.

WHO

Anyone in the world, of any age or background, may participate (SCP Membership not required). Among members of the Society of Classical Poets, everyone including Advisory Board members may participate, if not involved in judging the contest. The winner, if not a U.S. resident, must have a PayPal account or a bank that accepts U.S. checks, in order to receive prize money.

IMPORTANT: By submitting haiku to this contest, the contestant declares that the poems are his or her own work, and that they were written after July 2023. Please submit using your first and last name, as we may find it difficult to distinguish between contestants who have similar first names.

.

PRIZE

$100

.

JUDGES

J. Thomas Rimer, Professor Emeritus of Japanese Literature, Theatre, and Art at the University of Pittsburgh; former chief of the Asian Division of the Library of Congress.

Margaret Coats, Ph.D. in English and American Literature and Language from Harvard University; retired from a career of teaching literature, languages, and writing that included considerable work in homeschooling for her own family and others. 

.

WHEN

Now until September 15, 2024, 6 pm EST (New York time).  Results to be announced September 29, 2024.

.

WHERE

Post your entries in the Comments below.

.

WHAT

Each competitor may submit up to three haiku of traditional form: three lines per poem with 5 syllables in the first line, 7 syllables in the second, and 5 in the third. Entrants are recommended to conform to other traditional haiku requirements outlined HERE.

If you want coaching on haiku features, please read the examples and explanation before submitting your entries. Once entries are posted, they can be revised or withdrawn ONLY by making another Comment. This is permitted until the competition closes, but do take reasonable care to complete work to your satisfaction before you enter it. Please do not use the Comment area as your scratch pad. That is discourteous to other competitors, to interested readers, and to the judge and will disqualify you.

Entries that do not meet basic traditional haiku requirements may be deleted. Anyone who submits more than three entries will have ALL his or her entries disqualified, unless excess entries are clearly withdrawn by a later Comment.

.

PAST WINNERS

2023
2022
2021
2020

.

.

NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets.

The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary.


CODEC Stories:

255 Responses

  1. Roy Eugene Peterson

    Blossom placed in box.
    Jasmine scent will not decay.
    Gold in cloisonné.

    I learned to warble.
    Birdies join me in a song.
    I must be cuckoo!

    Birds sing in bushes
    While I am picking berries.
    Jamming in the spring.

    Reply
  2. Ed Ahern

    Thank you for considering these three haiku for the 2024 Haiku competition.
    Regards,

    Ed Ahern

    winter holdover
    cruising slowly through our rooms
    the first fly of spring.

    the shading maple
    balding even in summer
    never reawoke

    subject to censure
    but the musk of burning leaves
    is autumn’s censer

    Reply
    • Pamela Ruggiero

      Three very nice haikus. I especially like the first one about the fly. I’ve never figured out how flies no one want to come out and where their eggs go so that they hatch in the spring. They usually problem in the summer mostly

      Reply
    • Pamela Rea

      I especially like the first one. It has a very clever Satori line. Although I am never partial to flies, they do service for all of the creatures in the world by eating the rotting flesh before it eats us.

      Reply
  3. Barbara Anna Gaiardoni

    Respected judges,
    thank you for your time.

    Regards,

    Barbara Anna Gaiardoni

    always on tiptoes
    exuviae of insects
    in a field of wheat

    grasshopper kebabs
    capital letters twinkling
    with the beat of heart

    a green popsicle
    even on a rainy day
    my ace in the hole

    Reply
    • Pamela Ruggiero

      I especially like the first haiku of yours. But they’re all really good. I only have one entered, and I don’t know if it is as good as the rest of you guys.

      Reply
  4. Shari LeKane

    Lapis azul sky
    rainbow in the falling leaves
    stars intensify

    Journey cool and dry
    chilly night to winter freeze
    vegetations die

    Sunsets with a sigh
    season ends with golden ease
    leaving winter’s try

    Reply
    • Pamela Ruggiero

      I really like that third haiku. I find it interesting that a lot of people are talking about winter in here it is summer. But, I just wrote a poem about that that I’ll be submitting soon.

      Good job

      Reply
  5. Susanna Rich

    flowers usher us
    to other morning flowers—
    how the garden walks

    MRI, Cat Scan,
    waiting for the doctor’s call—
    owls mute tonight

    only the owl
    awake with me in the night—
    unfinished crosswords

    Reply
  6. Peter Venable

    A feathery storm:
    A cawcophony of crows
    Murders autumn hush.

    The moon sheens the view
    Over the bay’s tidal crests—
    I am swept away.

    Starless ocean night.
    On the skyline—fuel ship burns?
    Crimson moon blazes.

    Reply
  7. Carter

    Between the cypress
    And the thrush of Pelican wings,
    Eternity speaks.

    The old coyote
    Under the solstice moonlight
    Looks like Ezra Pound.

    The smell of sage brush
    And salt soaked mist from the surf;
    Warm tobacco drifts.

    Reply
    • Margaret Coats

      Carter, please provide both first and last name, as requested in the paragraph above marked IMPORTANT, right after the one telling WHO may enter the contest. Thank you for your haiku!

      Reply
  8. wendy lee klenetsky

    “YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT!”

    that’s what all of the books say

    then I guess I’m NUTS.

    CHOCOLATES

    I ate chocolates

    all of my 70 years

    Now diabetic.

    PARTY SURPRISE

    Met at a party

    neither one wanted to go

    Wed 50+ years.

    Reply
    • Jan

      Wendy,

      You made me laugh; thank you! Then you scared me; I love chocolate and eat too much of it. Then I felt really happy for you, for your 50+ years marriage. Best wishes for the competition.

      Jan

      Reply
  9. Frank Rable

    record with scratches
    two sides music click pops hiss
    vinyl memories

    Reply
  10. Scharlie Meeuws

    Winds in my plum tree
    Took all its perfumed blossoms
    Their scent now in dreams

    Spiders in April
    Immobile sitting on stones
    Sun worshippers too?

    Summer skies are fun
    Fluffy clouds graze in the wind
    White sheep on blue fields

    Reply
    • čas

      neúprosný čas
      v pavučinách spomienok
      hľadám myšlienky

      lúka v rozkvete
      vôňa čerstvého dažďa
      zhlboka dýcham

      bútľavá vŕba
      uložené tajomstvá
      hlboko v duši

      Eva Drobna, Slovakia

      Reply
      • Margaret Coats

        Eva Drobna, thanks for your haiku in Slovak. Please either translate them into English, or submit others written in English. We are happy to see occasional dual language entries, but we judge only those written in English. Appreciate your efforts!

