Birmingham Public Library Presents
2016 Haiku Contest Collection
Index of Authors Beginning in 2014, the Birmingham Public Library has sponsored an annual haiku contest, open to all residents of the state of Alabama. Participants are invited to participate in either of the Adult (18+) or Youth (ages 13-17) categories, and winners were selected by members of the southeast chapter of the Haiku Society of Alabama, under the coordination of Terri French. In the following pages you will find most of the entries for the 2016 contest, beginning with the Adult entries. Entries are grouped by author, winning haiku are marked with an asterisk (*). This year’s grand prizes winners were Urainah Glidewell (adult) and Katie W. (youth).
For additional information about the Haiku Contest and the Birmingham Public Library, please visit bplonline.org/programs/haiku.
Special thanks to BPL Director Angela Fisher Hall, Donya Deal, Haruyo Miyagawa, Melinda Shelton, Roy Williams, Lisa Smith, and Lance Simpson. This booklet was edited by Allie Graham.
Jane E. Allen Leigh Allen Myra Ward Barra Tana Birky Joanna Bosko Robert Burgins, Jr. Ashley Burkett Raymond Busler Robert P. Collins Allie Crump Bev Gattis Virginia Gilbert William Gillette Urainah Glidewell Randy C. Hale Jerri Hardesty Charles Kinnaird Lori Lasseter Hamilton Matthew W. Layne Lindsey Little Stephen McClurg Russ Mitchell Lauren Moran Kevin Schultz Debra Self Sandra Sprayberry
2 2 3 4 7 6 5 7 7 5 7 8 3 1 10 9 11 12 12 13 14 12 14 15 15 15
Christopher Michael Suda 16 Matthew Mitchell Swan Ethan Tibbs Michael Virga Mickie Wiggins H Jeanette Willert Remona W. Winston
16 17 19 18 18 20
Angie B. Linley B. Kaitlyn C. Lillian C. Ally C. CC Daniels Allison H. Carson M. Maryn Francis M. Stephen M. Jenna Francis M. Lauren N. C. Park N. Luis P. Jessica P. Lillian R. Peyton S. Caroline S. Mary T. Katie W. Jordan W.
22 23 23 24 22 23 25 25 21 25 24 26 25 27 25 28 27 28 28 21 28
Adult Category
Urainah Glidewell
*Broken crayons, She drew new universes On empty walls.
Fallen fires dance Nephilim cast from Heaven Graceful in disgrace
Wanton destruction Winds struggling with themselves Cloud walls crashing down 1
Leigh Allen As nightfall returns Cloaking the dim shreds of light Eyes close, yet sleep fails. Radiance of dawn Piercing the darkest of night Illumination A road once traveled Beckoning, ever tempting Truth slashes the lore
Jane Allen Diamond crusted ice brilliant jewels of nature slippery treasure. Iced pine trees stand bare exposing old rusted cars modern junkyard art. Soft whispers of snow dark shadows of bare-branched trees winterscape revealed. 2
Pink, cherry blossoms Falling on baby strollers Young mothers walking
Myra Ward Barra
Faces full of awe Ice cream dripping off small chins Flame throwers, night sky
Iced, cold lemonade Hanging ferns, cascades of green Southern front porch calls
“Don’t stare at the sun.” “What is it hiding?”
Will Gillete
spanish moss, disembodied harp strings My ear, a winter leaf stepped on by Michael Jackson 3
Winter is coming. Everyone watches TV No one looks outside.
Tana Birky
The rising water Makes the swim to land longer Than it was last year. The sun sets. Nocturnal eyes glow, mimicking the moon and stars above. The leaf is one of many in the tree, and the tree one of many in the forest. A strong wind blows and the sapling bends. It does not break. The first flower blooms. Tomorrow it will be one of thousands but today it is alone. Can you tell just by looking at the tree how deep its roots go? The mouse proceeds cautiously, Checking every direction. The cat’s gaze never wavers. The ice is melting, But I do not feel warmer. My blood has gone cold.
4
sitting under dying branches higher higher words giving life
Ashley Burkett
cold climbing limbs reaching covering emptiness my book and I *curled up winter cold wraps around words on pages
As I lie in bed, March winds rattle the branches. Spring’s sweet lullaby
Allie Crump
The harvest moon rose as the sun set in the west Blanketed by stars
Infatuated. His sunburned nose touches mine as our lips collide 5
Robert Burgins Jr. Furnished potential, unable to put forward it’s worthy purpose. Where’s the rainbow’s end amidst this desert’s mirages that come rain or shine?
