Judge Jane Reichhold (US)
10 Selections
Three Top Choices
First Choice:
303
the planets align . . .
at the bottom of a glass
lemon seeds
W.F. Owen
California, United States
This haiku immediately caught my eye as being
very good. Somehow I thought
about astrology and imagined the conjunctions and triangulations were
represented by the seeds in the bottom of a glass that had held a tall drink.
The picture I had was of a sort of modern tea leaves situation. It was only
after thinking about the haiku for a day that I realized that the seeds, faintly
a yellow-white, had a strong visual connection to the configuration of the
planets in the night sky. As I mused, I thought of the planets as seeds which
had seeded our planet, and even our lemon trees. When all of this came together,
the haiku seemed to float to the top of my short list, even though I felt the ku
did not need the ellipsis. It is perfectly constructed so that the fragment, in
the third line, is formed by the syntax.
Second Choice:
312
spoon-feeding mother
between thunder we count
our seconds together
an'ya
Oregon, United States
This is the entry that I liked the best, and
the one that occupied my thoughts the longest. For many hours it was my first
choice until I began to realize that the reason I liked it so much was because
it was so tanka-like. The pathos created in the first and third lines are
definitely in tanka territory. The verse, with its seventeen syllables, even
contains about as much information as the average Japanese tanka.
The first line is perfectly compacted as the
fragment, with no articles or unnecessary punctuation. The next two lines use
all the words they need for a smooth-flowing phrase which contrasts nicely with
the shortness of the first line. The perfection of the writing, as well as the
insightful combination of thunder, approaching doom and loss, spoke very deeply
to me and yet, I could not give this entry first place in a haiku contest.
Third Choice:
232
a dark bruise
on a stranger's shoulder . . .
summer dusk
Peggy Willis Lyles
Georgia, United States
One evening, while watching a summer sunset, I
remember thinking that the blue, red and purple colors in the sky made it seem
as if a huge bruise was on the horizon. I no longer recall the ku I wrote under
this inspiration, but when I read this entry I felt this author had made better
use of the same sight. By placing the bruise on the shoulder of a person it adds
great
mystery to what had happened and brings in the proper reality. By being
able to see the shoulder means the person was shirtless - a perfect
combination with summer dusk and the hottest time of the day. The haiku is
accurately composed with not one word too much or too little. This haiku
also, does not really need the ellipsis since the flow of the grammar
competently makes the proper pause at the end of the second line.
Fourth Choice:
237
white butterfly
the forward lean
of a toddler's toe-walk
Paul MacNeil
Florida, United States
Fifth Choice:
28
In the dark,
a sound I don't know --
the spring moon.
Christopher (Kit) Baskind
Florida, United States
Sixth Choice:
404
peeling paint
I try so hard
to listen
John Stevenson
New York, United States
Seventh Choice:
239
white sky
starlings fold
into the field
Paul MacNeil
Florida, United States
Eighth Choice:
366
above the wall
a ladder is wavering
on the spring afternoon
Naomi Seo
Kobe, Japan
Ninth Choice:
15
changing kimonos
between seasons...
my ordinary life
Pamela A. Babusci
New York, United States
Tenth Choice:
186
morning heat
an eggplant swells
out of its flower
Ken Hurm
Kentucky, United States
Next
read Judge, George Swede's selections and comments
Read
more about the WHF2002 Akita
2002
Speakers
See
the WHC Website for Details & Application Form
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