  11. Gene Fendt

    Signs from the Times
    (July 13, 2021)

    The Times is finding
    poetry everywhere.
    Is this true haiku?

    “These things happen and
    you feel like you’re alone, but
    people can relate.”

    Counting syllables
    is all it takes to make it.
    Basho! Issa! Weep!

    Reply
  12. Euphrates Moss

    The turn of the page
    Is like briskly walking through
    A door to a room

    Chaos to chaos
    Move from one to the other
    Order to order

    How many great men
    Would rather not have done the
    Things that made them great?

    Reply
  13. Matthew Wood

    A peace lily, frost-
    fringed: an old man’s hand shielding
    his match from the wind.

    Reply
  14. Keith Burkholder

    Summer
    >
    > It is a new time,
    > Life comes alive and well here,
    > Embrace it with strength

    Reply
  15. Kevin Gilbert

    Haiku #5
    Upon the fabric
    of Sol’s Green Couch, we built life
    in the sky’s embrace.

    Haiku #6
    To some, to be numb
    is a blessing. I say no.
    Painlessness is death.

    Haiku #7
    This poet of woes
    I find him droll, composing
    pains he does not know.

    Reply
  16. Md Sadek Hossain Asif

    ⁠Cherry blossoms fall
    Pink petals dance on the breeze
    Spring’s fleeting beauty

    Moonlight on water
    Ripples break the reflection
    Stars swim in the lake

    ⁠Northern lights shimmer,
    a dance of colors above—
    nature’s silent hymn.

    Reply
  17. John Paul Fournier

    A marble sinking
    amidst a rising silence
    in vast, dark waters.

    Dire straits break the skin.
    Roses and Violets in bloom;
    stemming from the ground.

    Nothing is formless,
    standing and swirling around.
    Nothing is deathless.

    Thank you for considering my work.

    Reply
  19. Grace Beckish

    Goldenrods ablaze
    Can you hear the ashes too?
    Let me burn tonight.

    Blue cotton nightgown.
    Stars mark steps after living.
    Metaphysics fan?

    Candy in glass jars
    Marching like small tin soldiers.
    Rain sheets, silver walls.

    Reply
  20. Ann McLean

    Thank you for the invitation

    Wild fires scorch the earth
    The black ash will fuel new life.
    The waste land renewed.

    Spring bursts from the sky
    Waking earth’s sleeping beauty,
    With the kiss of life.

    Slow the fall descends
    In golden leaves of glory.
    Life will rise again.

    Reply
  21. Kathy Bahr

    Kathy Bahr

    chorus starts to sing
    time for all of us to breath
    silence of the leafs

    Reply
  22. Brianna Camacho

    Thinning of the veil
    October’s golden flicker—
    Nightlights guide the dead

    Reply
  23. Sierra Williams

    Clouds blocking the sun
    In stillness she waits for song
    A hummingbird’s breath

    Reply
  24. Mary H Sayler

    Squirrels strip red seeds
    from magnolia pods – again!
    There go the blossoms.
    …
    From the roof’s edge, rain
    falls in strings of silver beads –
    dancer’s costume. Bling!
    …
    Pumpkin orange moon
    perched alone on a tree branch –
    nothing rhymes with you.

    Reply
  25. Martin Rizley

    Moonrise in the hills
    Floods the shadow filled valley
    With a spectral glow.

    The summer sizzles.
    Heat waves rise from the baked earth,
    Waiting for a breeze.

    Gnats dance in the air.
    The still pond gleams in the sun,
    Warmed by its embrace.

    Reply
  26. Osho Tunde

    Shivering
    Bodies in jackets
    August break

    Day begins
    Behind window
    Cock crows

    Thunder strikes
    Wild wind
    Rainfall

    Reply
  28. James A. Tweedie

    Gold and crimson rain
    Leaves bare thin-fingered branches
    Windows to the sky

    Summer Olympics.
    Steamy rain in gay Paree.
    Slip-sliding cycles.

    Summer in London.
    Winter in South Africa.
    On the Equator?

    Reply
  29. Sharon Mueller

    POLITICIANS

    I ALWAYS DISTRUST
    A MAN WHO DOESN’T HAVE A
    LOYAL DOG OR CAT

    Reply
  30. Paul A. Freeman

    Ravens taking flight,
    flee the Tower of London.
    The walls tumble down.

    Oppressive July,
    mugged by volatile August.
    Smell the thunderstorms.

    Comet detritus
    lighting up the midnight sky
    entertains the apes.

    Reply
  31. Michael Miller

    barren tree is filled
    winter wing woven monarchs
    black and gold at dawn

    trout surface gulp air
    on summer river running
    the warm mist rises

    the conflicted sky
    whose drifting clouds hide the sun
    lined with silver glow

    Reply
  32. Mandy Beattie

    Mandy Beattie

    Classical Poets, Thank you for the wonderful opportunity. Blessings.

    Wood Wide Web’s Morse code:
    Linguists listen; learn to speak
    the language of trees

    Under crackling leaves
    a hibernating hedgehog
    uncurls and unfurls

    Gaia nurtures all
    We’re litmus among lichen
    She recharges us

    Reply
    • Lorelyn De la Cruz Arevalo

      brown caterpillar
      inching up the mountain trail
      i pause to breathe in

      Reply
  33. Nolo Segundo

    reluctant leaves fall
    from the tree showering
    an old man walking

    puffy summer clouds
    float across eternity
    so high birds can’t fly

    the old cemetery
    abandoned by the living
    waits eternity

    Reply
  34. Linda Watson Owen

    Magnolias tremble….
    Flesh-soft petal wings flutter
    on winds of wild wishes.

    ***

    A cricket chirps through
    thunder blusters. Flashes dare
    not sear his night-song.

    ***

    From window watches,
    a sigh flies on sea breezes
    to a lover’s soul.

    Reply
  35. Lexie Rose Kunz

    All grasses have blooms
    That wave winged hands, enticing
    Visitors to dance.

    Small cries from a mouth
    The size of a cheerio
    Drift in with the dawn.

