2015 Haiku Invitational Winners presented by
Top Winners
Vancouver
Stanley Cup playoffs
the last cherry blossoms
still hanging on
Jacqueline Pearce
Burnaby, Vancouver
British Columbia
cherry blossoms
come and go
my seventy years
Dan Curtis
Victoria, British Columbia
Canada
Alzheimer’s ward
cherry blossoms
in the fog
Marco Fraticelli
Pointe-Claire, Quebec
United States
cherry blossoms
no room in the selfie
for me
Joe McKeon
Strongsville, Ohio
International
cherry blossoms
falling
in love again
Brendon Kent
Southampton, England
Youth
cherry blossoms—
grandma tells me about
her first date
Georgiana Cucu , age 12
Botosani, Romania
Click here for commentary on winning poems.
All poems are listed in alphabetical order in each category.
Vancouver
Sakura Awards
Tourists ask for directions
I send them by way of
the cherry blossoms
Rita Ager, British Columbia
Coquitlam, British Columbia
distant cherry blossoms,
I rehearse
a conversation
Rachel Enomoto
Burnaby, British Columbia
pruning suckers
from my cherry tree—
no time for his sales pitch
Brenda Larsen
Port Coquitlam, British Columbia
prayer flags in the wind cherry blossoms
Vicki McCullough
Vancouver, British Columbia
petal storm—
the affair
I almost had
Jacqueline Pearce
Burnaby, British Columbia
cherry blossoms
shading the heron
hiding the koi
David Randen
Coquitlam, British Columbia
pink blossoms
mothers-to-be
compare bellies
Carl Seguiban
Burnaby, British Columbia
Honourable Mentions
Cherry blossoms
listen carefully
the hummingbirds have returned
Rita Ager
Coquitlam, British Columbia
Homeless man
on his paper plate
a cherry blossom
Marianne Baharustani
Vancouver, British Columbia
a parade
of babies in strollers
a blanket of pink blossoms
Jeannine Bertoia
Surrey, British Columbia
pink boughs
bending ever lower
the old man sneezes
George Dueck
Burnaby, British Columbia
our hands in prayer position
dividing
cherry blossoms
Brenda Larsen
Port Coquitlam, British Columbia
the finch & I
singing
cherry blossoms
Vicki McCullough
Vancouver, British Columbia
On my way . . .
seeing old friends,
Cherries in first bloom.
MyDung Quach
Vancouver, British Columbia
suit and skateboard
pause
cherry blossoms
David Randen
Coquitlam, British Columbia
faded blossoms
lie on rain-soaked grass—
now what will I do?
Joan Tyldesley
Vancouver, British Columbia
Stray kitten
On my doorstep
Fur matted with blossoms
D’Arcy Warner
Vancouver, British Columbia
British Columbia
Sakura Awards
strangers
bearing cherry blossoms
into the subway dark
Patrick Doerksen
Victoria, British Columbia
first cherry blossoms
a crab scuttles
in the trap
Tom Drescher
Rossland, British Columbia
cherry blossoms—
last email message
from a friend
Beth Skala
Nanaimo, British Columbia
outside the food bank
the row of cherry trees
feeds the eyes
Naomi Beth Wakan
Gabriola Island, British Columbia
Honourable Mentions
swirling in the wind
pink cherry blossom petals
cover the small grave
Cheryl Ashley
Nanaimo, British Columbia
nothing left
of grandfather’s house
yet still, the old cherry blooms
elehna de sousa
Salt Spring Island, British Columbia
cherry blossoms
a red accordion
crosses the street
Tom Drescher
Rossland, British Columbia
so little time
downtown cherry blossoms
fall on busy schedules
Katrina Genuis
Victoria, British Columbia
little girl playing
can’t see
the blossom in her hair
Katrina Genuis
British Columbia, Victoria
cherry petal
skims across still pond
on koi’s back
Hajime Naka
Kelowna, British Columbia
new dragon
among my cherry blossom
tattoos
Gregory Skala
Nanaimo, British Columbia
Canada
Sakura Awards
grandfather watching
the baby watching
pink petals on the updraft
Lin Geary
Paris, Ontario
cherry blossoms
floating in the lake
tonight’s moon
Norman Wm. Muise
Guelph, Ontario
auditions . . .
the last blossom
to open
Roland Packer
Hamilton, Ontario
gone too soon
sakura blossoms
my old friends
Debbie Strange
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Honourable Mentions
spring breeze—
my shoes fill
with cherry petals
Ellen Cooper
Montreal, Quebec
biking the blossoms—
a few drops
of last night’s rain
Pamela Cooper
Montreal, Quebec
admiring cherry blossoms—
a stranger hands me
his camera
Tamara De Dominicis
Burlington, Ontario
I miss you
more and more
blossoms falling
Marco Fraticelli
Pointe-Claire, Quebec
moving day . . .
