2007 Haiku Invitational

Judges’ Comments
on the 2007 Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival Haiku Invitational

by Carole MacRury, Michael Dylan Welch, and Edward Zuk

For the past two years, we have used a haiku by the Japanese poet Matsuo Bashō (1644–1694) to capture the spirit of the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival:

under the tree

in the soup, salad, and everywhere—

cherry blossoms

We chose this haiku to emphasize the fun of cherry-blossom viewing, but we were also attracted by the fresh perspective that Bashō brought to his subject. He did not try to glorify the beauty of the cherry tree, nor did he wring a moral lesson from the blossoms. Instead, he enjoyed the blossoms for what they were—a delightful nuisance—and wrote about what was in front of his eyes. By staying faithful to his experience, he created a haiku that inspires us to this day.

The poets who submitted haiku to the 2007 Vancouver Cherry Blossom Haiku Invitational brought their own fresh perspectives to the cherry blossom. We were again delighted by the creativity of the poets who submitted. Over a thousand poets from around the world (including more than 700 from across Canada) sent us their haiku. We received submissions from 32 countries in total, including Australia, New Zealand, India, Japan, Russia, Turkey, France, Poland, Croatia, Serbia, South Africa, and Trinidad and Tobago, from poets ranging in age from six to ninety-two. For the most part, their haiku succeeded in being distinct from each other and from the 1000 or so entries we received in 2006. We thank all the poets who entered this year’s Haiku Invitational, and we hope they will enter next year’s invitational, too.

It was difficult to single out four haiku for special attention. We selected the poems we did because we enjoyed their original imagery, strong use of language, and depth of perception. At first glance our top Canadian haiku may seem to be a simple piece of Canadiana, but on a deeper level it shows that the Japanese appreciation of the cherry blossom can—and has—become a part of our country. Our top USA haiku is universal, revealing the childlike wonder that we all feel while viewing these blossoms. We chose our top International haiku for the clever way that it described an old cherry tree hiding the sky with its profusion of blossoms. And we admired our top Youth haiku for finding a novel way of appreciating the colour of the cherry petal while reminding us that, like the dew, the beauty of the cherry blossom is even more precious for being fleeting.

As you read the haiku we selected, keep in mind how many fresh perspectives of the cherry blossom they capture. We hope that you will also come to find many surprises in the cherry blossoms in the days and weeks ahead.

Carole MacRury, Michael Dylan Welch, and Edward Zuk, Judges