Judged by Michael Dylan Welch, Antoinette Cheung, and Garry Gay

Read commentary on winning poems!

All poems are listed in alphabetical order in each category.

VancouverBritish ColumbiaCanada | United StatesInternationalYouth


Vancouver

Top Winner

her sense of direction
much better today
sakura blossoms

Rachel Enomoto
Burnaby, British Columbia

Sakura Awards

on his last day
he wears my scarf—
blossoms opening

Lesley Donaldson
Vancouver, British Columbia

cherry blossom viewing
at the cemetery
old friends

Ann Harreby
Coquitlam, British Columbia

the old man
forgets his cane
cherry blossoms

Barb Little
Burnaby, British Columbia

petals falling
on my daughter’s bowed head
our cat’s last day

Jacquie Pearce
Vancouver, British Columbia

the view
gets in the way
cherry blossoms

David Randen
Coquitlam, British Columbia

Honourable Mentions

lying under the stars
naming the baby
cherry blossoms

Lesley Donaldson
Vancouver, British Columbia

cherry blossoms
already falling
for her

C. Jean Downer
White Rock, British Columbia

after roses
and boxes of chocolate
cherry blossoms

C. Jean Downer
White Rock, British Columbia

road rage
takes a back seat
cherry blossoms

Barb Little
Burnaby, British Columbia

when did his hand
grow so big
cherry blossoms

Johnny Lo
Richmond, British Columbia

cherry blossoms
we see one another
as we are

Lindz Marsh
Vancouver, British Columbia

cherry blossoms
we linger in
the sound of bees

Jacquie Pearce
Vancouver, British Columbia

does gender matter
when we sit together
beneath cherry trees

Jennifer Pownall
Port Coquitlam, British Columbia

cherry blossoms . . .
laughter carried
on a butterfly’s wings

Millicent Sharman
Vancouver, British Columbia

falling blossoms
nervous first kiss
in the park

Millicent Sharman
Vancouver, British Columbia

cherry blossoms
the pause
answering the call

Monica Wang
Vancouver, British Columbia

British Columbia

Top Winner

before and after
cherry blossoms
the soft forgetting

Karin Hedetniemi
Victoria, British Columbia

Sakura Awards

moonless night
cherry blossom petals fall
into the silence

cheryl ashley
Nanaimo, BC

cherry petals
caught in a wind gust . . .
my helter-skelter mind

elehna de sousa
Salt Spring Island, BC

cherry blossoms
in the wind
the smell of rain

George Dueck
Sechelt, BC

kissing
baby’s cheek—
a blossom

Julie Emerson
Victoria, BC

the hospital doors
close behind him—
cherry blossom buds

Ulrike Narwani
Sidney, British Columbia, BC

spring festival
petals on the wind
leading the dance

Ceó Ruaírc
Campbell River, BC

Honourable Mentions

outside the food bank
cherry trees in full bloom
a feast for the eyes

Naomi Beth Wakan
Gabriola island, BC

cherry blossoms
the garden gnome
plays a flute

Marcia Burton
Salt Spring Island, BC

outdoor café—
a cherry petal swirls
into my cappuccino

elehna de sousa
Salt Spring Island, BC

let’s share
our picnic blanket—
cherry blossoms

Julie Emerson
Victoria, BC

viral photo
of my dog—
cherry blossom nose

Karin Hedetniemi
Victoria, BC

in the dark of night
still
cherry blossoms

Ulrike Narwani
Sidney, BC

grief
the shadow
of cherry blossoms

Sally Quon
Kelowna, BC

rainy afternoon
blossom petals stuck to
the soles of her shoes

Michele Rule
Kelowna, BC

ocean breeze
cherry blossoms rain
against my window

Michele Rule
Kelowna, BC

Canada

Top Winner

April breeze
the hopscotch squares
fill with blossoms

Joanne Morcom
Calgary, Alberta

Sakura Awards

his unfinished letter
buried
beneath the cherry blossoms

Royal Baysinger
Laval, Quebec

stepping on cherry blossoms
my shadow
overtakes hers

Marco Fraticelli
Pointe Claire, Quebec

the yearning
to see you
cherry blossom

Biswajit Mishra
Calgary, Alberta

her spring makeover
a blush
of cherry blossoms

Lillilan Nakamura Maguire
Whitehorse, Yukon Territory

