1st Place
snow melt
we unfurl our skin
for the wind
Nathan Sidney
This wondrous haiku struck me right away as a moment of deep seeing. The poet has taken us on a journey into the flower’s body and the feeling of exposing our petals, or skin, to the elements. After the chill of winter passes, we all can unfurl into the warmth of spring and the blossoming of life. So much is portrayed in a few carefully crafted words, which are the mark of a very fine haiku. I am very pleased to award this haiku by Nathan a very worthy first place in the Spring Seasonal kukai.
2nd Place
the delicacy
of early spring petals
born too soon
Gavin Austin
Another haiku that has that distinctive poetic spell that says so much with its imagery, bringing us immediately into the now of being. We cannot help but be inspired by the ‘delicacy’ of a closely observed blossom, and the poet has masterly sketched a gem-like juxtaposition of birth and a sense of longing or mystery. Both of these awarded poems fill me with a feeling of joy and a confirmation that in times of difficulty, we can be sustained by an understanding of the cycles of life.
Highly Commended
blossom…
a bouncing bee hums
as it goes
Quendryth Young
Who could not love the sound of a bee bouncing along doing it’s important work humming along pollinating the very food we will later eat? A delightful haiku and we can only hope that bees can survive climate change and other challenges they face. Our very existence depends on it.
Highly Commended
first chemo—
on her head scarf
pink blossoms
Hifsa Ashraf
This is another haiku that carries a very important message of hope and survival, which has been compassionately described by the poet. There’s a carefully crafted association between the headscarf, perhaps to cover the hair that has fallen after chemo, and the short life of a blossom, magnificent as it falls back to the earth. May we all shine so brightly in the light of our knowing.
Highly Commended
late blossom
a hint of colour
in the widow’s clothes
Polona Oblak
It has been a life-sustaining experience to select and write commentaries for these fine poems and to find such depth of observation and craft in this form we love so much. What could be more of an example of this than this final selection. Although it’s late, there can still be a hint of colour, or hope after the loss of a loved one.
Judging and Comments by Ron C. Moss
Australian Haiku Society 