As the cherry trees bud and blossom in spring, or as you recall this fleeting time in other seasons, we encourage you to write new haiku for your own enjoyment, and possibly to submit for our festival next year. We are grateful for your gifts of haiku, and look forward to new exchanges in the years ahead.
—Carole MacRury, Michael Dylan Welch, and Edward Zuk, judges
2008 Best Canadian Poem
a winter blizzard
I turn my calendar
to cherry blossoms
Marilyn Potter
Toronto, Ontario
Marilyn Potter’s haiku is unusual for evoking cherry blossoms out of season. The poem is set in winter, yet cherry blossoms are still present in the mind of the poet, who turns to them for relief while being snowed in. I admired this haiku not only for the surprising appearance of the blossoms, but also for its longing for the cherry trees, spring, and everything that they represent. I also liked how an iconic Canadian experience, a blizzard, is connected to the cherry blossoms in a natural way.
—Edward Zuk
2008 Best B.C. Poem
late for work—
cherry petals
in my hair
Jessica Tremblay
Burnaby, British Columbia
This poem presents a clear image with utterly direct and simple words. Jessica Tremblay tells us she is late for work and that cherry petals adorn her hair. It is easy to understand that the beauty of the cherry blossoms has entranced her so much that they’ve made her late for her daily obligation. Not only is she late for work because she’s been enjoying the blossoms, she doesn’t even brush them from her hair, thus prolonging her appreciation of their splendor.
—Michael Dylan Welch
2008 Best U.S. Poem
cherry blossoms
the baby’s hair too fine
to hold a ribbon
Ferris Gilli
Marietta, Georgia
The image here is one of a young family under the cherry blossoms, perhaps enjoying a picnic. It’s a celebratory sort of day, and a parent or grandparent feels an impulse to decorate the baby’s hair with a ribbon. The baby is still too young to have grown thick enough hair, a fact that echoes the newness and ephemerality of the cherry blossoms they’re enjoying. The leap we make between the poem’s two parts enables us to feel, without being told, the joyousness and beauty of the occasion, tinged with the melancholy feeling that accompanies an awareness of fleeting beauty.
—Michael Dylan Welch
2008 Best International Poem
in clearing mist
the creaking of a heavy oar . . .
cherry blossoms
Tito (Stephen Henry Gill)
Kyoto, Japan
This haiku’s subtle and sensory word choices capture the essence of a single moment in time, and the poem continues to reverberate long after we read the last line. This poem resonates not only with the sound of the oar but also with the oar’s heaviness juxtaposed against the lightness of mist and blossoms. Even the rhythm of the language evokes the slow stroking of oars. Our senses are heightened, as they would be in a mist, and we are placed immediately into this moment from real life. Both the spirit of haiku and the spirit of the cherry blossom season abound in this excellent and enduring haiku.
—Carole MacRury
2008 Best Youth Poem
evening prayer—
the cherry petals stick
to the pane
Damian Margolak (age 16)
Kielce, Poland
In Japan, the cherry blossom is often connected with spiritual experiences. In a famous waka (31-syllable poem), the poet Saigyo (1118–1190) wishes to be buried among his beloved cherry blossoms so that he can be with them even in death:
I pray that I will die beneath the blossoming cherry,
In spring, the month of flowers,
When the moon is full.
(modified slightly from a translation by Daisetz Suzuki)
Damian Margolak’s haiku also links the cherry blossoms to a spiritual longing. Although there would seem to be little connection between the blossoms and a prayer, we are meant to feel that deep and powerful forces are at work in the juxtaposition of the two images. In particular, we are left to wonder whether the petals on the windowpane are themselves an answer to the prayer or if they are, perhaps, a sign of what is to come.
—Edward Zuk