    Hydrothermal springs
    Frothing orange-gold. Geysers
    Vivid blue steam swirls.

    Reply
  36. Galin Elias Franklin

    Birds twitter away…
    The cold and clang of church bells
    Command this silence

    Messalonskee Stream
    Laced with browning pine needles…
    Can’t believe your gone

    A light rain subsides…
    Out from the reeds, a heron
    Taking stilted flight

    Reply
    • Galin Elias Franklin

      My God, a your/you’re spelling error! Please forgive me.

      Reply
  37. Galin Elias Franklin

    Birds twitter away…
    The cold and clang of church bells
    Command this silence

    Messalonskee Stream
    Laced with browning pine needles…
    Can’t believe you’re gone

    A light rain subsides…
    Out from the reeds, a heron
    Taking stilted flight

    Reply
  38. Scott Gold

    Thanks for putting on this haiku contest.
    Here are some for your consideration.
    S.D. Gold

    Breaker takes a break
    to watch a tail-lit comet
    not unlike his own

    Needles long are leaves
    a cardinal rests within
    red as hate in bones

    As the day’s light droops
    slow with it falls again the
    eyelids of the world

    Reply
  39. rp elkins

    Everyone loves haiku, eh? Thanks to SCP for allowing the immediate readings, great stuff! Here’s my three:

    Pale apple blossoms
    assaulted by southern gale,
    no apples this fall.

    Below the riffle
    red Royal Wulff emerges,
    A rainbow rises.

    A tear shed in grief
    refracts white light to rainbow,
    fractal future joy.

    Reply
  40. Lucia Haase

    even in summer
    when the bright yellow finch sings
    i long for its song

    mischievous young pup
    testing my patience daily
    yet the bond strengthens

    Autumn eve, sunset
    wandering the woodland path
    without a lantern

    Reply
  41. Kathy Bahr

    December shakes down
    Stern winter chill throws shivers
    December crowns past

    Reply
  42. Cristian Matei

    the autumn deepens –
    the shadows gently gliding
    within more shadows

    orphanage courtyard –
    a trio of snow angels
    as if holding hands

    snowing quietly –
    in the hands of the orphan
    the parents’ picture

    Reply
    • Pamela Ruggiero

      I noticed that you have two haiku about orphan. Have you experienced about being an orphan or knowing orphans?

      I thought these were all very good entries to the contest. Good luck in it.

      Reply
    • Natalie Wilkinson

      The last one is very sad and lovely. Thank you for sharing these here.

      Reply
  43. Skye Campbell

    Cool gray tidal sand
    Slowly glows golden in the
    Tequila sunrise.

    Flaxen hair tumbles.
    Cataracts in gold silence
    Only sunlight sees.

    Stiff cracks split cold glass
    Breaking wintry calm under
    Furry moccasins.

    Reply
  44. Monika Cooper

    on these lonely roads
    all the traffic coming is
    wind in the treetops

    tall old wagon wheels
    spin sacred geometries
    from late summer light

    cane chairs and table
    left empty under trees – where
    falling leaves mingle

    Reply
  45. Ernesto P. Santiago

    swift drift of jasmine
    this she feels on her tired face
    a caress whisper

    Ernesto P. Santiago

    Reply
  46. Mark Arvid White

    Thank you for the opportunity.

    St. Stephen’s Day dawns —
    bloodied moose antlers fallen
    on riverbed stones

    island cattle ranch —
    the massive Kodiak bear
    chews on cow parsnip

    a murder of crows
    devours the spawned-out sockeye
    her thousand children

    Reply
  47. Alvin B. Cruz

    rainy summer night
    father changes his last will
    at the last minute

    Reply
  48. Alvin B. Cruz

    waves unearthing shells
    deeply buried in the sand —
    those words left unsaid

    Reply
  49. Alvin B. Cruz

    visiting the sea
    where I scattered your ashes
    the cry of seagulls

    Reply
  50. Nina

    This is a collection meant to be read individually or collectively.

    The leaves fall slowly
    the slight breeze tickles my face
    winter is coming

    こんな感じを Konna kanji wo (This kind of feeling)
    初めて感じした Hajimete kanji shita (I felt for the first time)
    愛と思う Ai to omou (I think it’s love)

    He entered my life,
    So swift, yet, I loved him so.
    Now? I’m a widow

    Reply
    • Margaret Coats

      Nina, thanks for your haiku. Please provide your last name as requested above in the very first section on WHO may enter the contest. You can do it by replying to me here; there’s no need to retype your poem collection. Thank you.

      Reply
  51. lev hart

    so cold my breath hurts —
    descending the snowbank from
    an upstairs window

    Reply
  52. Andrew

    neighbor’s lawnmower
    heralds the scent of mown grass
    through open windows

    stop for a second
    on a light, airy morning
    after snow: hear still

    the violet snaps
    her lithe limbs toward the sun
    as the bee studies

    Reply
    • Margaret Coats

      Andrew, please provide your last name as requested above under WHO may enter the competition. You can give it as a reply to me here–no need to re-type your haiku. Thanks!

      Reply
    • Manasa Reddy Chichili

      refreshing myself
      refreshing nature bloom
      all cherry blossoms

      unfamiliar roads
      unknown fake destination
      mysterious end

      The morning spring dew
      falling petals in cool breeze
      cherry blossoms path

      Reply
  53. Ethan Essick

    laughs dissolve in drink
    jokes devolve into venom –
    summer night turns cold

    Reply
    • Manasa Reddy Chichili

      refreshing myself
      refreshing nature bloom
      all cherry blossoms

      unfamiliar roads
      unknown fake destination
      mysterious end

      The morning spring dew
      falling petals in cool breeze
      cherry blossoms path

      Reply
  54. leo

    orange blossoms bloom
    the lingering scent of cold
    fog covers my eyes

    rain quiets down slowly
    the wind softly brushes past
    frogs croak, sleep descends

    sky darkens, above
    the crowd huddle together
    and rain falls softly

    Reply
    • Margaret Coats

      Thanks for your haiku, Leo, and please provide your last name along with them. You may do that in reply to me here; no need to re-enter your poems.