milestone birthday
dyeing her hair
cherry blossom pink

Marianne Paul
Kitchener, Ontario

backyard sanctuary—
cherry blossoms and chickadees
in the birdbath

Tracey Anderson
Edmonton, Alberta

a whirlwind romance…
seeing sakura
after all these years

Royal Baysinger
Laval, Quebec

first warm day—
the cherry tree
sheds its petals

Ellen Cooper
Westmount, Quebec

we pick a spot
beneath the blossoms—
blanket of petals

Pamela Cooper
Westmount, Quebec

cherry blossoms
your remarkable talent
for reading the room

Benedict Grant
Kentville, Nova Scotia

en route to the airport
trees that will bloom
next week

kjmunro
Whitehorse, Yukon Territory

far from home
and yet
cherry blossoms

Joanne Morcom
Calgary, Alberta

running red lights unstoppable blossoms

Luminita Suse
Ottawa, Ontario

unfamiliar streets
welcome me
cherry blossoms

Lilita Tannis
Richmond Hill, Ontario

spring blossoms
so much to learn
about love

Nika
Calgary, Alberta

Youth

Top Winner

on the river
cherry blossoms float
my worries away

Raphe Dacre, Age 12
Christchurch, New Zealand

Sakura Awards

moving day
the Diary of a Wimpy Kid
full of cherry petals

Seby Ciobica, Age 12
Botosani, Romania

gentle breeze
a cherry blossom
on my nose

Ava Dixon, Age 6
Christchurch, New Zealand

mildness of a touch
the cherry petals moving
the clouds

Lukas Fak, Age 12
Rijeka, Croatia

cherry’s blossoms
the moonlight sinks
into our garden

Nika Mauhar, Age 8
Rijeka, Croatia

cherry blossoms fall
me and my mom sit outside
writing a poem

Gryphon Pownall, Age 7
Port Coquitlam, British Columbia

Honourable Mentions

evening wind
cherry blossoms blow
to the moon

Toby Allan, Age 14
Christchurch, New Zealand

in the pond
koi swim
in pink petals

Fletcher Cairns, Age 14
Canterbury, New Zealand

through the breeze
blossoms sway
I paint them

Jonathan Chiu, Age 14
Christchruch, New Zealand

my graduation
cherry blossom petal rains
I catch them in my cap

Yuhuan Ding, Age 14
Christchurch, New Zealand

at the grand shrine
under the starry sky
cherry blossoms

Yuhuan Ding, Age 14
Christchurch, New Zealand

under the bridge
a cherry blossom
begins to fly

Ava Dixon, Age 6
Christchurch, New Zealand

the petals
the morning breeze
carrying their scent

Noa Fak, Age 12
Rijeka, Croatia

Orange skies
pink petals drift softly
as night falls

Nathan Lin, Age 17
Vancouver, British Columbia

practicing violin
while blossoms
slowly make their way to the ground

Jody Long, Age 10
Vancouver, British Columbia

The touch of petals
like a lamb’s ear
cherry blossoms

Devon Martin, Age 11
Vancouver, British Columbia

early morning
soft falling blossoms
breath of the cuckoo

Hannah Phillips, Age 11
Christchurch, New Zealand

moon lit
blossoms
resting on the open book

Matilda Tombros, Age 12
Christchurch, New Zealand

disappearing slowly
a pink cloud
of cherry petals

Noa Tomicic, Age 11
Rijeka, Croatia

early morning prayer
i carry my blossom lantern
to the temple

Mila Yin, Age 11
Christchurch, New Zealand

flowing with the wind
pink petals
opening up the spring

Catherine, Age 9
Vancouver, British Columbia

small stream
lifting a blossom
into the cup of my hands

Jake, Age 12
Christchurch, New Zealand

moving in the wind
cherry blossoms
by the river

Meila, Age 14
Christchurch, New Zealand

United States

Top Winner

parting with a pinky promise cherry blossom

Sarah E. Metzler
Marion Center, Pennsylvania

Sakura Awards

the baby’s
soft babble . . .
blossom wind

Meredith Ackroyd
Afton, Virginia

welcoming
the baby home . . .
cherry blossoms

Julie Bloss Kelsey
Germantown, Maryland

new blossoms
another attempt
at a ceasefire

Archie Carlos
St. Louis Park, Minnesota

how old is too old
to wear a pink fairy skirt
falling blossoms

Jackie Chou
Pico Rivera, California

so many ways
to be gentle
cherry blossoms . . .

