2021 Moon Viewing Haiku Contest
The following are the winners from the 2021 Moon Viewing Haiku Contest held at the Seattle Japanese Garden on 10 and 11 September 2021 for its annual Moon Viewing Festival (the festival was not held in 2020). These results were also posted to the Seattle Japanese Garden Community Blog and the Seattle Japanese Garden Blog (10 September and 11 September), both with photos, six of which are shown here (first three by Slickpix Photography, last three by Peggy Garber).
Judged on Friday by Tanya McDonald and Michael Dylan Welch
Judged on Saturday by David Berger and Michael Dylan Welch
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 (compared with 176 in 2019, when two poems were allowed per person). The following are our selections for both nights. 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. One of the honorable mentions was by a poet who said it was his birthday that day, so when we shared his poem, we led the entire audience in singing “Happy Birthday.” 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.
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
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
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
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
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)
Saturday, September 11, 2021
First Place
red-tipped leaves
every moonlit meeting
blushing deeper
Laura Lorenz
Second Place
clouds obscure the sky
is the rabbit in the moon?
the gardens still glow
Setsuko Hosoda
Third Place
in my treasure box
another moon viewing
lived through
Aleksandra Monk
Honorable Mentions
(in alphabetical order by last name)
new year upon me
so much to look forward to
family, friends, and . . . new moon!
Mark English (on his birthday)
the leaves are turning
finally! the moon sighs and
turns away again
Chris Fronek
koi gulp the moon’s reflection
pellets scatter as my Dad
laughs with children
Elizabeth Martin
let us see the harvest moon—
in person please
not on Zoom
Bill McGee
fresh-cut grass
candlelight singing
the crowd sighs
Tamara Power-Drutis
visualizing the silver moon
portent of changes for fall
wearing a cloud mask
Bill Rumpf
I know you are there
the clouds won’t always mask you
moonlight exists inside
Max Schneider
Honorable Mentions (Youth)
rabbit of the moon—
is it cheesy where you are
like cheddar bunnies?
Max Curran (age under 18)
dusk settles in
moonlight glows the darkened sky
peace at night
August Eby (age 14)
