Haiku Winner!

I was blown away by the sheer number of entries into this competition. I think we may have struck upon something that is fun, (relatively) easy and a great way to really think about word choice and impact. That’s the thing with haiku; there is very little wiggle room, due to the syllable limitations, to use words that are not powerful and evocative. Hmm…remind you of something…maybe ACTION LINES IN YOUR SCRIPT? Beyond loving haiku, that was the point of this exercise.

The winner is a haiku I received almost straight away after the competition opened, and I was very moved by it. As other haikus kept rolling in, there were none that matched the instant emotional response this one evoked in me:

In crying rain, she
opens her umbrella heart
shelters me from storms

-by Pete Ratajczak

But there were others that really struck me as well and what I want you guys to notice is the emotionality contained within the haikus that follow below. These haikus really used sensory details to evoke a feeling – and that is what haiku is all about. Not just minding the syllable count, but within that constraint, painting a picture as if on a grain of rice and imbuing it with emotion.

in the twilight hours
as rain descends upon earth
dreams of snow drift in

-by Elizabeth Ditty

Brittle empty shell
Courtesy of Alzheimers
Thursdays with my mom

-by Sheila Watson

Inhale the essence
Chilled air shocks scent receptors
Hot gasp past warm lips

-by Keliane Wicks

We found them, lovers
naked in a car. Fall leaves
descending, through woods.

-by Michael Ennis

Jack-o’-lanterns smile
their sad, distorted grins of
silent agony.

Pain pierces the skin
Neurons twitch and rapidly
Endorphins rush out.

-both by Renee van Amerongen

Trough of gold urine
Frothy, musky, for God’s sake
Flush the damn toilet!

-by Trevor Mayes

Miss you like summer;
If heartbreak’s in vogue this year,
At least I’m in style.

-by Tillery Johnson

Cassiopeia
sees Orion shuck his belt
A star will be born

-by Steve Zelman