      Reply
  55. Lily Tadevosyan

    fig tree sings sweetest,
    fickle fuzz roots seeping through
    our summer postcard

    Reply
  56. Lily Tadevosyan

    London fog dances,
    stranded street lamp company
    gold rust embrace me

    Reply
  57. Lily Tadevosyan

    iridescent wave,
    rabbit atop ocean ground
    questions snowflake sand

    Reply
  58. Daniel B. Pickett

    Parched and dying land
    begs stoic Mother Nature
    to weep precious tears.

    Reply
  59. Lorelyn De la Cruz Arevalo

    cascading marvel
    of orange bougainvilleas …
    heavy summer rain

    Reply
  60. Lorelyn De la Cruz Arevalo

    early morning walk
    on toasted bread a black ant
    steps on the bright sun

    Reply
  61. Rohini Sunderam

    1) The lake clear and still
    Autumn ripples, geese fly south.
    The lake; still again.

    2) Little lamp of clay:
    A bright flame to banish night
    Glow! Now autumn ends.

    3) Dot. Dash. Firefly
    Your Morse Code in the night sky,
    Summer makes me cry.

    Reply
  62. Christopher G Sahar

    “Longing for Autumn ”

    Eventide’s ochre
    Suffuses autumnal air,
    Bare-boned flagstones mute.

    “School”

    Little kids babble,
    As shepherds guide their tethers
    Close to curbs concrete.

    Poems written by Christopher G Sahar

    Reply
  63. Colin Ian Jeffery

    She is harmony, joy and soulmate
    >
    > Radiant flower never fading
    >
    > Beauty enthralling desire.
    >
    >
    >
    > Colin Ian Jeffery
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    > Lover, wife and mother
    >
    > Strength and purpose
    >
    > Companion on life’s journey.
    >
    >
    >
    > Colin Ian Jeffery
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    > When truth calls out
    >
    > Like mighty trumpet blast
    >
    > We rally to the sound.
    >
    >
    >
    > Colin Ian Jeffery
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >
    >

    Reply
  64. Sohaib Aboona

    I’m now a leaf: blow.
    For these days are crossroads, but
    Nowhere is labeled.

    Summer loses heat.
    She keeps me warm, day and night,
    But wakes me up cold.

    Reply
  65. David McMurray

    Oleander blooms…
    Hiroshima mon amour
    never-ending war

    deceptive comfort—
    guarding children at the beach
    in a rattan chair

    damselfly kisses
    a silver underbelly…
    the reflecting pool

    Reply
  66. Lara Dolphin

    Please find below three independent haiku not intended to be a series. Thank you for your consideration. ~Lara Dolphin

    frost shimmers then melts
    into gleaming pocket pools
    watering the earth

    cremated remains
    sprinkled over rose bushes
    have found their way home

    birds in scarlet oaks
    herald longer days singing
    things won’t fall apart

    Reply
  67. Jack Ratliff

    Thank you for your consideration -Jack Ratliff

    1) Counteroffensive

    The sunflowers march.
    Their heads bowed and their stems limp—
    Cloaked in autumn frost.

    2) Martyrs

    Candles flicker low
    in the chapel’s quiet gloom—
    sacrifice endures.

    3) Summer

    This season warmed us—
    But the leaf went brown and curled,
    And the bird, silent.

    Reply
  68. Vasile Moldovan

    the sun after the cloud –
    the sunflower field sway slowly
    looking for the lost one

    panic among tourists –
    a rattlesnake follows its way
    ignoring them all

    near the bush of grass
    an ant suddenly stopped
    to adjust burden

    Reply
  69. David John Etchell

    D.J.Etchell

    where stubbled fields wait
    cloying mists haunt low hollows
    slow ploughs brow the earth

    through barren branches
    last light caresses softly
    leaf burial mounds

    grey snarling seas churn
    bladderwrack rots on the beach
    mournful gulls glide high

    Reply
  70. Eric O Owen

    Trudging through the snow
    up and down the hillside drift
    A night for cold feet.

    Wintry night’s portrait
    Boshi lean into the wind
    Six feet in the snow.

    Reply
  71. Marek Kozubek

    emptiness around –
    between silence and silence
    the heat of summer

    sunny summer noon –
    a temple’s shadow filled with
    a prayer for rain

    night summer puddle –
    bare feet of a homeless man
    immersed in the stars

    Marek Kozubek

    Reply
  72. Ethan Essick

    19th floor, earthquake
    sirens blare, my mother screams –
    tranquil clouds recline

    Reply
    • Ethan Essick

      meant to write out nineteenth instead of using the numbers, but did it absent-mindedly. Sorry about that.

      Reply
  73. Thompson Emate

    Away from the sun
    I sit alone with my thoughts
    Light draws its curtain

    Serene little friend
    Walks past me in Summer’s noon
    Tranquil in feathers

    Purple flowers field
    Fragrance pervades Nana’s room
    Departure in spring

    Reply
  77. Eric O Owen

    Leafless night summons
    Old World Sparrows wheel away
    Footfalls in the snow

    Reply
  78. Eric O Owen

    Strike poems one and two submitted 08/10/2024. Consider the last submission on 08/12/2024.
    Thanks!.

    Reply
  79. Tevada Dismas Pay-Pey

    High cliff’s apple tree.
    Lightning, falling, screaming nest.
    Apples splash — silence.

    Still emerald pond.
    Howls of wolves. A deer jumps in
    Splashing waters red.

    Red sun, ruby lake.
    Two cranes swipe with bloodied claws
    While ladies sing.

    Thank you for your consideration – Dismas

    Reply
  81. Johanna Donovan

    Perched on wires
    Birds are separate, askew
    Man’s mirror image

    Through his prison bars
    Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall
    Iron is obscured

    White clouds battle black
    On Virgin-blue arena
    Armageddon waits

    Reply
  82. Justice J Prah

    demonstration ground
    a child holds a leader’s head
    on his white t-shirt

    shape of oasis
    defying the sun’s strong threat
    the umbrellas here

    Reply
  83. Danny Blackwell

    New Year’s reunion;
    on the train with my mother
    and her Alzheimer’s

    Shelter from the rain;
    I run a sakaki leaf
    across your lips

    crossing the threshold,
    she forgets to water them:
    the chrysanthemums

    Reply
    • Alan Brayne

      I like the first a lot. It’s very simple and almost factual but under the surface there’s a lot of complexity and feeling.

      Reply
    • Natalie Wilkinson

      I am reading through some of the entries. I particularly like the first and last. Chrysanthemums have so much symbolism. And now I feel guilt for neglecting my plants.

