Judged by Alan S. Bridges, Susan Constable, Julie Warther
2019 Haiku Invitational Winners presented by Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel Ltd.
Top Winners
Vancouver
spring morning—
a cherry blossom
breaks the silence
Aaron Barry
Port Moody, BC
British Columbia
family reunion
cherry blossoms open
each conversation
Beth Skala
Nanaimo, BC
Canada
cherry blossoms
a new bay window
for the homeless shelter
Harvey Jenkins
Winnipeg, Manitoba
United States of America
sakura blossoms
loose in an envelope
priority mail
Neal Whitman
Pacific Grove, California
International
cherry blossoms
opening a rusty wicket
to the neighbor
Henryk Czempiel
Strzelce Opolskie, Poland
Youth
Full moon hanging
in the silence of the night
cherry blossoms
Mia Lin, age 12
Vancouver, BC, Canada
Click here for commentary on winning poems & meet our winners!
All poems are listed in alphabetical order in each category.
Vancouver
Sakura Awards
Japanese-Canadian—
she plants a cherry tree
next to the maple
Aaron Barry
Port Moody, BC
your face softens
now I see how blossoms
let go of the branch
Lydia Christensen
North Vancouver, BC
between me
and the grey sky—
cherry blossoms
Vicki McCullough
Vancouver, BC
street trees in bloom
the stranger and I
in each other’s photos
Jacquie Pearce
Vancouver, BC
Vancouver
Honourable Mentions
where two or more
are gathered together
cherry blossoms
Garry Eaton
Port Moody, BC
late arrival
cherry blossoms filling up
his side of the bench
Alegria Imperial
Vancouver, BC
residential schools
in their place
cherry blossoms
Lauren King
Richmond, BC
joining
earth and sky
cherry blossoms
David Randen
Coquitlam, BC
the cherry blossoms tremble—
I reach
for your hand
Philip Rivest
Vancouver, BC
resting
on buddha’s lap
dried cherry blossoms
Pat Shannon
Vancouver, BC
free falling
cherry blossoms
we talk
Cheryl Slevin
Surrey, BC
British Columbia
Sakura Awards
raising the bar
a little bit higher
cherry blossoms
Devin Harrison
Duncan, BC
British Columbia
Honourable Mentions
Viet Nam Memorial
cherry petals fill the spaces
between their names
Terry Ann Carter
Victoria, BC
a letter of amends—
frosted cherry buds
unfurl
elehna de sousa
Salt Spring Island, BC
raining on
our second I-do’s—
cherry blossoms
Anne Scott
Nanaimo, BC
his apology—
cherry blossom
emoji
Beth Skala
Nanaimo, BC
cherry blossom ice cream
one bowl
two spoons
susan spooner
Victoria, BC
Canada
Sakura Awards
early morning
the cherry blossom
opening to the bee
Luce Pelletier
Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, Quebec
Canada
Honourable Mentions
Stanley Cup final
first to fall
cherry blossoms
LeRoy Gorman
Napanee, Ontario
sakura petals
floating in the bath
we make amends
Debbie Strange
Winnipeg, Manitoba
United States of America
Sakura Awards
in the blink
of an eye. . .
cherry blossoms
Margaret Dornaus
Ozark, Arkansas
wondering
what else I could have said—
cherry blossom wind
Michael H. Lester
Los Angeles, California
Sun Yat-Sen Gardens. . .
a singing bowl fills
with blossoms
Carole MacRury
Point Roberts, Washington
cherry blossoms
billowing in the wind
my handful of days
Dru Philippou
Taos, New Mexico
forgetting
my diagnosis
cherry blossoms
Bob Redmond
Burien, Washington
waiting for you
to make the first move
cherry blossoms
Sneha Sundaram
Jersey City, New Jersey
United States of America
Honourable Mentions
fallen blossoms
so many ways
to make amends
Susan Burch
Smithsburg, Maryland
cherry blossoms—
together we add a gate
to the boundary fence
Tish Davis
Concord TWP, Ohio
once again
the softness of your touch. . .
sakura petals
Rebecca S Drouilhet
Picayune, Mississippi
cherry petal rain
the orb weaver
splices her net
Michele L. Harvey
Hamilton, New York
Ferris wheel—
cherry blossom pink lipstick
on his cheek
Barbara Hay
Tulsa, Oklahoma
together
at last
cherry blossoms
Tia Haynes
Lakewood, Ohio
tight pink buds
the strength it takes
to forgive
Annette Makino
Arcata, California
telephone call
with a long lost friend—
cherry blossoms
Bob Redmond
Burien, Washington
International
Sakura Award
cherry blossom tea
bridging broken dreams
with each little sip
Pratima Balabhadrapathruni
Maharashtra, India
cease fire. . .
petals cling
to the stillness
Mark Gilbert
Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom
spring breeze
the soft pink bloom
in my father’s hug
John Hawkhead
Wiltshire, United Kingdom
Closing the gap
between us
blossom rain
Brandon Kent
Hampshire, United Kingdom
settling
on the peace quilt
cherry blossoms
Martha Magenta
City of Bristol, United Kingdom
white petals
she doesn’t notice
my flaws
Gregory Piko
Australian Capital Territory, Australia
cherry blossoms
they reach out to each other
over a bridge
Katrina Shepherd
Scotland, United Kingdom
her funeral. . .
