Judged by Sonja Arntzen, Anne Elise Burgevin, and P. H. Fischer
Read commentary on winning poems!
All poems are listed in alphabetical order in each category.
Vancouver | British Columbia | Canada | United States | International | Youth
Vancouver
Top Winner
cherry blossoms
the baby’s epiphany
about fingers
Antoinette Cheung
Vancouver, British Columbia
Sakura Awards
playground slide
landing softly into
cherry blossoms
Rita Ager
Coquitlam, British Columbia
sidewalk chalk
a masterpiece unfolding
cherry blossoms
Rita Ager
Coquitlam, British Columbia
her wheelchair
left at home
cherry blossoms
Antoinette Cheung
Vancouver, British Columbia
strangers singing
the true north strong and free
cherry blossoms
Johnny Lo
Richmond, British Columbia
first blossoms
the promise I make
to myself
Jacquie Pearce
Burnaby, British Columbia
cherry petals
find a home in my hair
where do I belong?
Joseph Roque
Vancouver, British Columbia
cherry blossoms on the wind
my brothers have grown
taller than me
Millicent Sharman
Vancouver, British Columbia
Honourable Mentions
full blossoms!
my dog gets
extra walk today
Rachel Enomoto
Burnaby, British Columbia
his last walk
we strayed off course
cherry blossoms
Johnny Lo
Richmond, British Columbia
fallen blossoms
scattered beneath the trees
pink-billed geese stroll by
Joan Tyldesley
Vancouver, British Columbia
sheltered by
the blossom canopy
I cry
Caitlyn Yue
Burnaby, British Columbia
British Columbia
Top Winner
cherry blossoms
birdwatching
takes a back seat
Marcia Burton
Salt Spring Island, BC
Sakura Awards
overnight storm
this tiny nest upturned
in a bed of blossoms
Elehna de Sousa
Salt Spring Island, BC
after the storm
scattered petals
cover the ashes
George Dueck
Sechelt, BC
spring melt
the neighbours paint their front door
cherry blossom pink
Karin Hedetniemi
Victoria, BC
full moon –
cherry blossoms outshine
the stars
Ulrike Narwani
Sidney, British Columbia, BC
secret love
dried cherry blossoms
in a library book
Michele Rule
Kelowna, BC
Honourable Mentions
falling on the shoulders
of the new pope
cherry blossoms
Marcia Burton
Salt Spring Island, BC
cherry blossoms
covering old limbs
she tightens her wrap
George Dueck
Sechelt, BC
while it snows elsewhere…
brushing cherry blossoms
off the windshield
Karin Hedetniemi
Victoria, BC
homeless
under the overpass
cherry blossoms
Ulrike Narwani
Sidney, British Columbia
cool evening
cherry blossoms
blanket my old dog
Gregory Skala
Nanaimo, BC
Canada
Top Winner
blossom time
giving her seat
to an elder
Nancy Richards
Crapaud, Prince Edward Island
Sakura Awards
blossoming cherry-
the tree
I never noticed
Ellen Cooper
Westmount, Quebec
pink dawn-
an old man sweeping
cherry petals
Pamela Cooper
Westmount, Quebec
desolate dock
an old boat boarded
by wild sakura
Ling Ge
Toronto, Ontario
cherry blossoms
even the losing team
get medals
Benedict Grant
Kentville, Nova Scotia
afternoon tea
house finches stir up
the cherry blossoms
Debbie Strange
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Honourable Mentions
pink cash receipt-
scribbled on the back
a blossom haiku
Ellen Cooper
Westmount, Quebec
cherry blossoms
the rise and fall
of her kimono sleeve
Charlotte Hrenchuk
Whitehorse, Yukon
cherry blossom dawn
I breathe in, breathe out
the scent of light
Chen-ou Liu
Ajax, Ontario
secret sins
coveting my neighbour’s
cherry tree
Marianne Paul
Kitchener, Ontario
cherry blossoms
open to the sun
birthing my son
Rita Pomade
Westmount, Quebec
hundredth spring
cherry blossoms
for Grandma´s pedicure
Sandra St-Laurent
Whitehorse, Yukon
Youth
Top Winner
cherry festival
the robins gather
in the grass
Carmen F.S., Age 9
Winnetka, Illinois, USA
Sakura Awards
In my hand a blossom cluster
calming all things
I cannot bear
Taylor, Age 12
Amberly, Canterbury, New Zealand
blooming cherry tree
the never-ending
runny nose
Mateo E-H, Age 9
Winnetka, Illinois, USA
In the dark
cherry blossoms
guide me home
Isla Kauffman, Age 10
Vancouver, BC, Canada
misty lake
a white heron flies
above cherry blossoms
Angie Qin, Age 11
Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand
Windy morning
my cat chases
cherry blossoms
Aston Rideout, Age 7
Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand
away to war
dad’s favourite cherry blossoms
bloom and fall
Ranvir Singh, Age 16
Chandigarh, India
gentle wind
a cherry blossom
on my bed
Nan Sykes, Age 7
Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand
new carpets
cherry petals enter
the doll house
Maria Yostin, Age 12
Botosani, Romania
Honourable Mentions
my mailbox
in spring
cherry blossoms
Claire, Age 11
Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand
cherry blossoms
every i in my text
with a small pink heart
Antonia Chersan, Age 14
Botosani, Romania, Romania
From the stream
I rescue a drowning
Cherry blossom
Ava Dixon, Age 7
Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand
Barefoot against warm cement
running to nowhere
pink, coming with me
Madeleine Elgie, Age 10
Vancouver, BC, Canada
In the pond
A goldfish wears
A cherry blossom hat
Edie Ensor, Age 8
Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand
with each blossom
I wish for peace
with my young heart
Atlas Harding, Age 8
Nanaimo, BC, Canada
in the park
cherry blossoms decorate
an ant colony
Ashton Harris, Age 13
Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand
tall cherry tree
tiny bird on
the sidewalk
Graham J., Age 9
Winnetka, Illinois, USA
cherry blossom
ice cream hits
my tongue
Cole M., Age 9
Winnetka, Illinois, USA
withering blossoms
just enough time to know
the value of now
ranvir singh, Age 16
Chandigarh, India
Cherry blossoms
sway, sway my
worries away
Juniper Slade, Age 8
Grand Forks, BC, Canada
late nights
alone at the temple
cherry blossoms
alfie swain, Age 14
Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand
on the front path
a carpet of cherry blossoms
my brother’s first steps
Emma Zhang, Age 12
Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand
United States
Top Winner
her oxygen
by the window
cherry blossoms
Shawn Blair
Cohoes, New York
Sakura Awards
his bike
on her lawn
cherry blossoms
Marilyn Ashbaugh
Edwardsburg, Michigan
day moon
a car’s wipers
unblossom the windshield
Alan S. Bridges
Bellingham, Washington
cherry blossoms…
my car becomes
a festival float
Julia Cousineau
DuPont, Washington
cherry blossoms
a little girl practicing
her princess wave
Julia Cousineau
DuPont, Washington
no need
for translation
cherry blossoms
Julie Bloss Kelsey
Germantown, Maryland
Honourable Mentions
cherry blossoms
the baby and i speak
without words
Meredith Ackroyd
Afton, Virginia
Spring picnic
three generations
beneath blossoms
Laila Brahmbhatt
Brookyln, USA
after the picnic
flapping blossoms
from the blanket
Alan S. Bridges
Bellingham, California
hitching a ride
across the border
cherry petals
Seren Fargo
Ferndale, Washington
brushing aside
the cherry blossoms
street sweeper
Kathryn P. Haydon
Lake Bluff, Illinois
stretching
in cherry blossom petals…our cat
a snow angel
madeleine kavanagh
Vallejo, California
she touches
the unopened bud . . .
crying newborn
Kimberly Kuchar
Austin, Texas
blossom season
earlier each year
this fleeting world
Annette Makino
Arcata, California
draft eulogy
cherry blossoms falling
without a sound
Annette Makino
Arcata, California
peak bloom
all the sunglasses
with a rose tint
Sasha A. Palmer
Baltimore, Maryland
cherry blossoms
the fluttering
around the bride
Andrew Punk
Ewing, New Jersey
cherry blossom petals
my toddler’s
pink lemonade pucker
Kelly Sargent
Williston, Vermont
tender stream
pink blossoms
the pebbles’ second skin
Leslie Umans
Seattle, Washington
International
Top Winner
along the path to myself cherry blossoms
Stefanie Bucifal
Konstanz, Germany
Sakura Awards
anniversary—
blossoms soften
the stone bench
Farah Ali
Brighton, UK
wild cherry in bloom
a rusty axe leaning
against the trunk
Henryk Czempiel
Strzelce Opolskie, Poland
art college
a sakura blossoms
under the collarbone
Anastasiya Krasnokutskaya
Taganrog, Russia
spring birth
adding sakura
to the list of names
Ben Oliver
Stroud, United Kingdom
Honourable Mentions
children are overtaken
by cherry petals
floating on the river
Shinsaku Ashida
Shibuya, Japan
bare windows
of the new apartment
cherry blossom light
Sanjuktaa Asopa
Belgaum, India
grandparents’ garden—
the blooming cherry tree
leans on crutches
Benjamin Bläsi
Wünnewil, Switzerland
cherry blossoms
my daughters use up all
the pink paint
Malgorzata Formanowska
Wroclaw, Poland
lifted high
in a windy spin
cherry blossoms
Naomi Cossette Luis
Iloilo, Philippines
under the cherry tree
a forgotten pacifier —
light breeze
Daniela Misso
San Gemini, Italy
meeting in person
with an internet friend
cherry blossoms
Daniela Misso
San Gemini, Italy
blossom wind
my blind sister’s fists
full of petals
Meera Rehm
Abingdon, UK
all the times
that I chose to be still
cherry blossoms
Sam Renda
Cape Town, South Africa
wedding anniversary
cherry blossoms
lace the breeze
Rob Scott
Melbourne, Australia
cherry blossoms . . .
a bit soft these days
around the edges
Rob Scott
Melbourne, Australia
food bank line–
petals
on everyone’s shoulders
Nalini Shetty
Mumbai, India
drifting petals –
the dementia art group
off topic again
Sandra Simpson
Tauranga, New Zealand