The streets need a word thru the summer and winter, now more than ever
Easy and breezy for anticipated days yet lonely and reclusive the feeling for a heart helpless and cold
A terrible reign that has so much success that yields the true one’s achievement of best Moral simplicity fades like fishes in the sea when the best thing to do is at reach of those whom could perform a great deed 6
Raymond Busler resting from the fall the acorn dreams twittering birds weave nests in her hair
Joanna Bosko The Courthouse spire pierces the night sky - Moondrop tears fall on honeysuckles.
Robert P. Collins Thunder, traffic drone Above this dark cloud blanket hides a full spring moon
Bev Gattis Here now, fertile earth pushing life through new soil A change. A wait. A hope.
Wasted years washing life’s shore like sea-life skeletons, brittle and cold 7
Among fashion in the display window sit two books cut into words On the page words are cold but are heated in the flames of burning books Fire on the sun flares across long magnetic space breaking windows
Virginia Gilbert
Shimmering sunlight at the end of the long pier white horses prancing This morning, fog on the mountain. Night doesn’t fall; it rises from troubled earth. The calendar page shakes the heavy winter snows from its new turned leaf
8
Blade tips of bulb plants Slice through Earth’s soft soily skin, Sacrifice of Spring.
Jerri Hardesty
Water suspends sand Ocean waves licking bare feet A rough feline tongue. Her tears fell into The earth and into the streams Flowing in the sea Green chameleon Slips beneath fresh-fallen leaves Absorbing colors.
White bird sails blue skies Wheels and dips by ocean side Weaves day into night. Single cricket chirps Stops, waits, chirps again, stops, waits Sound of loneliness. Naked trees shiver Harsh winds rattle bony limbs Skeletons dancing.
Lively azaleas Riot in rainbow colors A loud cheerful crowd Young cherry tree leans Escapes shadow of elders Discovers sunlight.
9
If you own a horse You also need a backhoe And space of the earth
Randy Hale
The rooster crowed and Awakened the hens and me As the dawn light broke Yellow daisies grew In that abandoned graveyard Decorating past Her tears fell into The earth and into the streams Flowing in the sea
The birds are chirping This beautiful sunny day Singing high sweet tweets
Nature, it has warmed The jonquils in February For they rise blooming The geese sail in air keeping each other in sight honk honk they bellow The old spring still flows Indifferent to the ghosts Who linger it’s banks The old bulldog rolls on his back in the sunshine Another lazy day
10
blossoms which herald the bright promises of spring sometimes wait in snow
Charles Kinnaird
dark waters reflect the beauty of the sunrise as do human hearts dry October air the afternoon sun’s slant rays joy comes unbidden sea birds greet the sun half-humming an ancient song that brings a new day
lanterns remind us lesser lights will show the way when darkness comes flocks gather where waters sustain – Sabbath time a single bud shares the symmetry of all the world
knowing the seasons the fallen leaf relaxes into autumn’s grace
sometimes in snow blossoms will herald springtime beauty 11
Matthew Layne Tornado siren. Trees twist, cars fly, and hearts break. Alabama spring. Evening arrives more slowly in the springtime Night loves day’s flowers The cats cry loudly in Irondale. When the man pours their food. Silence. Mimosa blossoms, Whimsical pink fuzzy tufts. Yard by Dr. Seuss.
Lori Lasseter Hamilton gray pavement shimmers beneath a yellow jacket dressing my forearm
Russ Mitchell Peanut butter and Doritos on warm whitebread Dassa good sammich 12
Hungry felines know Where the givers are. Open The cloy of garlic
Lindsey Little
Silver herons wade In shallows. Rippled miss and Again a fish swims. White dogwood blooms And fall in the same breath. Ungrateful sniffle Algal blooms cyan Nutrient-rich and deadly. Shouts of white barn owls Sewing promises With the soil still cold Tomorrow’s seedlings Orange honeysuckle Open trumpets for bees. Sinal constipation Fish lull beneath ice Yawning through the winter Alive in the spring Water moccasin Peeping over the bayroot. Spring fauna with one less Martins in gourds Chirrup, warble, twitter, sing Sounds through the pillow 13
Stephen McClurg She opens a book she read to him and hears more than all this rain.
