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Show me you really understand haiku


 
 

Rules

 

 

1.   Haiku is written in black ink upon white paper, with a calligraphy brush, without title and without illustration.

 

2.   Lines of five, seven, and five syllables do not necessarily make classical haiku

 

3.   “Contemporary haiku” is not another term for a short poem

 

4.   The ground upon which the archer stands, the archer herself, her nocking of the arrow and drawing of the bow, her loosing the arrow, its flight, its hitting the target, and the target itself – all are one. If the moment passes, all are separate.

 
 
 
 

Contest is Over

  • Contest was judged on April 22
  • Rewards: Gold: 500, Silver: 300, Bronze: 150
  • Final notes:
    The title of this contest prompted you to show me that you understood haiku. The rules did not necessarily commit you to writing haiku; nonetheless of the fifty-eight entires most were recognisably haiku or haiku-like, and that's fine by me.

    Fifty-eight entires, and not one of them was a dud. Thank you. It was hell to judge, but thank you.

    I had a short-list of twenty-two after the first read-through. I narrowed it down to six. I have commented on everyone's poem, and showed my appreciation by giving you clappies.

    Let me tell you what I loved about each of the final six.

    toilet paper poems by Rippled was a modern senryu, included in the final cut for demonstrating understanding by wit.

    Gaea's braids by Peripatetic is totally unorthodox as a haiku, but the play it makes with parts of speech is instantly arresting. It is like an observation of the whole of nature at a single moment.

    Haiku 1 by Tirrell shows understanding of haiku by presenting one of the poems in this contest which came closest to classical haiku in concept, form, and execution. That is not in itself a criterion for a podium place, but I wanted to include amongst the final cut an entry of that kind. The more I looked at it, however, the more it deserved elevation.

    The untitled entry by Pervirtuous - This poet by turns infuriates and delights me. His entry showed understanding and demonstrated it by utter effrontery. A thoroughly modern observation, and a wry kick in the pants.

    flying crane peace by Mithryl made the final cut because of its philosophical depth, but didn't make the final step because it is just the slightest bit over-stated. Nevertheless, it is a work of worth.

    untitled by Amera is a poem I agonised over. This poet, when she forgets that form is merely a tool and poetry comes from somewhere deep within, can produce poems as good as anyone's on AP. Better sometimes. Her entry almost strays from haiku; but the more I looked at it, the more poetic it seemed to me, and the more beautiful, and I could see it as a work of art which understood and captured both immediacy and timelessness. I couldn't deny it a top place.

    I know that not all of you will agree with my choices, but that's the nature of contests on AP. I hope you will see why I have chosen the three that I have chosen.

    Once again thank you for the extraordinary entry field - in quantity and quality.

Contest Winners

  1. Haiku 1
    by Tirrell 2 lines, 11 comments, on Apr 6 8:38 AM. In Nature, Haiku, Imagery
    Gold trophy winner
    • Commented on by judge. [remove]
  2. -untitled-
    by Amera 15 lines, 37 comments, on Apr 8 8:28 AM. In haiku, Nature
    Silver trophy winner
    • Commented on by judge. [remove]
  3. Gaea's Braids (for reference' sake)
    water, rocks, wind, leaves
    over, in, from out, upon
    by Peripatetic 3 lines, 9 comments, on Apr 6 7:29 AM. In Haiku, Nature
    Bronze trophy winner
    • Commented on by judge. [remove]

Entries [44]

1 - 44 of 44

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Comments

1 - 20 of 20

  • Amera gold member
    April 6
    Edit | Reply
    We have two eyes to see two sides of things, but there must be a third eye which will see everything at the same time and yet not see anything.


  • Matt Holck
    April 6
    Edit | Reply
    mark

  • Amera gold member
    April 8
    Edit | Reply

    Actually the first five syllables are allowed as a title as an additional image is not injected.

    Dew drops seem to die
    With the blistering sunrise
    As petals open


  • hawkeslake gold member
    April 21
    Edit | Reply
    Just finished reading all the entries, and your comments on them: an education in itself. Thank you. Lita


  • Tirrell
    April 22
    Edit | Reply
    Thank-you for the honor Mairi,
    a most fun and enlightening contest.
    I enjoyed Jeff's and Amera's entries as well.


  • Mariana gold member
    April 22
    Edit | Reply
    Thank you for running this contest. Congratulations to the winners.

    I found this challenging and fascinating. During the process of writing my haiku, there were many deleted attempts. I read your page on haiku and spent ages researching the Internet. What I have taken away from this contest is the knowledge I have gained. I thought at first the 'aha' moment in haiku was a form of enlightenment which is arguably not the point. I feel there is a similarity in that we reach an understanding of the world/nature around us that we had not previously realised. I now know what haiku is but writing one is beyond my grasp right now. It is something that will evolve naturally, outside of myself. Looking back on the haiku I entered, I think I was wrong to make a personal reference and not feature a seasonal element. Is that a fair assessment?


  • DogFish silver member
    April 23
    Edit | Reply
    Great contest, Mairi, a lot of really enjoyable poems here- thanks for hosting!

    • Mairi bheag gold member
      April 23
      Edit | Reply
      Nae borra.

      • DogFish silver member
        April 24
        Edit | Reply
        Is that Scots or Gaelic ?


        • Mairi bheag gold member
          April 24
          Edit | Reply
          Strictly speaking it's Glasgow Patter, so I guess it's Scots of a sort. It's the equivalent of the Australian "No worries".


          • DogFish silver member
            April 26
            Edit | Reply
            I read somewhere "to speak another language is to live another life"...my suspicion is that the average Scot must lead two or three...

1 - 20 of 20