Haiku Contest
Previous Prize Winners
The 25th HIA Haiku Contest
Sponsored by Haiku International Association
Supported by Nihon Keizai Shimbun, The Japan Times
Haiku in Overseas
Judge
Toshio Kimura, David Burleigh
Prize Winners - Selected by Toshio Kimura
busker’s song
coins rattle
in a minor key
David Josephsohn（U.S.A.）
On street corners and in parks on holidays, you may see street performances, such as music and acrobatics. There should be an empty can at the feet of the performers: the audience is expected to throw coins into it along with applause. Their songs would be uplifting tunes in major keys. However, this haiku tells us that the coins thrown into the can sound 'minor'. Many street performers can be licensed, and even though they are authorized, the amount of money thrown might be small. The other side of the singing smile is implied.
talking to roses
when she gets angry
thorns grow faster
Sebastian Chrobak（Poland）
We often see people are speaking to their pets, such as dogs and cats. When they talk to plants, they must be particularly fond of flowers. And some people say that plants grow better when they are exposed to good music. This poet seems to sense a rose that is carefully nurtured seem to understand how people feel — if people are irritated, the rose would respond with its thorns.
Honorable Mentions - Selected by Toshio Kimura
summer’s end
the silence between embers
and moonset
Lev Hart（CANADA）
rainy summer
barely visible
the cemetery angels
Lyudmila Hristova（Bulgaria）
river-smoothed stone
the part of me
still here
Kat Lehmann（U.S.A.）
the garden path
a trace of puddles
leads to autumn
Marjolein Rotsteeg（Netherlands）
Prize Winners - Selected by David Burleigh
war zone
the dandelions advance
on both sides
Eduard Tara（Romania）
This is a concise and witty observation, about the indifference of the natural world to war,as well as the lessons and the hope that if offers.
cherry blossoms
throwing caution
to the wind
Kevin Valentine（U.S.A.）
The cherry is in full bloom and about to scatter, carried on the breeze to who knows where. There is freedom and joy in this humorous expression.
Honorable Mentions - Selected by David Burleigh
Spring wind…
children reel in the sunset
with their kites
Keith A. Simmonds（France）
a hawk cries
the salt farmer starts to rake
the sky
Ken Sawitri（Indonesia）
our old park bench
so quickly the yellow leaves
fill the empty space
Urszula / Marciniak（Poland）
supermoon
all my walls
look small
Engin Gülez（Turkey）