Haiku Contest #3 // The winners

It's the post you've all been waiting for. ...about a week late. It's the...

Sorry for the delay. Just as I was about to go through the contest entries, things became pretty hectic around here. I was commissioned for a photo gig that required travel and some hotel stay, then when I got home I had a lot of catching up to do, both work related and personal. As much as I would like to give Steemit my priority, work is what pays the bills so it has to come first.

Now things are finally settling down again, so I read through all the entries last night, then again this morning. I copied them all onto note cards and sorted them on my floor, judging the winners.

So many good entries! Thank you everyone. I really enjoyed reading them all, and ranking them was challenging. But here we go...

Oh, one more thing:

I mentioned it last time and do again below. Shasei. I should really learn to start defining these random Japanese terms I throw out. Shasei means sketch from life. When Shiki reformed haiku in the 19th century he wanted to greatly simplify them and get rid of or reduce the wordplay that was common at the time and which he didn't like. He proposed that haiku should be verbal sketches, painting a scene with words in the same way a painting does with paint.

With that out of the way, let's look at the winners!

Special Mention

@impatientoctopus was too late to enter, otherwise I'd award this a higher position. As it is I just want to give it a special call out, because it is a really good ku.

Old cigarettes
on frostbitten buds
A bird builds a nest.

Honorable Mention #1

@jayo with this playful verse which calls to mind a famous one from Issa on the same subject. For those who don't know any Japanese, kakurenbo is what we call "hide-and-seek".

Winter's almost over
Now the kids are out again
Behind the tree kakurenbo it is

Honorable Mention #2

@haikufictiondju with a more profound entry.

the yard is just mud and leaves
and yet... and yet...

Third Place

@tinypaleokitchen with this lovely double haiku.

drowsy bee
on frosted garden
too soon, little one
__
wings too cold
to find the hive
come inside and live

Second Place

@carmalain7 with a "rule" breaking haiku, the first to use my idea of 4 lines instead of 3.

dead trees
bury boughs
deep in
the moon.

First Place

@operahoser gives us a really good scene here. Reading this really gave me pause and put me in the scene. This is shasei at its finest.

A neglected tractor
Weeds grow
Through flat tires

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Congratulations to the winners and thank you again for all the wonderful entries!

There will be a next contest that will go up within the next few days, as soon as I can secure a sponsor for it. See you there!