THE RESULTS OF A LITTLE IRIS HAIKU CONTEST, CROATIA 2018

The judge was Jim Kacian.

142 authors, 409 haiku from 36 countries! The theme – FREE.

First Prize

Sandra Simpson, New Zealand:

twilight—
humming as i weed
around the hive

Second Prize

Jay Friedenberg, USA:

slow summer clouds
the formless shape
of desire

Third Prize

Martha Magenta, UK:

peacock’s cry
the silence
between stars

Honorable Mentions in no particular order:

Martha Magenta UK:

I slip
into your language
babbling stream

sanjuktaa asopa, India:

this wish
to look into your eyes . . .
garden buddha

Nicholas Klacsanzky, Ukraine:

I say om
a few more times . . .
dripping icicle

Agus Maulana Sunjaya, Indonesia:

summer river
the thing you keep
secret

Commended haiku, in no particular order

Julie Bloss Kelsey, USA:

the little things
we have in common …
third cousins

Zornitza Harizanova, Sofia, Bulgaria:

snow moon
my first breastfeeding
on a rocking chair

Vanice Zimerman, Brasil

open window-
on the blue carpet of the room
the shadow of the hummingbird

Ashoka Weerakkody, Sri Lanka:

two monks
discussing a flight delay
buddha gaya

Carole MacRury, USA:

regrets . . .
a fishbone caught
in my mouth

Henryk Czempiel, Poland:

anniversary
on the husband’s grave
whose candle?

Violeta Urda, Romania:

crescent moon –
the pregnant woman
hums a lullaby

Violeta Urda, Romania:

after chemo –
in the flock of flying cranes
an empty space

Margherita Petriccione, Italy:

willow branch …
upon us the weight
of a crow’s shade

Margherita Petriccione, Italy:

homecoming –
in the cup remains
of your coffee

Ann Magyar, USA:

giraffe’s neck
the quick hands
of the balloon seller

Helen Buckingham, GB:

kid in the crowd
team flag running
down his face

Pravat Kumar Padhy, India:

floating clouds
the softness of her
narration

Peter Jastermsky, USA:

family belongings
the anger I never wanted
becomes mine

Diana Teneva, Bulgaria:

my father’s
disappearing smile…
hunter’s moon

Jenny Fraser, New Zealand:

all the things
i want to say
the depth of water

Ed Bremson, USA:

mushroomy August
a mosquito on the arm
of a blistered child

Corine Timmer, Portugal:

leaf-strewn street—
my reflection
in a passing hearse

Corine Timmer, Portugal:

family gathering …
the fish father caught
gets bigger and bigger

Anna Maris, Sweden:

still in use
the roof tv-aerial
blackbird’s song

Carl Seguiban, Canada:

spring rain
the marsh regains
its voice

Carl Seguiban, Canada:

rice harvest—
the kids make fun
of my accent

Viktoriya Marinova, Bulgaria:

rainy autumn
seeds germinate
in the anthill

Timothy Russell, Canada:

equinox …
my father’s slurred voice
on the baby monitor

Emmanuel Jessie Kalusian, Nigeria:

hot day…
the emergency exit opened
for some fresh air

Nikolay Grankin, Russia:

spring rain
the tiny handprints
on the ancient wall

Debbie Strange, Canada:

alpenglow
a pika gathers stems
of light

Debbie Strange, Canada:

prairie dusk
the last braid of geese
comes undone

Julie Warther, USA:

woodpile –
long term plans
begin to take shape

Jay Friedenberg, USA:

high tide line
the flotsam
of distant lives

Eduard Tara, Romania:

ancestor’s land –
the wild flowers cover
the minefield

Neal Whitman, USA:

got a black mark —
in school atomic bomb drill
I was caught talking

Our next contest for haiku closes on June 30, the theme is – GOURDS

„Gourds include the fruits of some flowering plant species in the family Cucurbitaceae, particularly Cucurbita and Lagenaria. The term refers to a number of species and subspecies, many with hard shells, and some without.“ Wikipedia

„Any of a family (Cucurbitaceae, the gourd family) of chiefly herbaceous tendril-bearing vines including the cucumber, melon, squash, and pumpkin.“ Merriam-Webster

„A climbing or trailing plant which bears gourds.Family Cucurbitaceae (the gourd family): several genera and species, including the coloured ornamental gourds (Cucurbita pepo variety ovifera). The gourd family also includes the marrows, squashes, pumpkins, melons, and cucumbers. A fleshy, typically large fruit with a hard skin, some varieties of which are edible.“ Oxford Dictionary

You may write about Teasel Gourd (Cucumis dipsaceus); Ornamental Gourds (Cucurbita pepo); Summer Crookneck (Cucurbita pepo); Wild Cucumber (Marah macrocarpus); Horned Cucumber (Cucumis metuliferus);. Coyote Melon (Cucurbita foetidissima); 7. Vegetable Sponge (Luffa acutangula); and 8. White Bush Scallop (Cucurbita pepo). Take a ride a visit the fields of gourds …

You can read more about pumpkins/gourds in my essay, published in „Kabocha“, post-contest anthology posted at

https://tri-rijeke-haiku.hr/wp-content/uploads/iris/kabocha.pdf

Our Haiku Association „Three Rivers“ is in the town Ivanić-Grad and every Autumn we have a “Pumpkin Festival”. Meeting of Croatian Haijins and the competitions for haiku are a part of this happening.

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

Djurdja Vukelic Rozic, the Secretary

The Haiku Association „Three Rivers“

Ivanić-Grad, Croatia