2021 Moon Viewing Haiku Contest Friday, September 10, 2021

 

SJG •  9/10/21

Judged on Friday by Tanya McDonald and Michael Dylan Welch 

(Separate post on Saturday haiku upcoming)

Pictures by Peggy Garber

SJG • 9/10/21

The Seattle Japanese Garden’s annual moon viewing festival returned again for two nights on Friday, September 10, and Saturday, September 11, 2021. This was after a break in 2020 when the festival was not held because of the coronavirus pandemic. For 2021, both nights were sold out to a maximum of 250 attendees, and everyone wore masks—and so did the moon both evenings, masked by clouds and thus unseen. This year we limited entries to one poem per person (we had welcomed up to two in previous years), which sped up and simplified the judging process. We received 44 entries the first night and 47 the second night, for a total of 91 haiku. 

The following are our selections for Friday. As before, we selected poems for their clarity, freshness, sometimes humor and timeliness, and for evocatively portraying the moon, even if we couldn’t see it. No prizes were available this year, but we believe that everyone “won” simply by taking a moment to write about their moon-viewing experiences. Our congratulations to each winner, and to everyone who tried their hand at writing haiku. Our gratitude to the Seattle Japanese Garden for its ongoing support of haiku through these annual contests.

 

For more information about Haiku Northwest, which meets monthly in the Seattle area, and holds an annual haiku retreat, please visit www.haikunorthwest.org.

 

SJG • 9/10/21

Friday, September 10, 2021

 

First Place

 

wonder how to dress

for a moon viewing party?

the koi wear white, gold

 

         David Takami                                                                                      

 

 

Second Place

 

the air is still—

suddenly three birds launch

searching for the moon

 

         Paul Pietromonaco                                                                         

 

 

Third Place

 

we change, earth changes—

I look up at the same moon

my ancestors did

 

         Aaron Morton                                                                                     

 

SJG • 9/10/21

 

Honorable Mentions

(in alphabetical order by last name)

 

 

it’s a moon viewing

in the grey . . . it’s beautiful

anyway . . . the garden

 

         Brady Curtis                                                                                         

 

 

northwest moon, hiding

with the gods, behind gray clouds

holding back the rain

 

         Robert Diaz                                                                                           

 

 

SJG • 9/10/21

koi beneath the bridge

bonsai balancing moonlight

pines piercing the sky

 

         Larry Hubbell                                                                                      

 

 

moon’s first glimmer

long across the water

first soft kiss of a new night

 

         Nick Kreucher                                                                                      

 

SJG • 9/10/21

 

we gathered to see

Lady Luna hides her face

the clouds make her shy

 

         Dana Pietromonaco                                                                       

 

 

cloudy evening

trace of moonglow

autumn’s coming

 

         Doug Santoni                                                                                      

 

 

SJG • 9/10/21

Honorable Mentions (Youth)

 

 

gentle moonshine—

draping the walls in silver

balancing the world

 

         Piper Belfiore (age 14)                                                                   

 

 

the moon climbs the sky

the earth is under my feet

the sun is far gone

 

                  Reed (age 11)

 

SJG • 9/10/21

SJG • 9/10/21

Thank you, Haiku Northwest!