2017 Haiku Invitational Winners presented by Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd.
Top Winners
Vancouver
the names
of children being called home
cherry blossoms
Ann Harreby
Coquitlam, British Columbia
British Columbia
cherry blossoms
a winter jacket
hangs from a branch
Beth Skala
Nanaimo, British Columbia
Canada
transience . . .
petal by petal
we let go
Debbie Strange
Winnipeg, Manitoba
United States
the gasp
before the sigh . . .
cherry blossoms
Terri L. French
Huntsville, Alabama
International
Falling cherry petals
how gently the world lets go
of light
Sanjuktaa Asopa
Belgaum, India
Youth
blossoms float down
graduation hats fly up
a new beginning
Amy Wells, age 16
Christchurch, New Zealand
Click here for commentary on winning poems & here to learn more about the winners.
All poems are listed in alphabetical order in each category.
Vancouver
Sakura Awards
My new neighbour
has never seen
cherry blossoms
Rita Ager
Vancouver, British Columbia
Thru the branches
Of the pink cherry blossoms
I see a smiling face
Rosemarie Daviduk
Vancouver, British Columbia
The tea tastes bitter
in my new country
but cherry blossoms dance
Lesley Donaldson
Vancouver, British Columbia
footbridge
the last few steps
in the blossom
Gary Eaton
Port Moody, British Columbia
one foot another foot
the little hand reaches out
to cherry petals
Rachel Enomoto
Burnaby, British Columbia
one more year
she whispers
distant blossoms
Rachel Enomoto
Burnaby, British Columbia
tucking her arm
into the crook of his own
cherry blossoms
Ann Harreby
Coquitlam, British Columbia
pink petals lined
outside automatic doors
welcome to Canada
Angel Lo
Richmond, British Columbia
my kind
of baptism—
cherry blossom rain
Vicki McCullough
Vancouver, British Columbia
crossing the border
with ease
cherry petals
Jacqueline Pearce
Burnaby, British Columbia
covering
yesterday’s news
cherry blossoms
David Randen
Coquitlam, British Columbia
nudged by the wind
cherry blossom petals
know no borders
Deirdre Rogers
North Vancouver, British Columbia
Vancouver
Honourable Mentions
Graduates pose proudly
beneath waking buds
ready to bloom.
Antoinette Cheung
Vancouver, British Columbia
first come the blossoms
then long warm airy evenings
soft petals bare skin
James Coyle
Vancouver, British Columbia
Yoga on the beach
cherry petals land
on my feet
Lesley Donaldson
Vancouver, British Columbia
A gusting wind takes away
the blossom’s free fall
path erratically altered
Donna Jean MacKinnon
Vancouver, British Columbia
A single petal
through my fingertips
falls in the wind
Gabriel Malvas
Vancouver, British Columbia
cherry petal
for a moment
defying gravity
Vicki McCullough
Vancouver, British Columbia
first reading
in the scholar’s garden
a cherry bud blooms
Angela Naccarato
Pitt Meadows, British Columbia
over
a shimmering cherry
a flock of hummingbirds
Angela Naccarato
Pitt Meadows, British Columbia
ocean breeze
rippling
cherry blossoms
David Randen
Coquitlam, British Columbia
Cherry branches waving
I try to hold back a smile
for passport photos
Monica Wang
Vancouver, British Columbia
Cherry blossoms
Welcome strangers
From new lands
Jill Warner
Vancouver, British Columbia
British Columbia
Sakura Awards
final blessing
cherry petals fall
on silent mourners
Dan Curtis
Victoria, British Columbia
day of her departure
cherry blossoms
scattered on the wind
Tom Drescher
Rossland, British Columbia
missing home
a cherry blossom
in her coffee
Ulrike Narwani
North Saanich, British Columbia
chemo complete
her pink ribbon hat
fills with blossoms
Nika
Victoria, British Columbia
the long wait
at the border crossing
cherry blossoms
Nika
Victoria, British Columbia
outside the courthouse
cherry blossoms
I get the children
Beth Skala
Nanimo, British Columbia
British Columbia
Honourable Mentions
cherry blossoms
sharing the moon
at river’s edge
Gerald Cawdell
Victoria, British Columbia
guided strolls
the blossoms whisper
in every language
Devin Harrison
Duncan, British Columbia
drifting petals
a hush descends on
this sacred space
Devin Harrison
Duncan, British Columbia
Cherry blossoms
only know how
to fill the sky
Leanne McIntosh
Nanaimo, British Columbia
far from the bombs
legions of cherry trees
explode into pink
Judy Millar
Nanaimo, British Columbia
Citizenship day
Clutching papers, I exhale
Blossoms fill the air
Holly Schofield
Galiano, British Columbia
Intensive Care ward
beyond the window
cherry trees in bloom
Gregory Lance Skala
Nanaimo, British Columbia
moonlit blossoms . . .
