2024 Moon Viewing Haiku Contest Results: Thursday, September 12, 2024
Judged by Michael Dylan Welch
tonight’s moon—
will there be anyone
not taking up a brush?
Onitsura
The 2024 Moon Viewing event at the Seattle Japanese Garden took place on the two nights of September 12 and 13, and both nights featured haiku contests in celebration of the moon. The first night received 136 entries, and the moon rose briefly between a gap in the pines. On the second night we received 105 poems, with attendance reduced because of intermittent rain. This produced a total of 241 poems, up from 193 in 2023, 91 in 2021, and 176 in 2019 (the moon viewing event did not occur in 2020 or 2022). Because winning poems were not announced on the same evening they were submitted, the time for submissions was longer than at previous moon-viewing events, contributing to an increased number of submissions—and better yet, increased participation as more people could try writing haiku. The following are my selections of three top winners, plus a generous helping of honorable mentions, both each of the two nights. This year there were no prizes for the winners, except for the presentation of selected poems on the garden’s website.
First Place
white flowers nod
in shadows cast
by moonlight
Phyllis Kaiden
Are these flowers actually white, or do they just look white because of the moonlight? Wondering about questions like this is how a haiku can engage readers. And in this case perhaps an appreciation of the flowers happens because of moonlight, or perhaps this poem is really an appreciation of the moon because of the flowers. Or maybe it’s both.
Second Place
harvest moon
blue heron fishing
a poet’s yearning
Elizabeth Farley
A poet’s yearning is like the heron waiting patiently for a fish to catch, or like the time of harvest after farmers have patiently waited for crops to grow. A bright moon at harvest time lengthens harvesting hours, and we can see the heron alert in the moonlight. No wonder the poet is also yearning.
Third Place
half moon rising
a bat flitting
in dusky light
Anne Tarver
When the moon is higher, or later, when the moon is full, we might see fewer bats, or not at all. But when the moon is just half full, and still rising, perhaps that’s when the bats are most active, seeking after flying insects when they too are active.
Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order by last name, or first name if no last name was provided)
you are whole
in all your phases
just like the moon
Colleen Broughton
moth’s erratic flight
following moonbeams
and starlight
Elizabeth Farley
half moon rising
over scented pines
on uplifting fluted notes
Elise Gordon
full moon
I awaken suddenly
and smile
Mary Gordon
a blank sky
a moonlit night
you can see the moon up high
Evie Gossens, age 7
cold dew settles—
soft gray clouds
blanket the moon
E. Haffner
a breeze chills my spine
if I questioned the moon’s face
how would it answer?
Bri L.
if the moon still hides
we’ll meet in the softening night
and whisper it here
Laura Lorenz
a heart-breaking whine
Emma, the moon-loving Rottweiler
pining for her far-away ball
Tessa Mendoza
viewer’s footsteps—
bundled against autumn chill
warmed by moonglow
Paul Pietromonaco
trees too tall!
must move
for more moon
Mike Shurgot
a gathering crowd beckons
the bashful moon
from the emerald canopy
Aeone Singson
cloudy summer skies
flute playing songs of the moon
viewing with our ears
Clay West