Through a fogged window, a smile floats. February bites--ice in the rain. My toddler smiles--flicks the bug onto her tongue--shows me her empty hands.
Lauren Moran mossy greens, stark blues. rivulets of water flow reflecting sunshine. flashes of bright green appears between the lightnings. rain pours and wind blows. sirens are wailing black skies, strong winds, water falls tornado is here 14
Old skin feels the sun A trembling hand reaches in vain, its shadow alive
Kevin Schultz
The life lived hungers consuming lives that might be Never satisfied
Clouds alert at dusk above funneling rush hour traffic; phones unset from vibrate.
Sandra Sprayberry
Red Mountain hoists up Vulcan on its iron ore spine. A red torch topples. A rainbow volleyballs through its net of punch-hole cloud. Sun dog, fall-streak, UFO?
cool wind blows catching brown leaves up in nippy swirl fall in piles on ground
Debra Self
hare alert bunny’s ears perk up as twigs snap 15
Christopher Suda Broken folded wings language literate, untongued epiphanies of peace
Our dead own stars extinguished light beneath pale reddened sod set free Adam stole our world zyklon swings clouds into a noose Eve can’t find her smokes
Michael Mitchell Swan I have not yet found Those still waters at the shores My soul combs by night
No waves rasp the beach Under winter’s slate stone sky Like ghosts of your touch That which shades the eyes In spring becomes the detritus Of all our falls. 16
Ethan Tibbs Lush trees line my path Vibrant and full of love, they Beckon me forward
Sunrise and sunset Flames dance in the night sky as They announce the time We are the ostrich Burying our minds online When earth is scary
Beautiful eyes watch Back and forth they follow me Hoping I drop food
Busy, busy bee Work all day and work all night Bring that honey home
17
H. Jeanette Willert Daffodil shoots spear soft loam gleefully baffling winter’s cold resolve. Winter’s waning light adorns white pelicans’ wings as the host alights. Waning winter sun rides the ripples of the lake. Inside, the fire warms. Gliding drapes of fog creep over the sea gulls scream, unseen Snow softly settles filling hollows of tall pines. Covered, nearby, her grave.
Mickie Wiggins the big blue bucket barreled back down boulder hill then blew all apart 18
Michael Virga Bowie -- a king David: “Heroes” we’ll be just us for more than one day Father calls my heart in to joy with my soul -never homeless I hear Glenn Fry through the waves -- he’s not a dead eagle *slowing Niagara falls down to a freeze frame ever notice that N o ë l has the look of L o v e didn’t know she went in for the miracle lift: the joy of Joan the Heights beyond the wuthering Heaven soggy brewed rice the push of the press saké 19
Remona Winston
Embrace me softly warm me like good soft cotton a maze of perfect rows grow my child nice and sweet fell asleep woke up teenage water love nourish grow fast love hurt love hurt love time flies skies turn blue sometimes Ribet up the church sidewalk curls bouncing lace flowing say my speech Chirping singing softly tenderly round mulberry bush spring forward fall back hurry across the finish line
20
Youth Category
Katie W. *And there she lies Flowers as her tombstone On the unmarked grave The wind gently sang Swan songs like a lullabies Through the dying trees
Maryn Francis M. *Lying in the pine I breathe in the cold, fresh air It pierces my lips Warm in the sunlight Yet chilly in the shadows Spring is upon us 21
Angie B. On Haiku day The boys love poetry Simple and short Full blue darkness, yet small slivers of light reach out morning’s glory comes crisp morning air nips sun flits through the mountain pines warms the springing earth Overnight the buds spring forth pink white and fragrant naked trees no more a flick of the tail chir-rup, a tease to the dog she will not be caught
Ally C. We stand behind stage All the work for this moment Nationals start now
22
Lynley B. Questioning the route empty solace in the wild lost and found again natures eyes closed jarring open the body of mind and time
C.C. Daniels death and shadows run golden rays seep through stems breathing new life
Kaitlyn C. beauty is in her she is within all of us she is mother earth
it sets in the west it is reborn in the east the sun calls me home The rustle of leaves The invigorating air Fall has arrived here 23
Lillian C. Rust grime smoke brick Elegant chic trendy hip Style in Birmingham Rugged red mountains Steel beams shoot up to the sky The Magic City Leaves crunch under me Crisp air wafts through shedding trees Autumn has arrived
Jenna Francis M. A snowy owl Her baby cries out for her A warm wing wraps round The breeze awakens A sweet dew then rises This wave consumes me The smog and the smoke The air no longer clean Clings to my lungs and clothing 24
Carson M. Time to race As the gun goes off -bangall fears are gone
Stephen M. Crisp leaves turn red shades The Crimson Cross state turns brisk Birds flee the cool fall
Allison H. No heart deserves a lie But a dreadful part inside deserves to cry So the soul is tied
Jessica P. You are like a rose Magnificent at first glance Yet covered in thorns
C. Park N. The sun is shining I open up my dark eyes to see the beauty. 25
One little rain drop Does not create a lake but It makes a ripple
Lauren N.