I remember
only cherry blossoms
Pragya Vishnoi
Uttar pradesh, India
peace conference—
cherry trees
in bud
Juliet Wilson
Midlothian, United Kingdom
fallen petals
a gust of wind blows away
the sun
Durdica Zrinscak-Druzinec
Zagorje County, Croatia
International
Honourable Mentions
I apologize
cherry blossoms tumble
into the river
Benjamin Blaesi
Fribourg, Switzerland
petal shower. . .
unable to maintain
their silence
Marion Clarke
County Down, United Kingdom
after the rain,
the cherry blossoms
in a new light
Lilia Racheva Dencheva
Rousse, Bulgaria
long felled cherry
its dry blossom
in my favourite book
Sanja Domenus
Moslavacko-Sisacka, Croatia
after the storm—
playing hopscotch
among the blossoms
Florin Golban
Bucuresti, Romania
the old man slips
a ring on her finger
. . . cherry blossoms
Hazel Hall
Australian Capital Territory, Australia
crow’s caw
ripples pink petals
peace talks
Marilyn Humbert
New South Wales, Australia
pink sidewalk. . .
solving our problems
petal by petal
Brendon Kent
Hampshire, United Kingdom
cherry petal path
we reconcile
hand in hand
Mohammad Azim Khan
Khyberpaktunkwa, Pakistan
Wedding Anniversary—
still the same scent
of cherry blossoms
Marek Kozubek
Pathum Thani, Thailand
sakura forecast
I circle homecoming
in pink
Martha Magenta
City of Bristol, United Kingdom
weeping cherry tree—
to grandpa’s name I add
the word ‘late’
Indra Neil Mekala
Andhra Pradesh, India
finding the words
in the falling blossoms
I tell her I’m sorry
Mark Miller
New South Wales, Australia
hanami
a bee deep inside
a double blossom
Vanessa Proctor
New South Whale, Australia
cross-culture wedding
cherry petals tumble
from the soldier’s cap
Cynthia Rowe
New South Wales, Australia
patching things up
cherry petals scattered
over our doorstep
Olivier Schopfer
Geneva, Switzerland
refugee camp—
variegated blossoms
move with the wind
David Terelinck
Queensland, Australia
Youth
Sakura Awards
cherry blossoms flutter
and pave the way
back to you
Amy Cao, age 17
Vancouver, Canada
afterwards, a man kneels
blossoms like tears
fall on her grave
Jack Calder, age 15
Canterbury, New Zealand
cherry petals
on our picnic blanket
the milky way
sebastian ciobîcă, age 8
Botosani, România
Foggy morning
Cherry blossoms
Light up the sky
Charlotte Currie, age 7
Canterbury, New Zealand
Sunset
a homeless man sleeps
under cherry blossoms
Ben Edward, age 7
Canterbury, New Zealand
Sunset
Cherry blossoms
Climb up the darkening sky
Emmett Lawler, age 6
Canterbury, New Zealand
on the old rusty bridge
cherry blossoms
reunite two long lost friends
Alice Macdonald, age 11
Canterbury, New Zealand
Evening
cherry blossoms lift
a swan’s wing
Chloe Wu, age 7
Canterbury, New Zealand
By the bridge
the old man waits
for blossoms to fall
Luke Wylie III, age 13
Canterbury, New Zealand
midnight
cherry blossoms
catch my nightmares
Aceline W, age 9
Canterbury, New Zealand
night falls
cherry blossoms
comfort the homeless Man
Libby, age 11
Canterbury, New Zealand
Youth
Honourable Mentions
My paper boat
drifts down the stream
of pink petals
Avery Cheng, age 10
Vancouver, Canada
Midnight
mother and baby deer
snuggle in cherry blossoms
Caitlin Coupe, age 6
Canterbury, New Zealand
Dawn
Cherry Blossoms
Welcome a new duckling
Ben Edward, age 7
Canterbury, New Zealand
stormy night
cherry blossoms
light my way home
Logan Gardiner, age 10
Canterbury, New Zealand
cherry blossoms
the familiar scent
of your body
Nadin Ghileschi, age 17
Botosani, România
Blossom
The sparrow
Tightens her grip
Evie Johnson, age 13
Strowen, New Zealand
At night
Cherry blossoms
Light my way
Charlotte Kerr, age 8
Canterbury, New Zealand
after the squall
cherry blossoms
dance in the evening air
Gabby Kenton-Smith, age 13
Canterbury, New Zealand
Gazing at the pink petals
past midnight
they dance in the moonlight
Preston Ko, age 10
Vancouver, Canada
After the storm
How good to dance
with the cherry blossoms
Samantha Lascelles, age 12
Canterbury, New Zealand
In my garden
Cherry blossoms
Chase away sad thoughts
Ana Miyazaki, age 6
Canterbury, New Zealand
dozing off
lulled by the song
the petals sing
Joanne Park, 17
Vancouver, BC
the petals dance
as the river
joins them
Zac Piper, age 13
Canterbury, New Zealand
just me
under a tree
getting showered with pink
John Raskob, age 12
Vancouver, Canada
petals cloak the ground,
hiding the old,
showing the new.
Daniel Robertson, age 13
Canterbury, New Zealand
Early evening
cherry blossoms
call the light home
Charlie Russell, age 10
Canterbury, New Zealand
after the earthquake
cherry blossoms
hold us together
Charlie Russell, age 10
Canterbury, New Zealand
after the storm
a baby possum sips
cherry blossom dew
Reeve Williams, age 15
Canterbury, New Zealand
After spring rain
deer trot gently
through cherry blossoms
Reeve Williams, age 15
Canterbury, New Zealand
I listen when
the blossoms fall.
I hear the silence only
Emma Yee, age 9
Vancouver, Canada
After the storm
Cherry blossoms
Bring us back together
Alanna, age 10
Canterbury, New Zealand
Gliding down a river
one pink petal
Unchained
Kyri, age 13
Christchurch, New Zealand