my voice crescendos
with a chorus of frogs
elehna de sousa
Salt Spring Island, British Columbia
lulled by the rain
and singing frogs . . .
cherry blossom dreamtime
elehna de sousa
Salt Spring Island, British Columbia
Next time
I will choose to be
A blossom in the wind
Philip Tingey
Chilliwack, British Columbia
on the mountain side
the blossoms disappear
into the mist
Naomi Beth Wakan
Gabriola island, British Columbia
Canada
Sakura Awards
the cherry tree
in this old wedding picture
still alive
Diane Descoteaux
Notre-Dame-du-Bon-Conseil, Quebec
bridal shower—
cherry petals
in her hair
Ellen Cooper
Montreal, Quebec
shaking out
the picnic blanket . . .
cherry petals
Pamela Cooper
Montreal, Quebec
the pink nose
of a feral rabbit . . .
sakura
Debbie Strange
Winnipeg, Manitoba
neighbor built a fence
the blossoms
I still see
Guillaume Beaulieu-Houle
Montreal, Quebec
newly arrived
cherry petals shower
her hijab
Marianne Paul
Kitchener, Ontario
at the fingertip
of a child refugee . . .
cherry blossoms
Chen-ou Liu
Ajax, Ontario
Canada
Honourable Mentions
free at last—
Sunday morning
with the cherry petals
Marilyn Potter
Toronto, Ontario
sensing the wren
in the twitch
of cherry blossom
Dorothy Mahoney
Windsor, Ontario
blossoms above
& below the tree
the ashes
kjmunro
Whitehorse, Yukon Territory
undocumented
cherry petals drifting
across the border
Marianne Paul
Kitchener, Ontario
cherry blossoms
I choose the path
less traveled
Chen-ou Liu
Ajax, Ontario
becoming
one with water
cherry petals
Veronika Zora Novak
Toronto, Ontario
late spring blizzard
somewhere
cherry blossoms
Leslie Bamford
Waterloo, Ontario
palliative care ward
cherry petals ride
a nurse’s cap
Harvey Jenkins
Winnipeg, Manitoba
International
Sakura Awards
falling blossoms
the dimples
in our newborn’s cheeks
Bouwe Brouwer
Sneek, The Netherlands
spring breeze
cherry blossoms
in the magpie nest
Zornitza Stefanova Harizanova
Sofia, Bulgaria
meditation retreat . . .
before freeing the mind
cherry blossoms
Samantha Sirimanne Hyde
Sydney, Australia
cherry blossoms
the wild chords
of a street busker
Brandon Kent
Southampton, England
through barbed wire
a breeze of cherry petals
delights a child
Marietta Jane McGregor
Canberra, Australia
home from the war
the veteran gives thanks
for cherry blossoms
Ron C. Moss
Tasmania, Australia
breathing in
breathing out
cherry blossoms
Aparna Pathak
Gurugram, India
sakura flurry
the pre-schooler turns
into an airplane
Geethanjali Rajan
Chennai, India
first walk
without a scarf
cherry blossoms
Rachel Sutcliffe
Huddersfield, United Kingdom
International
Honourable Mentions
first cherry bud
an old gardener
silences the dog
Magdalena Banaszkiewicz
Zielona Gora, Poland
letting him go
the night fills
with cherry blossom
Marina Bellini
Bagnolo San Vito, Italy
Spring flurry . . .
cherry petals float through
the locked gate
Nathalie Buckland
Nimbin, Australia
baby in the cradle
how silent fall
the cherry blossoms
Zoran Doderovic
Novi Sad, Serbia
our last embrace
the delicate scent
of cherry blossoms
Marisa Fazio
Melbourne, Australia
pink drips
from my calligraphy brush
cherry blossoms
Marisa Fazio
Melbourne, Australia
cherry blossom
the silence
on her lips
Rajandeep Garg
Sangrur, India
citizenship vows . . .
a spill of sakura blooms
on freshly turned earth
Samar Ghose
Perth, Australia
broken cherry twig
she returns
to her maiden name
Nikolay Grankin
Krasnodar, Russia
cherry blossoms
beneath her ribcage
a little kick
Hazel Hall
Canberra, Australia
between letting go
and touching the ground
cherry petal breeze
Simon Hanson
Jimboomba, Australia
playtime . . .
refugee children skip
in blossom land
Ron C. Moss
Tasmania, Australia
drifting petals
a swallow touches
the current
Polona Oblak
Ljubljana, Slovenia
I tell him
what I really think . . .