      Reply
  84. Betsy K. Brown

    I. in our kitchen

    friend brings a bouquet—
    one week later, still golden
    I can hear her laugh

    II. gardening

    the cucumber blight
    bleeds wormholes through thriving vines
    no salad tonight

    III. visitor

    lizard on our wall
    drinks the drenching summer sun
    at dusk, he is gone

    Reply
  85. John Sweeder

    August goosebump breezes
    signal ocean’s upwelling—
    autumn’s drawing near

    waning crescent moon
    smiles on Equator’s dung huts—
    Maasi sleep soundly

    childhood memories—
    a rosary of prized pearls
    sweet as bay oysters

    Reply
  86. Nancy Brady

    an August evening…
    cicadas buzz in the trees
    vibrating their leaves

    summer vacation–
    on the top of the Rockies
    sisters play in snow

    autumn equinox
    the Milky Way ribboning
    across the night sky

    Nancy Brady, 2024

    Reply
  87. Richard L. Matta

    chanced upon sketchpad
    in autumn light the countless
    pathways forsaken

    bee balm touch-and-go’s…
    between feeds the monarch stops
    and refuels a soul

    meandering stream
    a tiny toad on a leaf
    takes a carefree path

    Reply
  88. Camilla Marx

    Candelabra Lily

    splash of life like blood
    stains through fallen acrid ash –
    stem and leaf and bud

    Reply
  89. George Ordway

    Ekphrastic haiku for three paintings

    Monet’s House

    Inviting me in
    to images not yet seen
    but to the artist

    Tidal Marsh

    Misty summer hues
    weave litany of visions
    times past spent dreaming

    Todd’s Garden

    Muted colors blend
    forming a seamless display
    with a path ahead

    Reply
  90. Venessa Lee-Estevez

    Under arched prisms
    Kaleidoscope of jeweled strokes
    God’s contract endures

    Reply
  91. Mantz Yorke

    hands scratched and juice-stained
    after blackberry picking
    spiders re-spin webs

    heavenly blue drapes
    over fields of sunflowers
    the buzzing of drones

    Respite from the heat?
    No chance. Among the ruins
    seeds await the rain.

    Reply
  92. andrew shimield

    in the biting wind
    a pregnant girl wraps her coat
    around her belly

    Reply
  93. T.M.A. Day

    Blessed are the sightless
    Who being but blind believe.
    Eyes they shall receive.

    Blessed are the hopeless.
    Homeless this side of heaven.
    They are our leaven.

    Blessed are the broken,
    Hearts hallowed by human tears.
    For joy moves the spheres.

    Reply
  94. Stefanie Bucifal

    fall meditations–
    my hands move the rake until
    the rake moves my hands

    water reflections–
    my face the face of someone
    with a lotus life

    dewdrops and sunlight
    a kind word once in a while–
    we thrive with little

    Reply
  95. James Kirkpatrick

    taking in the view,
    bees in purple-petalled rooms;
    hyacinth hotel

    ***

    hibernating bug
    under tree-bark’s shingle roof;
    icicle ice picks

    ***

    not the way it thinks
    each beast of burden’s burden ends;
    Fluffy the collie

    Reply
  96. Michael Edwards

    Michael Edwards

    A Lovely Flowerstrewn Meadow

    Ugh! how — how grisly —
    to walk up on the carcass
    of this calf, long dead.

    Reply
  97. Sara Kate Egan

    Lurkers ’til lunchtime
    Speckled sparrows spy from pine
    Sunflower lady

    Hummingbird hovers
    Staring at my teal-green eyes
    Seeing its same shade

    Bright blues on deep reds
    Large jays feed in apple tree
    Sweet sensory feast

    Reply
  98. Romeissaa Asmaa Younes

    Thank you for this lovely contest, I had fun writing these poems .

    Poem 1: My Firefly

    Like a firefly;
    You bring light to my dark life,
    Guiding me back home.

    Poem 2: Mighty White Willow

    Mighty white willow,
    Thy noble shade never fails;
    always generous.

    Poem 3: Bid Farewell

    Mellow crispy air,
    Time for trees to bare their souls,
    Bid farewell to leaves.

    Reply
  99. Jane Fuller

    Lavender heather
    an elegant instrument
    ringing with insects

    Feathery grasses
    a ring of spikey thistles
    divergent neighbours

    The delicate earth
    longs to shed its blistered skin
    grow a harder shell

    Reply
  100. andrew shimield

    on the woodland path
    bracken bends to catch the wind
    and then lets it go

    Reply
  101. Charles P. Duncan

    Silence of darkness
    a twisting of tangled fates
    before the world wakes
    quiet_6/20/24

    Sun’s height is today
    feeling some new kind of way
    a beautiful storm
    sol_6/21/24

    Fresh candles of pine
    reaching towards the divine
    can I grow with you?
    grow_8/24/24

    Thanks for reading!

    Reply
  102. Judy Hawkins

    Outside the headlamp’s
    small light, claws climb a dim tree:
    six young eyes gleam back.

    Nettles sting my shins,
    but here, too, grows jewel weed:
    crushed leaves heal the hurt.

    Just below the peak,
    ancient trees stand tall, hidden
    from winter’s harsh winds.

    Reply
  103. Alan Brayne

    To the competition organisers: Both of these haiku were self-published earlier this year (June) in a book of poems, Digging for Water. I have given the titles because they are both ephrastic and based on Japanese prints.

    Ushibori

    Flow, friendly water,
    lantern warming a window,
    hush, cascading snow

    Rain at Maekawa

    so frail the pathway
    of fading into darkness
    and remembering

    Reply
    • Natalie Wilkinson

      Reading through the posts- both of these are nice, but I love the second one because it can relate both to nature and to pathways in the mind.