Every tall tree Was not always so great; it Was once just a seed
We only remember The sun’s warm rays when there is No light to be seen
Where do dying birds go? Do they disappear or fly off to heaven?
The stars get brighter Slowly but surely until It’s morning again
In the midst of hard times A single tear is like Rain in a drought
Every grain of sand was Once a boulder and every tree Was once a seed
26
Luis P. *Gold gliding softly down Burning and captivating reds Bare wood spires Glimpses of life Waiting flowers and creatures Burst of colors and soul
still crisp leaves hushed tranquil skittish creatures at rest Howling wind bites us
Payton S. May the wind not cease Wind is gentle yet ceaseless Placid is the wind.
Rain is falling down. Flowers begin blossoming. Spring is coming soon. 27
Jordan W. On winters last day The flowers woke up again For now it is spring
Mary T. Life is like a beach Any shore can be remolded When tides are high
Lillian R. Slowly lingering through the water With white feathers radiant against the blue A peace of mind ensured
Caroline S. Children play in the snow People die inside freezing cold goodbyes Stagnant, Hot air breathing heavy as I run Freezing water hits my throat 28
Index of Authors Beginning in 2014, the Birmingham Public Library has sponsored an annual haiku contest, open to all residents of the state of Alabama. Participants are invited to participate in either of the Adult (18+) or Youth (ages 13-17) categories, and winners were selected by members of the southeast chapter of the Haiku Society of Alabama, under the coordination of Terri French. In the following pages you will find most of the entries for the 2016 contest, beginning with the Adult entries. Entries are grouped by author, winning haiku are marked with an asterisk (*). This year’s grand prizes winners were Urainah Glidewell (adult) and Katie W. (youth).
For additional information about the Haiku Contest and the Birmingham Public Library, please visit bplonline.org/programs/haiku.
Special thanks to BPL Director Angela Fisher Hall, Donya Deal, Haruyo Miyagawa, Melinda Shelton, Roy Williams, Lisa Smith, and Lance Simpson. This booklet was edited by Allie Graham.
Jane E. Allen Leigh Allen Myra Ward Barra Tana Birky Joanna Bosko Robert Burgins, Jr. Ashley Burkett Raymond Busler Robert P. Collins Allie Crump Bev Gattis Virginia Gilbert William Gillette Urainah Glidewell Randy C. Hale Jerri Hardesty Charles Kinnaird Lori Lasseter Hamilton Matthew W. Layne Lindsey Little Stephen McClurg Russ Mitchell Lauren Moran Kevin Schultz Debra Self Sandra Sprayberry
2 2 3 4 7 6 5 7 7 5 7 8 3 1 10 9 11 12 12 13 14 12 14 15 15 15
Christopher Michael Suda 16 Matthew Mitchell Swan Ethan Tibbs Michael Virga Mickie Wiggins H Jeanette Willert Remona W. Winston
16 17 19 18 18 20
Angie B. Linley B. Kaitlyn C. Lillian C. Ally C. CC Daniels Allison H. Carson M. Maryn Francis M. Stephen M. Jenna Francis M. Lauren N. C. Park N. Luis P. Jessica P. Lillian R. Peyton S. Caroline S. Mary T. Katie W. Jordan W.
22 23 23 24 22 23 25 25 21 25 24 26 25 27 25 28 27 28 28 21 28
Birmingham Public Library Presents
2016 Haiku Contest Collection