highway sunset
my hand out the window
surfing hot wind
Ron C. Moss
Tag: Ron Moss
Results of the John Bird Dreaming Award for Haiku
Dear Members,
I am delighted to be able to announce the winners of the inaugural John Bird Dreaming Award for Haiku. The response to the competition, conceived to mark the 20th Anniversary of the Australian Haiku Society, has been overwhelming to say the least. A total of 890 poems were received from an incredible 41 countries – an outstanding result for a new competition. Thank you to all poets for contributing their poems.
Our judges have chosen their top three haiku and honourable mentions whose poems appear below. I would like to thank the judges, Vanessa Proctor and Michael Dylan Welch, for their diligence and enthusiasm for this award. I would also like to express my deep gratitude to Ron Moss for providing the winners with beautiful ink drawings featuring their poems.
Rob Scott,
President, AHS
Results: AHS Summer Solstice Haiga Kukai 2020 Seasonal
Judge’s Comments
I have judged the kukai for a number of years now and I’m always honoured to read and savour the many fine poems that are inspired by the images. The winner’s list is always well-considered and I’m pleased to say there are always haiku and senryu that present as special and worthy of particular attention. Thank you one and all for submitting your fine work once again. I would like to award and comment on many more if it were possible. I hope you enjoy these selections and the inspiration and commentary I have found in them.
Ron C. Moss
1st Place
foreign land…
a refugee child owns
the sandcastle
Hifsa Ashraf
This haiku stood out for me from the very first reading and it resonates deeply with current and historical events. A sense of hope and a new beginning permeates the scene; a childhood game of creating in the sand has a deep feeling of nurturing and strength. A refugee child feels connected and safe in owning the sandcastle, giving him or her a sense of belonging. Poetry can be a powerful tool in generating awareness of the injustices of the world. The simple image of a sandcastle has brought about this wonderful moment of ownership for something treasured and safe. I’m very pleased to award Hifsa 1st Place. May all be safe and free from harm.
Continue reading “Results: AHS Summer Solstice Haiga Kukai 2020 Seasonal”
Watersmeet Zoom 22 May
Like other haiku groups, Watersmeet members had to rely on the internet for our May gathering, and scheduled a Zoom meeting for Friday 22 May.
Lorraine Haig initiated the topic for discussion some weeks beforehand, sending us articles on the topic of yugen, and inviting us to research and contribute further findings on this elusive term. Email exchanges followed, sharing more thoughts on the subject and links to relevant articles. We prepared for our meeting by looking for haiku that we felt expressed the aesthetic of yugen. These could be haiku written by ourselves or by others. Those able to take part in our Zoom discussion were Lorraine Haig, Ron Moss, Ross Coward, Lyn Reeves and (briefly) Jane Williams.
Ron mentioned that yugen is something that he aims to express in his brush paintings, an element of many of his haiga, and that the following words describing the symbols for yugen, from an article by David Anderson, ‘Yugen – a spiritual feeling too deep for words’ held particular resonance for him. Continue reading “Watersmeet Zoom 22 May”
Results of the Australian Haiku Society Summer Solstice 2019 Haiga Kukai: Seasonal
1st Place
fiery sunset
a single red blossom
on the blackened branch
Louise Hopewell
There is no doubt that the weather is changing and that there is a climate emergency upon us. In Australia the records keep being broken, records of storms, high temperatures, low rainfall, and continuous drought, all of which have beset our beautiful country. I chose this photograph, which I captured on a recent deployment in Queensland fighting the bushfires with other Tasmanian crews, to use for the seasonal image for the Kukai. The fire was out of control and burning over the surrounding mountains. I was looking for haiku that worked with the power of the image to bring us an emotional connection. Louise has captured very well the danger of the scene, but she has also expressed an overwhelming feeling of hope. Things have their time and place, but there will be rebirth. A lot to pack into a one-breath three line haiku, but I think it has been achieved very well indeed and so I would like to award it a worthy first place. Continue reading “Results of the Australian Haiku Society Summer Solstice 2019 Haiga Kukai: Seasonal”
Results of the Australian Haiku Society Summer Solstice 2019 Haiga Kukai: Non-Seasonal
1st Place
painted cow –
the village boy’s makeup
still taboo
Isabel Caves
This haiku appealed for the mystery that it evokes along with the brightly coloured display cow. Who is the boy and what is his life like shrouded in what is still seen as taboo? It seems very much a social comment about the changing times and attitudes we have towards each other. Good haiga are when the haiku and image combine to create something more than their individual parts. I think this combination leads us to examine our thinking, and how there can be change for the better. Continue reading “Results of the Australian Haiku Society Summer Solstice 2019 Haiga Kukai: Non-Seasonal”
Call for Submissions: AHS Spring 2018 Haiga Kukai: Seasonal
The Australian Haiku Society Spring Haiga Kukai 2018 is now open for entries.
We invite poets to send one haiku per image until 29th September. The winning haiku will be displayed on the AHS website.
Please note that if more than one haiku per image is submitted by any individual, only the first haiku sent will be considered.
Submissions will only be accepted if entered in the comments section.
By entering the competition, entrants agree to make their haiku available for use on the AHS website, although the copyright will remain with the author.
No correspondence will be entered into regarding winning entries.
Good luck!
To enter, select the post title (or click here) and enter your haiku in the comment box below the post. Please scroll to the bottom of the page.
Please make sure that your name appears on your entry as you would like to see it on the website.
Entries are now closed
Call for Submissions: AHS Spring 2018 Haiga Kukai: Non-Seasonal
The Australian Haiku Society Spring Haiga Kukai 2018 is now open for entries.
We invite poets to send one haiku per image until 29th September. The winning haiku will be displayed on the AHS website.
Please note that if more than one haiku per image is submitted by any individual, only the first haiku sent will be considered.
Submissions will only be accepted if entered in the comments section.
By entering the competition, entrants agree to make their haiku available for use on the AHS website, although the copyright will remain with the author.
No correspondence will be entered into regarding winning entries.
Good luck!
To enter, select the post title (or click here) and enter your haiku in the comment box below the post. Please scroll to the bottom of the page.
Please make sure that your name appears on your entry as you would like to see it on the website.
Entries are now closed.
Australian Haiku Society 