Hexapod Haiku Challenge, 2022

Honorable Mention / Ages 18 & Older

house for sale –
her yard full
of butterflies

– Capotă Daniela Lăcrămioara
   Romania

This haiku provides a bit of ambiguity which is an important feature of successful haiku. The gap or space between the fragment (house for sale) and the phrase (her yard full of butterflies) is perfectly sized. The poet creates ma, or space, in their haiku and thereby invites the reader to imagine and wonder. Why is the house for sale? Has the yard gone wild, left unattended? Is the person viewing the house seeing the butterflies as some sort of sign to buy? As you can see, the judges’ thoughts traveled on many different paths as we appreciated the layers of meaning in this haiku. We all agreed that a yard full of butterflies is a wonderful outcome, no matter the reasons.

Haiku Laureates: Ages 12 & Under

 

first haiku
a ladybug lands 
on my diary

– Seby Ciobica
   Romania

If ever there was a haiku that perfectly encapsulates our mission with the Hexapod Haiku Challenge—i.e., to observe the natural world of insects and translate one’s observations into poetry—this is it. What a fortunate and almost unexpected moment, to initiate one’s hexapod haiku journey and have the inspiration arrive with such immediacy! Insects are such an integral and ubiquitous part of the world; perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised that the opportunity to interact with insects was so easy. The poet gracefully connects the reader with this moment, through simple language, a clear break between the fragment and the phrase, and touches of alliteration and euphony with ladybug and lands, and haiku and diary respectively. We join the poet on their first step of their journey into the intersection of insects and haiku.

Honorable Mentions: Ages 12 & Under

nightfall
humming a lullaby
for a little baby bug

– Seby Ciobica
   Romania

This tender haiku features a child’s relationship with insects before that child develops negative feelings for insects, as often happens as children grow up. The surprise ending triggered our own childhood memories of playing with insects outside, knowing they wouldn’t be allowed inside, and saying goodbyes before heading indoors for the evening. This haiku is infused with kokoro, a Japanese aesthetic that suggests a depth of feeling, a heart connection. The double letters in this haiku remind us of the wooden spindles of a cradle or crib, which then further enhances the moment and place the author describes.

 

https://sites.psu.edu/frost/