rain-soaked blossom
Polona Oblak
Ljubljana, Slovenia
survivor’s guilt—
the long yard of
cherry blossoms”
Ernesto P. Santiago
Solano, Philippines
sudden wind
the garden buddha’s head crowned
with cherry petals
Olivier Schopfer
Geneva, Switzerland
taking his nap outside
my father returns
with blossoms in his hair
Sandra Simpson
Tauranga, New Zealand
cherry blossom . . .
for a moment or two
I can skip again
Sandra Simpson
Tauranga, New Zealand
first day home
from the hospice
cherry blossoms
Christina Sng
Singapore
first blossoms
slowly
then all at once
Iliyana Stoyanova
St Albans, United Kingdom
spring cherries—
a cocoon breaks into
a butterfly”
Aashika Suresh
Chennai, India
first blossom
salaryman
unloose your tie
Scott Thouard
Norh Ipswich, Australia
starry night—
a cherry branch in blossom
for no one
Maria Tirenescu
Cugir, Romania
USA
Sakura Awards
cherry blossom breeze
the schnauzer runs
without a leash
Mike Blottenberger
Hanover, Pennsylvania
cherries in bloom—
a wood duck
pedals a path
Jeffrey Ferrara
Worcester, Massachusetts
an old man
learns two new words
cherry blossom
Jennifer Hambrick
Columbus, Ohio
cherry blossom song
grandmother sings the anthem
in her native tongue
Jessica Malone Latham
Santa Rosa, California
petals in the wind
a protest sign leans against
the cherry tree
Ann Magyar
Brighton, Massachusetts
sakura petals
an old soldier whispers
their names
Joe McKeon
Strongsville, Ohio
First letter home
In the envelope
A cherry blossom
Darcy McMurtery
Seattle, Washington
beyond the horizon
my cherry tree blooming
in a place called home
Marion Poirier
Boston, Massachusetts
both sides
of the wall
cherry blossoms
Holli Rainwater
Fresno, Ohio
not seeing
the blue of the sky
until the blossoms
Agnes Eva Savich
Pflugerville, Texas
cherry blossoms
she uses both hands
to send the kiss
Michelle Schaefer
Bothell, Washington
the things
that children know
budding blossoms
Michelle Schaefer
Bothell, Washington
the scent the same
in every language
cherry blossoms
Stevie Strang
Laguna Niguel, California
so easy
to let go
cherry blossom
Kath Abela Wilson
Pasadena, California
school’s out
flutter
of a loose petal
Valorie Broadhurst Woerdehoff
Dubuque, Iowa
USA
Honourable Mentions
no artificial color
no preservatives
cherry blossoms
Johnny Baranski
Vancouver, Washington
a thousand
cherry blossoms
make a tree
Brad Bennett
Arlington, Massachusetts
cherry blossoms whirl . . .
young girl freed
of training wheels
Nancy Brady
Huron, Ohio
moonlit moth
among the fluttering
cherry petals
Brett Brady
Pahoa, Hawaii
reaching for
cherry blossoms
baby’s first steps
Susan Burch
Hagerstown, Maryland
cherry petals . . .
how gently they flutter
to the ground
Sandip Chauhan
Great Falls, Virginia
pink sunset
we lace our fingers
for the first time
Meagan Collins
Tulsa, Oklahoma
she bows
with the cherry blossoms
her grandson, too
Patricia Davis
Pembroke, New Hampshire
night vigil
the cherry blossoms
all mine
Patricia Davis
Pembroke, New Hampshire
flying a flag
that carries liberty
cherry blossom wind
Rebecca Drouilhet
Picayune, Mississippi
holding on
a drop of dew
on the cherry blossom
Terri L. French
Huntsville, Alabama
in lieu of snowflakes
we catch falling blossoms
on our tongues
Adam Henze
Bloomington, Indiana
strong breeze—
the murmuration
of pink petals
Carol Judkins
Carlsbad, California
adoption day
the grafted cherry blooms
at last
Barbara Kaufmann
Massapequa Park, New York
on every umbrella
an equal measure
of cherry petals
Julie Bloss Kelsey
Germantown, Maryland
spent blossoms—
the remission, too,
was unexpected
Mary Kendall
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
this year
near the old ones
a new cherry sprout
Jill Lange
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
free
to go . . .
