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The following are the winners from the 2023 Moon Viewing Haiku Contest held at the Seattle Japanese Garden on 1 and 2 September 2023 for its annual Moon Viewing Festival. These results were also posted to the Seattle Japanese Garden Blog, with a photo, also shown here. See also the half-hour video by Ilya Butenko that shows the event on the second day, from daylight into night.
Judged on Friday by David Berger and Michael Dylan Welch
Judged on Saturday by Terran Campbell and Michael Dylan Welch
This year’s two moon viewing haiku contests at the Seattle Japanese Garden allowed for two haiku submissions per person, so numbers were up. We had 88 poems submitted on Friday, 1 September 2023 and 105 on 2 September, for a total of 193 haiku. The following are our selected winners. Prizes each night were a choice of a garden T-shirt, fridge magnet, and postcards. Our congratulations to the winners and everyone who entered into the spirit of celebrating the moon by sharing their haiku.
Friday, 1 September 2023
Friday, 1 September 2023
First Place
First Place
this moon, as easy
to view from anywhere else—
and yet here we are
Grace Wallis
Second Place
Second Place
awake before the dew
moonlight shows me all
but your face
Pat Atadero
Third Place
Third Place
the sun set—
the bird sings
to remember tonight
Sherry Tang
Honorable Mentions
Honorable Mentions
(in alphabetical order by last name)
the sun has set
do I shiver from the chill
or the shakuhachi?
Joyce Atadero
moon lights pale blue sky
still conifers listening
a flute plays softly
Kathleen Fujino Allison
surrounded by a wall of green
the still pond reflects
moon lantern glow
Valicia Boschek
when I go home,
the moon goes with me
and my shadow follows
Bob Brown
a rabbit above
two lovers in the moonlight
the night is warm
Julia Fox
dragonfly circles
my friend things about butt cheeks
the full moon rises
Maria Kute
crystal moon beams
light my steps
guiding me home
Amber Mersino
what do you know, moon?
the future? the past? right now?
I curl back to sleep
Rebecca Noran
tea ceremony—
small round cake
calls to the moon
Paul Pietromonaco
awaiting my wish
a coin in the pond
shines from above!
Bez Palmer
show me the way home
a lantern in the night sky
my silent lover
John Reese
clouds pass the full moon—
wind blows the leaves off the willow
the water shivers
Johnny Xue
Saturday, 2 September 2023
Saturday, 2 September 2023
First Place
First Place
too bright
for eyes to receive
the hole in the darkness
Nigel Wylie
Second Place
Second Place
the flute’s song trills
across the water before me—
can the moon hear it?
Barbara Segal
Third Place
Third Place
a twinge of pain—
my body imperfect as
the waning gibbous
Meghan Sinoff
Honorable Mentions
Honorable Mentions
(in alphabetical order by last name)
an imagined moon
phases unseen still matter
the glow behind trees
Megan Benoy
the face of the moon
language once again
at our foolishness
Kim Buehlman
like falling leaves, koi rise up
to kiss the rippling face
of the autumn moon
Carmen Edwards
the moon rises
late to the party
holiday weekend vacation
James Gibson
breath through bamboo
points to the shining moon—
a branch snaps
Matthew Grohne
I look for the moon
in the darkening eastern sky,
hoping for a glint
Hazel Hahn
moon viewing, they said
but not a sliver of light
only hungry stars
Dan Oestreich
the moon’s light
a night in September
could only be compared to you
Rachel Vaney
life is sweet
feet in grass, moon out
just relax and nap
Andy Weinstein
moon and lanterns glow—
sweet music fills the air tonight
Hello September!
Emerita Wheeling
summer ends
cool breeze at night
the moon greets us
Ellen Wijisman
This video gives a sense of the moon viewing event at the Seattle Japanese Garden. You can see a few of my Haiku on Sticks near the start of this video. Terran Campbell and I make an appearance at the 27:54 mark, until 28:29, starting to announce the top winners on 2 September 2023. We’re wearing headlamps so we can see to read!
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