Jyothirmai Gubili
Rochester, Minnesota

so little time between treatments cherry blossoms

Kim Klugh
Lancaster, Pennsylvania

but what if it all works out cherry blossoms

Kat Lehmann
Guilford, Connecticut

windblown blossoms—
the baby
kicks off a shoe

Carole MacRury
Point Roberts, Washington

the half-life
of cherry blossoms
choosing to forgive

Annette Makino
Arcata, California

something in her
I know in me
cherry blossoms

Jessica Malone Latham
Sebastopol, California

her aria lifting into wind petals from a cherry tree

Mary McCormack
La Grange Park, Illinois

shuffling
through fallen cherry blossoms
walking canes

Suraja Menon Roychowdhury
Lexington, Massachusetts

hospice
her hand opens to
falling petals

John Pappas
Boston, Massachusetts

after all these years . . .
my cherry tree
sold with the house

Marion Poirier
Boston, Massachusetts

cherry petals
on the path ahead
a spring in my step

Sherry Weaver Smith
West Linn, Oregon

Honourable Mentions

unbuttoning the sky cherry blossoms

Lorraine A Padden
San Diego, California

cherry blossoms . . .
my father finally opens
his hand

Lorraine A Padden
San Diego, California

first blossoms
the soft pink
of her lips

Sasha A. Palmer
Baltimore, Maryland

that kind
of crazy
cherry blossoms

Stephen A. Peters
Bellingham, Washington

cherry blossoms
we make plans to renew
our nuptials

Marilyn Appl Walker
Madison, Georgia

young girls
giggle over a hose drink
first blossoms

Marilyn Appl Walker
Madison, Georgia

strangers
in my childhood home
wild cherry

Rowan Beckett Minor
Cleveland, Ohio

cherry blossoms
her whisper
among the crowd

Shiva Bhusal
Bellevue, Washington

taking all the time
in the world
cherry blossoms

Shawn Blair
Cohoes, New York

a good day
for flying kites,
blossom wind

Ed Bremson
Raleigh, North Carolina

picnic basket
a wine that pairs
with cherry blossoms

Tina Crenshaw
Charlotte, North Carolina

working two jobs
lunch break to spend
with cherry blossoms

Tina Crenshaw
Charlotte, North Carolina

after the rain . . .
cherry blossoms spill
drops of sun

Rise Daniels
Higganum, Connecticut

Gender reveal
On her abdomen
cherry blossoms

John Fedyna
Prescott Valley, Arizona

spring breeze
the open convertible
filled with petals

Jay Friedenberg
Sleepy Hollow, New York

our side
the neighbor’s
cherry blossoms

Gary Hotham
Scaggsville, Maryland

falling blossoms . . .
I never learned
her name

Kimberly Kuchar
Austin, Texas

heat wave
the cherry blossoms
on her hand fan

Darrell Lindsey
Nacogdoches, Texas

he buys a pony
as grandfathers do
first cherry blossoms

Ann Magyar
Boston, Massachusetts

the things
we can’t take with us
cherry blossom sky

Jessica Malone Latham
Sebastopol, California

cherry blossoms
nothing expected of us
in return

dl mattila
Oakton, Virginia

a greeting
on a postcard
cherry blossoms

MJ Mello
Carolina, Rhode Island

growing old together
cherry blossoms
in the moonlight

MJ Mello
Carolina, Rhode Island

rotating on the carousel—
cherry blossoms

Harrisham Minhas
Herndon, Virginia

Just divorced . . . her car covered in cherry blossoms

Elena Naskova
Seattle, Washington

despite it all
the cheerfulness
of cherry blossoms

Helen Ogden
Pacific Grove, California

a cherry petal
in my morning coffee . . .
ocean breeze

Marion Poirier
Boston, Massachusetts

new blossom
the gap
where his tooth was

michelle schaefer
Bothell, Washington

cherry blossoms
folding and unfolding
her round trip ticket

Julie Schwerin
Sun Prairie, Wisconsin

golden anniversary
a cherry blossom petal
clings to her sweater

Paula Sears
Exeter, New Hampshire

mountain rain
mending the river
cherry blossoms

Paula Sears
Exeter, New Hampshire

what I always feel
but seldom tell you
cherry blossoms

John Stevenson
Nassau, New York

breathing
through closed eyes
cherry blossoms

John Stevenson
Nassau, New York

cherry blossoms
I lag behind
the chatterbox

Susan Yavaniski
Cohoes, New York

pressed for time cherry blossoms

Susan Yavaniski
Cohoes, New York

International

Top Winner

heart to heart
with a stranger
cherry blossom

Madhuri Pillai
Melbourne, Australia