      Reply
  104. Marjolein Rotsteeg

    chilly, cloudless night
    on the hilltop we gather
    just to view the moon

    bird migration starts
    at last I manage to fold
    linen crane napkins

    her first sakura
    the child’s frenzy when seeing
    those marshmellow trees

    Reply
  105. Chen-ou Liu

    bonfire flaming red
    children’s eyes spark at Grandpa
    telling love stories

    my shadow and me
    on the forget-me-not path
    this graveyard silence

    the neighbor’s garden
    fading into moonlit dark
    a foreclosure sign

    Reply
  106. Kevin Hodgson

    Nibble on the skin,
    the small stone within the plum
    begins its dreaming

    Ragged edges, scratch
    skin, red where the blood begins;
    the rose resistance

    Dirt fingers, like seeds –
    in a sense, we’re playing God –
    poking holes in Earth

    Thank you for considering my poems.
    Kevin

    Reply
  107. Chris Collinson

    urgent ducks flying
    in front of the brown burnt hills
    liquid blue below

    in a silent arc
    the diving osprey strikes taut
    then rises slapping

    tiny yellow tail
    the gull spying the fish swoops
    leaving a feather

    Reply
  109. Claudia Brown

    Claudia’s Poems:

    1. The Beauty of Life
    Is when you laugh at your past
    Even when it hurts

    2. Music can bring peace
    To the mind, spirit and soul
    Listen to your song

    3. The view of mountains
    Brought back special memories
    From years in college

    Reply
  110. Dan C. Iulian

    fully spring cleaning –
    the housemaid trying to mop
    her humble shadow

    the scent of absence
    in the attic with the moon
    her shawl forgotten

    the nights of full moon –
    I’m reconciled to myself
    and everybody

    Reply
  111. Joseph Eldredge

    Good morning, all! I am a new member of the Society, and I’m happy to be with you all, here for these hearings. This is my haiku:

    Crane stilting the lake
    Lapping the cracked fence, strikes me,
    Have they broken through?

    Reply
  112. Jeanna Cooper

    Dragonflies hover
    and land on heron-swept reeds
    darkened from high tide

    Wild Mustangs caught
    lower their heads and nicker
    gentling cowboys

    Chincoteague ponies
    swim the highwater slack tide
    heads bobbing near boats

    Reply
  113. Mihael de la Montagnes

    fallen forest leaves
    converse between sloping hills
    hushed by early snow

    morning semaphore
    mirrored beach leaves glassy dew
    signal sun’s approach

    colored air ballet
    whirling wind of gossamer
    butterfly landings

    Reply
  114. Johnson John

    Spring blooms on reef edge
    Friends enjoy shallow lagoon
    Deep blue Siren lures

    On a flowered branch
    Two doves sharing warmth of love
    Squeals a stretched bowstring

    Jogging in the morn
    Cries beneath trodden dead leaves
    I curse my knowledge

    Reply
  115. Julia Wakefield

    Mother’s Day flowers
    roadside hawker sells enough
    to feed her children

    the sky bursts with song
    angels dart across the sun
    the martins are back

    golden spring morning
    the dog pricks her ears to hear
    shoelaces tying

    Reply
  116. Scott Beattie

    Powerful water
    Turquoise river surges clear
    Purifies sunlight

    Grey clouds tinged with white
    pass by with light intentions
    Raindrops pelt evergreen trees

    Puffy white clouds soar
    Crystal clear blue sky canvas
    Summer is the brush

    Reply
  117. Hannah Xman

    Chipped and broken still,
    Beauty hides in silent cracks,
    Strength within them speaks.

    Wild Woman roams free,
    Wolf beside her, spirit calls,
    In the Wild, her home.

    Soul lost in shadows,
    Chasing echoes through the dark,
    Fires fade, cold remains.

    Reply
  121. Gabriella Bedetti

    waves crash
    on honeymoon beaches
    horizons expand
    ***
    time enough
    to listen to a joke
    senior center
    ***
    under a canopy of stars
    blinking fireflies await
    the couple’s unfolding story

    Reply
  123. Lloyd Miller

    The sound of birdsong
    On the path often trodden
    Falls now on deaf ears

    Ten thousand brush strokes
    Cannot truly match the sight
    That nature provides

    At autumn’s approach
    Each new breath becomes precious
    Beyond any coin

    Reply
  124. Vivienne

    There are some wonderful Haiku here. Here are my three.

    March wind howls like wolves
    Stalking herds of antelope
    But I am safe inside.

    Rainbow in the sky.
    The sunshine split by raindrops.
    Glorious colour.

    Mist curls all around
    Swirling like smoke in the air.
    All colour has flown.

    Reply
    • Margaret Coats

      Much appreciate your contributions, Vivienne. Please reply here with your last name, as requested above where it says (boldface and underlined), “Please submit using your first and last name.” Thanks!

      Reply
  125. Gigi Ryan

    Twirling maple seeds
    Gravity does not hold back
    April pirouettes

    Lithe sandpiper hops
    Deftly dodging sun-glazed waves
    Pecking for his prey

    Tears entombed by sweat
    Moisten fresh dug August earth
    Of a canine grave.

    Reply
  126. Jen Obritschkewitsch

    Curious weather
    The clouds roll in like staining
    But it never rains

    A garden of stars
    But sometimes you disappear
    I wish you’d take me

    Pink across the sky
    Somewhere a cardinal chirps
    Early morning sigh

    Reply
  127. R.L. Maizes

    Thank you for considering these coffee haikus.

    Keurig (Coffee Haiku #4)
    Little plastic pods
    wrecking the environment.
    They have hot chocolate.

    Microwave (Coffee Haiku #3)
    Spaghetti splatter.
    Odor of ancient lunches.
    Where I find my cup.

    Morning (Coffee Haiku #1)
    How am I supposed
    to drink water when there’s still
    coffee in the pot?

    Reply
  128. Natalie Wilkinson

    Dear Judges,
    Thank you for considering my work for the competition.

    *****

    cricket orchestra
    plays to cicada humming
    an all-night soirée

    *****

    cotton flowers bloom
    white fluffy clouds on brown stems
    a late summer snow

    *****

    wind through bare branches—
    a final autumn apple
    falls with a dull thump

    *****

    Reply
  129. Stacey Cooper

    Poem Title: “The Season of Fall”

    The leaves turn brown now
    The air is cool and freshens
    We start something new

    Reply
  130. Manfred Dietrich

    Ants gather slowly
    to see what spring sun has brought
    for their Easter feast.

    Bull-frog sitting glad
    catching flies on lily-pad
    Bull-frog sounds so sad.

    Dr Williams writes
    poems on prescription pads
    he knows that words heal.

    Reply
    • Pamela Ruggiero

      I like the third one, especially. However, I think it’s more of a.senryu than a haiku. Haiku deals only with nature

      Also, do you know that rhyming is frowned upon in a haiku?

