The yearly pamphlet Akita – the Land of Poetry 『詩の国秋田 第６号』, whose 6th volume is posted as an e-pamphlet, featuring haiku special from the English haiku submitted to the 3rd Japan-Russia Haiku Contest in 2014.
A great number of haiku fans willingly sent their haiku in English to the contest from 46 countries including Japan.
They compose haiku, the shortest form of poetry of three lines, catching the haiku moment through their observation or insight.
They write haiku, seeking for “pure present”, which might express “the eternal now.”
We sincerely hope that haiku will be shared with each other, which helps us realize the pleasure of writing haiku again.
We also hope that haiku could deepen mutual understanding and enjoyment of different cultures between those people who read or compose the poem, helping make the world peaceful.
AIU President Award by Akita International University
Devin Harrison (Canada)
coastal fog – –
the way mountains flow
into mountains
JAL Foundation Award
Motohiko Akagi (The International University Of Kagoshima, Japan)
snowman
begins to melt
into a flower
The Akita Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Award
Adjei Agyei-Baah (Ghana)
leafless tree —
lifting a cup of nest
to the sky
The Akita Sakigake Shimpo President Award
Ramesh Anand (India)
still pond…
fading from its center
this stormy cloud
Akita Branch of Ten’i (Providence) Haiku Group Chairman Award
Varma Anitha (India)
twilight rain…
palm fronds drip moonlight
into the night
Akita International Haiku Network Chief Director Award
Jiro Oba (Japan)
cumulonimbus:
memory of a city
lost in ancient times
Honorable Mentions
Blöttenberger Meik (German-American U.S.A.)
burgundy tulips—
a gypsy begs
to read my palm
Maniyil Jayashree（Australia）
arriving
at the temple doorstep
tumbleweeds
Teneva Diana （Bulgaria）
lunar eclipse
the ring left by you
on the night table
Kala Ramesh（Indian）
Gita chanting
. . . birds become
the ellipsis
Brager Mark E.（United States）
sheltering
against the dawn . . .
thistledown
Seguiban Carl（canadian）
drought’s end—
even the smell of rain
has a name
ten Brink Brigitte（Germany）
empty schoolyard
only a plastic bag
plays with the wind
Kana Aridome (The International University Of Kagoshima, Japan)
The snowman
bows his head –
winter rain
Ayaka Shirao (Kagoshima Central College of Nursing, Japan)
summer’s day
voice of the cicada
hot and humid
Sho Hamada (Kagoshima Central College of Nursing, Japan)
It’s a jump
to a whole new world
summer time
Ai Senda (ECC Kokusai College Of Foreign Languages, Japan)
one summer day –
sunflower
ablaze
We are now holding the 4th Japan-Russia Haiku Contest.
Readers are invited to send haiku about “lake” to Hidenori Hiruta at the Akita
International Haiku Network in an e-mail to (shhiruta@nifty.com).
By Hidenori Hiruta
Akita International Haiku Network 