blossom rain
Michael Henry Lee
St. Augustine, Florida
spring break—
the cherry tree lets go
of its blossoms
Carole MacRury
Point Roberts, Washington
still visible
through the cherry blossoms
the North Star
Ann Magyar
Brighton, Massachusetts
after the war
the cherry tree
still blooms
Nancy Nitrio
Orangevale, California
cherry blossoms
what might not be there
tomorrow
Valentina Ranaldi-Adams
Fairlawn, Ohio
finally free from pain
cherry blossoms
on her grave
David Strang
Laguna Niguel, California
park walk
in my dog’s cone collar
cherry blossoms
Christine L. Villa
North Highlands, California
wedding day
two white doves rising
into cherry blossoms
Marilyn Appl Walker
Madison, Georgia
Youth
Sakura Awards
Good night moon
good morning sun
hello blossom trees
Ruby Allan, age 9
Christchurch, New Zealand
cherry blossoms
the names on the stone
fade to pink
Ioana Brînzei, age 13
Botoșani, Romania
cherry blossoms
the life of a mayfly
fleeting
Jack Foo, age 11
Singapore
ripple in the lake
cherry blossoms
slowly drifting
Jack Foo, age 11
Singapore
reading books at school
want to go outside
seeing beautiful blossoms
Jahan Gold, age 10
Vancouver, Canada
I step into a river
of cherry blossoms
They float off the trees
Annabelle Harvey, age 8
Christchurch, New Zealand
Refugees from
third world countries
smile at the blossoms
Abbey Hollingsworth, age 11
Vancouver, Canada
early morning
a cherry blossom falls
on the baby swallows wing
Phoebe James, age 8
Christchurch, New Zealand
school bell rings
doors open
cherry blossoms
Jacob Leong, age 16
Surrey, Canada
Alone in the dark
Trying to find my lost path
To the blossom temple
George Lindores, age 14
Christchurch, New Zealand
pink cherry petals falls
on white pigeons wings
a watercolour painting
Jeffrey Liu, age 16
Coquitlam, Canada
in the dim moonlight
the scent of cherry blossoms
lingers in the air
Olivia Liu, age 10
Christchurch, New Zealand
after the storm
a lost lady bug
rests on a cherry blossom
Alice Macdonald, age 9
Christchurch, New Zealand
Petals in the air,
Blown everywhere by the wind;
My thoughts fly freely.
Johnny Peng, age 14
Vancouver, Canada
From a land where people silenced me
to a place where blossoms
welcome me
Hannah Smith, age 11
Vancouver, Canada
midnight
the glowing blossom trees
lead me home
Anneliese Surveyor, age 8
Christchurch, New Zealand
city skyline
a kayaker paddles
through cherry petals
Sarah Sakura Welch, age 11
Sammamish, United States
As a family waits
to cross the border
a cherry petal flutters
Mason Yip, age 12
Vancouver, Canada
Youth
Honourable Mentions
As I step outside
the blossoms fall over me
I am finally free
Ruby Cox, age 14
Christchurch, New Zealand
a bad day
washed away
by a sea of pink
Liam Dickson, age 11
Vancouver, Canada
Blossoms flutter
on girls with voices
to speak up for themselves
Chrissy Drexel, age 11
Vancouver, Canada
Deep sleep under the
cherry blossom tree
not a sound is made.
Honor Forbes, age 9
Christchurch, New Zealand
Still blue sky
has been
splashed with pink.
Honor Forbes, age 9
Christchurch, New Zealand
when you walk by
something is following you
blossoms on the breeze
Rachael Forrester, age 11
Vancouver, Canada
partial eclipse
crows gathering in
the cherry tree
Naomi Gaidur, age 13
Botoșani, Romania
freedom
A naive deer,
grazing on blossoms
Amelia Rose Gordon, age 11
Christchurch, New Zealand
I step into a river
of cherry blossoms
Annabelle Harvey, age 8
Christchurch, New Zealand
boys can love
something not blue
pink cherry blossoms
Yaya He, age 14
Vancouver, Canada
lunch break
brushing cherry blossoms
off sandwiches
Olivia Holdsworth, age 17
Auckland, New Zealand
land of sakura
in a mist of floating clouds
the blush of spring
Madelaine Jorgensen, age 12
Edmonton, Canada
Summer is coming
as quickly as the stream can—lu
as blossoms tell us.
Sarah Liu, age 7
Vancouver, Canada
Freedom around the world
like a handful
of blossoms
Lucas Liu, age 9
Vancouver, Canada
on the green grass field
running under cherry blossom
the gift of freedom
Shawn Lu, age 15
Coquitlam, Canada
Cherry blossom
The pink so bright
in the spring light
Josh Molloy, age 14
Christchurch, New Zealand
cherry blossoms’ road . . .
first time travelling
on my own
Moon Taha Teen Nikita, age 15
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Prayer bell rings
A green pheasant walks by
The old blossom tree
Masha Pospolitak, age 9
Christchurch, New Zealand
beautiful petals
morning breeze sways its branches
birds chirping a song
Anna Seiki, age 11
Madison, Georgia
a frog jumps
into the old pond . . .
the parting of petals
Sarah Sakura Welch, age 11
Sammamish, United States
Cured of cancer
welcomed back with open arms
and pink is everywhere
Brendan Yeung, age 10
Vancouver, Canada
no school today
I sleep under
cherry blossom dreams
Sam Zhou, age 15
Vancouver, Canada