      Reply
  131. Anne Louise Curran

    a brisk summer breeze –
    the sound of apples dropping
    from a laden tree

    faithful apple tree –
    from Nana’s sunny kitchen
    the scent of warm pie

    cherry blossom tree –
    the whisper of soft petals
    falling to the ground

    Reply
    • Pamela Ruggiero

      I like all three, but I thought in the first one that it would be more appropriate to say sounds rather than sound Since it’s multiple apple dropping from the tree

      I like Nanas apple pie

      Reply
      • Anne Curran

        Thank you for taking the time to comment Pamela.
        I thought afterwards that to have used a word like ‘thud’
        to onomatopoeia the sound of apples falling might have been nice.
        Anyway, I appreciate your comment, Pamela. And, when I find time
        I will try to do the same for other poets.

  132. Madison Elizabeth Smart

    nothing is unmade
    a language of resonance
    radiates presence

    Reply
  133. Peter Free

    those castaway seeds
    pumpkins growing all over
    our old compost patch

    fresh picked peas quick crunch
    sunrise dewdrops fill each pod
    pregnant with the day

    working on Sunday
    childhood piles in the guestroom
    snail without a throat

    Reply
  134. Pamela Ruggiero

    Hello. I am submitting two more entries for the haiku competition thank you very much for considering my entries

    purple flower face
    sheds the drips of morning dew
    ladybugs shower

    red, yellow, green, gold
    float on breezes to the ground
    autumn leaf parade

    Reply
  135. Kundi Antonieta Joaquina kodia

    Heavy steps in sand
    Endless dunes beneath the sun
    Heat scorches the earth

    Cloudy sky, drops fall
    Sounds like music whispering
    Ping ping ping ping ping

    Golden grasses sway
    Roar, Serenity broken
    The sun pours in red
    Feedback

    Reply
  136. Richard Campbell

    Sunset Haiku 3.jpg
    Waiting in your smile –
    The dawn of my tomorrow.
    Today slips away.

    Reply
    • Richard Campbell

      There’s a sunset photo that goes with the haiku, but obviously it didn’t get transferred.

      Reply
  138. Jeannette Tien-Wei Law

    Curtains fill like sails
    Hulls of imagination
    Skimming whimsy strands

    ***

    Afternoon Plunge

    Sun hammers the hills
    Pummel punch the summer drum
    Crash! The cymbals splash

    ***

    August petals yearn
    The heart’s eventide lily
    Opens to the night

    Reply
  141. Paulette Calasibetta

    opaque beryl glass
    edges smoothed in briny tide ~
    treasures from the sea
    ~~~~~
    vibrant autumn leaves
    romanced by the whirling wind ~
    shifting devotion

    Reply
      • Paulette Calasibetta

        Thank you for your lovely comment on my haiku.

        Best Regards,
        Paulette

  142. John Leidy

    Awakening day
    comes later, silvery now,
    leaving frosted glades.

    When the thunder rolls,
    the birds just continue on
    about their bus’ness.

    Spring’s indigo nights
    gleam with miniscule diamonds,
    greater than the sun.

    Reply
  143. Bruce Wise

    In the icy pond,
    there is no sound of water;
    and no frog jumps in.

    About the auto
    i-dl-ing-in-the-traff-ic,
    a dragonfly flies.

    Beneath red yuccas,
    and a white Adam’s Needle,
    he stared at pebbles.

    Reply
  144. Linda Marie Hilton

    1)
    merry bird singing
    clasping branch: a whole world
    ’round my teacup rim.

    2)
    green brown fallen leaf
    cupped catching frost melting slow
    ladybug drinking

    3)
    lentic puddle floats
    petals swirling in sunshine
    tricycle splashes

    Reply
  146. Katrina Turner

    falling from the tree
    stopping, birds’ body laid still
    broken bird – cruel winds

    Reply
    • Jeannette Tien-Wei Law

      What a beautifully striking image! I appreciate how the sudden caesura in line 2 creates a metrical mirror for the meaning of the poem. The line truly does “stop” itself–how wonderful!

      In line three, the 3 + 2 syllabic rhythms of the metrical feet recall to me the traditional meter of the juéjù (quatrain) in classical Chinese poetry, from which the haiku evolved as a poetic form.

      Above all this, thank you for an exceptionally well-crafted poem that lingers in memory.

      Reply
      • Katrina Turner

        You’re so very welcome! But I should be the one thanking you for commenting on my poem, it really means a lot to me! So, thank you so much! 😀

  147. Junaid Ahmed Ahangar

    it’s december’s unending snow
    i wait motionless to gather this small world
    in my ordinary hands

    cold hermit forest
    i woke up in a silent night
    what are the odds?

    lost count of snowfalls
    my neighbor left his gate open
    and i feel cold in my room.

    Reply
  149. Vinod Narayanan

    Like a nightingale—
    A mother’s lullaby in moonlight,
    She Rocks an empty cradle.

    A leaf in autumn—
    Falls dead, gives us breathing air,
    We walk on, unseen.

    Bees before winter—
    Collect and store, like we hoard wealth.
    Bees get wax, we get coffins.

    Reply
  150. Katherine Uy

    flames rain from branches
    delicious warmth on our tongues
    by tame crackling light

    shades and hues of hope
    softly wakes as life begins
    for hungry bear cubs

    winter wonderland
    sun shining, children laughing
    while I long white’s end

    Reply
  151. Aaman Lamba

    A tranquil moonrise
    Embracing Lookout Mountain
    In Laurel Canyon.

    Foam, flashing white, red,
    Spirit over the waters,
    Ten thousand fishes.

    The pain is my muse,
    The city blurring through tears
    Steel, remorse, night rain.

    Reply
    • Dominique Hilmon

      Eyelevel wasp nest
      Startles us both. That branch there
      Was bare last we looked.

      Reply
  152. Caidan Pilarski

    Haiku Contest Submission, 3 separate haikus:

    butterfly springs forth
    in mind, dreamy nectar froths
    in heart and garden

    river soars on rock
    with the birds and mid-year heat
    my spirit dragged on

    rickety autumn —
    frail bones befriend the branches
    fruiting memories past

    Reply
  153. Miodrag Kojadinović

    __________________

    By the old brick wall
    pear trees great-grandpa planted,
    mossy wooden bench.

