第8回秋田国際俳句コンテスト結果（英語部門・一般） The Results of 8th Akita International Haiku Contest (English Section—OPEN)

第8回秋田国際俳句コンテスト結果（英語部門・一般）

The Results of 8th Akita International Haiku Contest (English Section—OPEN)

The Akita International Haiku Network is delighted to announce the results of the 8th Akita International Haiku Contest for 2019.

Recommended theme: impermanence; change; mujō)

Judging Committee:  David McMurray, Hidenori Hiruta, and Ben Grafström

英語・一般
English—OPEN

特選

Award Winning-Haiku

scented twilight…
the reason dragonflies
pause in flight

Kala Ramesh (Pune, India)

*****

moving house
they plant a rose tree where
their dog was buried

Minal Sarosh (Ahmedabad, India)

 

入選 Honorable Mention

her hand
from my hand escapes
flight of the butterfly

Ranieri Christiane (Wittenheim, France)

*****

breeze,
mamma leafing
the family album

Lilia Racheva (Rousse, Bulgaria)

*****

abandoned attic
a little barn owl
waiting…

Isabella Kramer (Nienhagen, Germany)

*****

low call of the loon…
yellowed letters from lost friends
gathered near the fire

Marilyn Ashbaugh (Edwardsburg, USA)

*****

following google maps
on both sides of childhood road
endless stubblefield

Goda V. Bendoraitienė (Klaipėda, Lithuania)

*****

finding
my inner lizard
winter sun

Agnes Eva Savich (Austin, TX, USA)

*****

somewhere within
wild mint—
last year’s garden

Frank Hooven (Morrisville, PA, USA)

*****

returning from the trip…
the plum tree in front of the house
dressed in gold

Steliana Cristina Voicu (Ploiești, Romania)

*****

A-bomb Dome
lining up for a selfie
I say smile

Sambangi Srinivasa Rao (Hyderabad, India)

*****

Howling wind
old hen in fear
leaves the nest

Izeta Radetinac (Novi Pazar, Srbija)

 

Comments from David McMurray on judging the 2019 Akita International Haiku Contest

337 haikuists from around the world converged in writing 3-lined haiku with a seasonal reference. They mostly wrote about their home life or wildlife. The collected haiku sketch life from a lover’s embrace, one night of passion, the third trimester of pregnancy, wedding, a fading volcano of love, divorce, and coming to terms with breast cancer. Haiku entries traced the movements of butterflies, owls, loons, lizards, and dinosaurs. A few haiku gave us a glimpse of the wild things that can happen to a home when it is left behind.

The 2 co-winning haiku were representative of the split focus, but they rose to the top of their cohort.

The haiku “scented twilight…” shows us what makes us human, by the very nature of our always questioning why. Much in the same way that Robert Frost marveled at “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening,” the haikuist felt that a flying insect pausing in flight must surely resemble why he too stopped by a fragrant garden on an autumn evening.

The haiku “moving house” is an endearing poem that shares the poet’s unforgettable love and respect for a pet. Unlike new home owners fixing up their newly acquired property, taking the time to plant a grave marker while leaving the home was truly remarkable.