cherry petals floating
on a pool of sky
Chen-ou Liu
Ajax, Ontario
murmured prayer—
cherry blossoms bow
to the wind
Terra Martin
Toronto, Ontario
nightfall
between blossoms
clusters of stars
Terra Martin
Toronto, Ontario
sojourners—
the cherry blossom
nudges the wind
Marianne Paul
Kitchener, Ontario
petal showers—
the sweet lightness
of a sigh
Marianne Paul
Kitchener, Ontario
far from home—
knitting pink angora
into blossoms
Marilyn Potter
Toronto, Ontario
in and out
of translation—
cherry blossoms
Veronika Zora Novak
Toronto, Ontario
United States
Sakura Awards
cherry blossom park
the rescue dog barks
for the first time
Roberta Beary
Bethesda, Maryland
falling cherry petals . . .
a beggar turns
his back to the crowd
Meik Blöttenberger
Hanover, Pennsylvania
car repossession—
the cherry blossoms on top
taken too
Susan Burch
Hagerstown, Maryland
bookmark
a single cherry petal
keeps her page
Kyle D. Craig
Indianapolis, Indiana
cherry blossoms—
a blind man taps his cane
beneath the trees
Tina Crenshaw
Charlotte, North Carolina
the angry words
I regret saying to you . . .
cherry blossom rain
Kayla Daley
Hattiesburg, Mississippi
her sidewalk sketch
of cherry blossoms—
scent of rain
Carol Judkins
Carlsbad, California
of the many things
my mother planted—
weeping cherry
Barbara Kaufmann
Massapequa Park, New York
jumping rope . . .
school children
and cherry blossoms
Melvina Noel
Reston, Virginia
festival poster
a cherry petal
dots the i
Barbara Snow
Eugene, Oregon
each step
a little lighter . . .
cherry blossoms
Kevin Valentine
Mesquite, Texas
cherry blossoms—
young lovers discuss
forever
Kevin Valentine
Mesquite, Texas
pushpins on a map . . .
cherry trees blossoming
here and there
Julie Warther
Dover, Ohio
he ties his shoelaces
into rabbit ears
first blossoms
Michelle Schaefer
Bothell, Washington
Honourable Mentions
coming and going
they remind me of you
cherry blossoms
Johnny Baranski
Vancouver, Washington
cherry blossoms
a moment of grief
for my mother
Traci Barlow
Birmingham, Alabama
a warm spring . . .
cherry blossoms waft over
from my neighbor’s tree
Brad Bennett
Arlington, Massachusetts
lost
among the blossoms
cherry moon
Mark E. Brager
Columbia, Maryland
late to a meeting
blaming it
on a cherry tree
Alan S. Bridges
Littleton, Massachusetts
morning rush—
cherry petals crowd
the busker’s cap
Theresa A. Cancro
Wilmington, Delaware
cherry blossoms
not knowing their name
the toddler points
Kyle D. Craig
Indianapolis, Indiana
anniversary—
a gentle blossom rain
to mark his passing
Margaret Dornaus
Paradise, Arkansas
six degrees
of separation
cherry blossoms
Robert Michael Drouilhet
Picayune, Mississippi
what little hope
I have left for this world . . .
first cherry blossom
Chase Gagnon
Detroit, Michigan
all around sakura
mother’s wheelchair
tipped back
Connie Gildersleeve
Clinton Township, Michigan
dancing petals . . .
the very first time
she calls him daddy
Michele L. Harvey
Hamilton, New York
first blossoms—
the carpenter bee and I
work out our differences
Tzetzka Ilieva
Marietta, Georgia
cherry blossoms
mixing it up
with birdsong
Barbara Kaufmann
Massapequa Park, New York
made smaller
by the blossoming cherry
. . .my old house
Carole A. MacRury
Point Roberts, Washington
weeping cherry
a story told
to a new generation
Ann Magyar
Brighton, Massachusetts
blossom-covered path
to the new house
like the old one
Ann Magyar
Brighton, Massachusetts
cherry blossoms
upping the odds
she’ll say yes!
dl mattila
Oakton, Virginia
concert hall garden
the descant
of cherry blossoms
Andrew Shattuck McBride
Bellingham, Washington
dining alfresco
at a table for one
cherry blossoms
Joe McKeon
Strongsville, Ohio
on the calling card
of a friend long gone
cherry blossoms
Catherine Anne Nowaski
Rochester, New York
messaged
from phone to phone
cherry blossoms
Victor Ortiz
San Pedro, California
shared hammock
love bends
the cherry trees
Dru Philippou
El Prado, New Mexico
homecoming
only the cherry blossoms
as I remember
Marion Alice Poirier
Boston, Massachusetts
between
our joined hands
a pink blossom
April Serock
Smithfield, Pennsylvania
sound of a gravel rake
in the rock garden
floating pink petals
Judt Shrode
Tacoma, Washington
new friends
promise to return
cherry blossom time
Arthur Solomon
Federal Way, Washington
try once more
to see it his way
cherry blossoms
Heidi Stahl
Teaticket, Massachusetts
while we walk
our daughter runs ahead
first bloom
Neal Whitman
Pacific Grove, California
International
Sakura Awards
sakura night . . .
the pink cheeks
of the chef
Sanjuktaa Asopa
Belgaum, India
falling blossoms . . .