    __________________

    Swooshing from red woods,
    train hoots at curved viaduct
    near my parents’ grave.

    __________________

    Reply
  154. Talbot Hook

    Resinous bombshell
    Explodes my hammocking daze:
    A falling pinecone.
    ________________________

    Cold air grips my bones
    As I cross a bridge. Even
    The water shivers.
    ________________________

    My face wheels around
    To catch the westering sun —
    Field of sunflowers.

    Reply
  155. Kayla Laswell

    Wagging tail, so cute
    When you look at me sweetly,
    I bask in your love.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Mornings spent in chair,
    Warm, occupied and content,
    Reading in a daze.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Walking with my thoughts,
    Winding, striding in my mind,
    When will I prevail?

    Reply
  156. Gloria Eastmond

    Faith, a sanguine moth,
    fluttering through the gloaming.
    Lamps reawaken.

    —————————————-

    Basic radar glitch:
    A bat bustling in the sun.
    Recalibrating.

    Reply
  158. Paulette Calasibetta

    I am submitting one more haiku :

    silhouettes of leaves
    lacy cutwork appliques ~
    patterns on canvas

    Reply
  159. Leyelle

    (The haiku titles are in “quotes”)

    “19”
    Flowers should bloom now
    But it snows in the springtime
    Young girls have white hair

    “Monsters Steps”
    This year we will die
    Winter has not yet shown up
    But still I shiver

    “Perennial”
    Someday my lost youth
    Will come back to me again
    Like a fresh blossom

    Reply
    • Margaret Coats

      Thank you for your haiku, Leyelle. Please give your full name (first and last) as requested above in the section about WHO may enter the competition. You may place your full name in reply to me here. It is not necessary to re-type your entries.

      Reply
  160. Maria Panayi

    round drops of dawn dew
    delight on delicate thread,
    fly in tangled web

    sweet lavender breeze
    each breath a caressing kiss
    fragrant mystery

    a rollercoaster
    that dips and soars time takes all
    to the earth’s embrace

    Reply
  161. Federico C. Peralta

    at the edge of dawn–
    trading secrets with the stars
    lizard on the sill

    a hibiscus falls–
    the pregnant woman looks for
    her engagement ring

    through the hourglass–
    in a matter of minutes
    a sand dune appears

    Reply
  162. Nokulunga Mazibuko

    Summers hot fury
    lingered in the azure sky
    as autumn leaves fell

    The winds melody
    whistled blissfully through the
    dancing forest trees

    Autumn left before
    the wilted leaves touched the ground
    the cold came swiftly

    Reply
  163. Vandana Parashar

    untended garden
    without any prejudice
    the spring springs on it

    following the breeze
    through a rusty garden gate
    a few autumn leaves

    without permission
    entering my daughter’s room
    late September sun

    Reply
  164. Alan Bern

    in the gutter dust
    a green pencil with bite marks
    along the body

    single buzzing wasp
    twitches on the bottom sheet
    the next election

    a different green
    every single day for
    the rest of his life

    Reply
  165. Princesse-Joella Lajoie

    Am i scared to start

    Wondering and worrying

    I’m scared to finish

    Reply
  166. Ron C. Moss

    home again once more
    Father’s soggy old shoes steam
    by the crackling fire

    sound of coming of rain
    a blind man hears once again
    the ripples of light

    our bedtime story
    blackbirds sing a lullaby
    with the starry night

    Reply
  167. Richard Harrow

    like fly-tipped sofas,
    cows hiding in tall rye-grass
    lounge under grey clouds

    Reply
  168. Daniela Misso

    an autumn evening . . .
    the sweet sound of a piano
    coming from downstairs
    *
    a nightingale sings
    ripples of light and shadow
    on the lace curtains
    *
    letter from a friend
    a golden primrose peeps out
    from under dry leaves

    Daniela Misso

    Reply
  169. Dharani Sri

    Empty pocket
    Empty stomach
    Hunger filled eyes

    Cutting old trees
    Building new house
    Shelterless birds sheltered humans

    Barking dogs
    In street and home
    For food and love

    Reply
  171. Kathy Gaynor-Henry

    Bats keen and flit out
    Fanning the autumnal moon
    Keeping it aloft

    Withered mums and moms
    Await springtime’s new cycle
    One will ride away

    Pumpkin tendrils grab
    Thriving in harvest debris
    Along with the deer

    Reply
  172. Karen Morris-Denby

    clouds slide through sunbeams
    where whales migrate to rainbows
    butterfly effect

    dreams made in dark rooms
    never find the light of day
    sunlight breaks all hearts

    changing seasons now
    full moon reflects in birds’ eye
    summer never comes

    Reply
  174. Peter Free

    a quick crunch of peas
    sunrise dewdrops fill each pod
    pregnant with the day

    piles of childhood high
    where i work in the guestroom
    snail without a throat

    golden crunch of leaves
    chortles from a wheelchair race
    weight of the world lifts

    Reply
  175. Sonia Patrician

    Burning gems of old
    Adorn chilling winter skies
    Brilliant shining stars

    Soft fur, beating heart
    Warms both a lap and a soul
    Summer sun with paws

    A boisterous boom
    Spring storm, or a lion’s roar?
    New life comes again

    Reply
  176. Ravi Kiran

    It is indeed a delight to write classical haiku in the 5-7-5 syllable format and with Kigo (season word). While the kigo is evident in the first two haiku below, in the third it is ‘acorn’ – which is an autumn kigo.

    autumn riverbed
    patches of moss holding on
    to some of the stones

    one more war coffin
    the summer a teenager
    suddenly grew up

    acorn below ground
    does it know a sprawling oak
    lies within its womb

    Reply
  177. Halli Steinberg

    #1
    Jacaranda tree
    Lavender blossoming forth
    Shower Spring on me!

    #2
    Piles of stacked flat rocks
    Largest anchors the bottom
    Brave waves, wind, and rain

    #3
    A flash of lightning.
    In awe of Mother Nature,
    I count the seconds…

    Thank you for this opportunity!

    Reply
  178. Ngo Binh Anh Khoa

    mother’s braided hair
    the exposed roots of an oak
    covered in fresh snow

    what will be will be
    a world within a dewdrop
    clinging to a branch

    resting on the palm
    of a stone Buddha statue
    a praying mantis

    Reply

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