Sakura Awards

cherry blossoms
counting how old my child
would be

Malgorzata Formanowska
Wroclaw, Poland

cherry blossoms
the blind man moves
closer to the scent

Mel Goldberg
Ajijic, Mexico

blooming cherry
my daughter’s
first doodles

Nikolay Grankin
Krasnodar, Russia

the walking stick
stops for a while
cherry blossoms

Ravi Kiran
Hyderabad, India

honeymoon
two cherry blossoms
twirling down the river

Nadejda Kostadinova
Sofia, Bulgaria

cherry blossom—
the black bird’s shadow
flies away

Rita Odeh
Haifa, Israel

blossom archway
a father borrows
his son’s skateboard

Vanessa Proctor
Pymble, Australia

cherry blossoms . . .
a war refugee
empties his pockets

Neena Singh
Chandigarh, India

cherry blossoms
I give the prayer wheel
an extra nudge

Anitha Varma
Kochi, India

the symphony conductor
lifts his baton
cherry blossoms

Virginia von Hahn
Paris, France

scent of blossom
the bee and I
take turns

Quendryth Young
Alstonville, Australia

cherry blossoms
my wish to be
a butterfly

Alenka Zorman
Ljubljana, Slovenia

cherry blossoms
the toddler utters
his first “ch”

Alenka Zorman
Ljubljana, Slovenia

Honourable Mentions

slow train . . .
children count
blossom clouds

Farah Ali
Brighton, United Kingdon

pretend ice cream
I pay the child
in cherry petals

Sanjuktaa Asopa
Belgaum, India

strawberry ice cream
a surprise dollop
of cherry petals

Saumya Bansal
Agra, India

letting
the misspelt word be
cheery blossoms

Saumya Bansal
Agra, India

drifting blossoms
old friends laugh away
their worries

Mona Bedi
New Delhi, India

cherry blossoms
still in bloom—
dad’s passing

Mona Bedi
New Delhi, India

cherry blossoms
the many ways to say
wow

Ngo Binh Anh Khoa
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

cherry trees in bloom—
the old gardener
brightens up

Dan C. Iulian
Bucharest, Romania

cherry blossoms—
the cabbie says he too
was a hippie

Kanchan Chatterjee
Jamshedpur, India

jigsaw puzzle
a cherry blossom blooms
petal by petal

Sebastian Chrobak
Bielsko-Biala, Poland

cherry petals fall
a brand new pattern
on her old dress

Sebastian Chrobak
Bielsko-Biala, Poland

park bench
sitting beside me
cherry blossoms

Kyla Gruta
Taytay, Philippines

somewhere
to get lost together
cherry blossoms

Engin Gülez
Ankara, Turkey

blossom fluff—
a shima enaga
peeps through

Hazel Hall
Canberra, Australia

cherry petals—
I try to imagine you
growing up

Hazel Hall
Canberra, Australia

come as you are . . .
cherry petals
in the wind

Vladislav Hristov
Plovdiv, Bulgaria

mountain village
cherry blossom
on the centenarian’s hair

Lyudmila Hristova
Sofia, Bulgaria

tracing the wind
tracing the river . . .
cherry blossoms

Sankara Jayanth Sudanagunta
Hyderabad, India

cherry blossom season
the cricket game
ends in snow

Emmanuel Jessie Kalusian
Port Harcourt, Nigeria

withered petals
suddenly everything
is beautiful

Taylor Jo Kelly
Carlisle, United Kingdom

another date—
cherry trees
still in bloom

Robert Kania
Warsaw, Poland

taking a break
from adulthood
cherry blossoms

Ravi Kiran
Hyderabad, India

wedding ceremony
cherry blossoms
on the bride’s hair

Sonka Koranter
Hrušica, Slovenia

end of storm
the framed cherry tree
at the window

Carmela Marino
Roma, Italy

sound of laughter
pre-schoolers cartwheeling
amongst the blossoms

Mark Miller
Shoalhaven Heads, Australia

out of the blue
he’s whistling—
cherry blossoms

Shruti Patel
Zurich, Switzerland

warzone
cherry blossoms fall
on fresh graves

Meera Rehm
Abingdon, United Kingdon

the blackbird adds
another trill to his song
cherry blossoms

Katrina Shepherd
Scotland, United Kingdom

cherry blossoms fall on my father’s grave—another year alone

Nalini Shetty
Mumbai, India

our last meeting
under the cherry tree
. . . wish I had known

Neena Singh
Chandigarh, India

cherry blossom
the faces I’ll never
see again

Xenia Tran
Nairn, Scotland

falling blossoms
our first spring
without you

Juliet Wilson
Edinburgh, Scotland

falling blossoms
our first spring
without you

Juliet Wilson
Edinburgh, Scotland

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