a hibakusha tells of
his childhood
Claudia Brefeld
Bochum, Germany
test results
petals
on the breeze
Helen Buckingham
Somerset, England
cherry trees in bloom—
I do not open up
to my therapist
Ana Drobot
Bucharest, Romania
gun salute—
the silent fall
of cherry blossoms
Arvinder Kaur
Chandigarh, India
under the cherry tree
a lover asks
for an eraser
Ernesto P. Santiago
Solano, Philippines
among the cherry blossoms
a blackbird puffs up
and keeps silent
Heike Stehr
Moers, Germany
the child
I’ll never have
cherry blossoms
Rachel Sutcliffe
Huddersfield, England
cherry blossoms—
my hometown
on TV
Yukiko Yamada
Nagoya, Japan
Honourable Mentions
snow-heavy blossoms
their hands
share a pocket
Nathalie Buckland
Nimbin, Australia
so light
yet blossom ripples
reach the edge
Steven Clarkson
Taupo, New Zealand
they were not
on my to-do list, and yet . . .
cherry blossoms
Bernadette Duncan
Rottweil, Germany
two street musicians
nothing but cherry petals
in the violin case
Engin Gülez
Mersin, Turkey
last cherry blossom
I agree
to divorce
Robert Kania
Warsaw, Poland
cherry blossoms
notes forgotten
at the piano lesson
Capotă Daniela Lăcrămioara
Galați, Romania
cherry petals
on the wind
—my loved ones’ faces
Anna Mazurkiewicz
Chelm, Poland
late afternoon . . .
touching the blossom
with the tip of her cane
Jo McInerney
Boolarra, Australia
sharing the bench
the old busker
and cherry petals
Mark Miller
Shoalhaven Heads, Australia
hometown visit
cherry blossoms
past their prime
Polona Oblak
Ljubljana, Slovenia
bicycle thief—
on her blouse
cherry blossom
Stella Pierides
Neusaess, Germany
sharing an umbrella
with a stranger
cherry blossom rain
Vanessa Proctor
Sydney, Australia
cherry blossoms—
the jingle of my keys
on his key ring
Dorota Pyra
Gdańsk, Poland
a cherry petal
caught in the cobweb . . .
stolen kisses
Rosie Roumeliotis
Athens, Greece
blossom moon
the pregnancy line
turning to pink
Cynthia Rowe
Sydney, Australia
painting a cherry tree
a camera click
distracts me
Iliyana Stoyanova
St Albans, England
#hanami in #Rome—
wind uploads fresh petals
on our profiles
Tomasz Szymczak
Chojnice, Poland
skylark song
my sumi-e cherry branch
starts to blossom
Maria Tomczak
Opole, Poland
Milky Way—
our secret path
of cherry blossoms
Steliana Cristina Voicu
Ploești, Romania
blossoming cherry
out of a deep shadow
mother waves at me
Mila Vukmirovic
Belgrade, Serbia
every window
to the third floor and back
cherry blossoms
Sheila Windsor
Bexhill-on-Sea, England
Youth
Sakura Awards
childhood home
on the old swing
cherry blossoms
Nadin Ghileschi, age 13
Botoșani, Romania
The popular girl and
the goth girl are
friends, under blossoms
Leah Liu, age 9
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Strangers—
sharing the shade under
a cherry tree
Amanda Luu, age 15
Surrey, British Columbia
In a carved heart
on an old cherry tree:
two faded initials.
Amanda Luu, age 15
Surrey, British Columbia
Honourable Mentions
crowded city
bright yellow cab
windshield wipes cherry blossoms
Sophia Hambleton, age 10
Vancouver, British Columbia
cherry petals—
lighter and whiter
granny’s hair
Branzei Ioana, age 12
Botoșani, Romania
Cherry blossom trees
Are big and some are small ones
I have a small one
Kathy Le, age 10
Aldergrove, British Columbia
Sitting on the bus all alone
She looks down
Sees a single blossom
Megan Lord, age 9
Vancouver, British Columbia
It never snows
It only rains
White and pink cherry blossoms
Taeja Podmore, age 11
Vancouver, British Columbia
In my open hand
A cherry blossom falls
I remember your touch
Harmani Sandu, age 13
New Westminster, British Columbia
math lesson
counting the cherry blossoms
outside
Bartosz Sawicki, age 12
Szczecin, Poland
marathon finish line
cherry petals falling
under the winner’s feet
Bartosz Sawicki, age 12
Szczecin, Poland
glowing blossoms
leave a trail
to your doorstep
Kishal Scholz, age 14
Mission, British Columbia
While reading a book
cherry blossoms flutter down
blocking the final word
Aaron Sze, age 10
Vancouver, British Columbia
bulldozer—
the cherry tree
falls to its knees
Sarah Sakura Welch, age 9
Sammamish, Washington
a walk in the park—
pink petals of cherry blossoms
on our ice-cream
Wiktoria Wolska, age 11
Nowy Targ, Poland
Aunt’s arrival—
on the cage with the cat
cherry blossom petals
Wiktoria Wolska, age 11
Nowy Targ, Poland
under the moonlight
we lie among the fallen—
cherry blossoms
Sherry Zhou, age 17
Palo Alto, California