Top Winners
British Columbia
just a petal
the mountain vanishes
into pink air
Jill Stanley
Victoria, British Columbia
Canada
the more I have
the less I need—
cherry blossoms!
Aurora Antonovic
Tecumseh, Ontario
United States
one street connects
to another—
cherry blossoms
Tish Davis
Dublin, Ohio
International
cherry blossoms—
one more go
on the old swing
Terry O’Connor
Galway City, Ireland
Best Youth
late for school
cherry blossoms in the way
i can’t get through
Pearl Bird, age 11
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Sakura Awards
dentist’s office
the morning sun dips
into cherry blossoms
Laryalee Fraser
Salmon Arm, British Columbia
moon bridge…
a cherry tree reaching up
reaching down
Susan Constable
Nanoose Bay, British Columbia
gazing through
a canopy of cherry blossoms . . .
the star-studded sky
Elehna de Sousa
Salt Spring Island, British Columbia
under the cherry blossoms
the pink-cheeked jogger
pants past
Carolye Kuchta
Vancouver, British Columbia
cherry walkabout
the waggle dance of a bee
blossoms
Roland Packer
Hamilton, Ontario
for the briefest moment
before it lands
shadow of a cherry petal
Claudia Coutu Radmore
Carleton Place, Ontario
hint of her scent
in the cashmere sweater
cherry blossoms
DeVar Dahl
Magrath, Alberta
fallen pink petals—
the cherry tree’s shadow
blossoming
Anne Cooper
Montreal, Québec
cherry blossoms
the path to the shed
almost hidden
Barry Goodmann
Hackensack, New Jersey
cherry blossoms
spill into the village—
the sunlit children
Michael McClintock
Fresno, California
eightieth birthday
the streets paved with
cherry blossom petals
Elena Naskova
Seattle, Washington
cherry blossoms—
my childhood books
out of print
Karen Cesar
Tucson, Arizona
moon
floating through cherry blossoms
but only one moon
Ken Hurm
Morganfield, Kentucky
noontime carillon
cherry blossoms disappear
into new grass
Dorothy McLaughlin
Somerset, New Jersey
cherry orchard
raining white blossoms
with each ax swing
Cynthia Cechota
Dubuque, Iowa
multi-tasking . . .
she misses another
cherry blossom
Bill Pauly
Dubuque, Iowa
’79 Dodge . . .
cherry blossoms muffle
its muffler
Andrew Riutta
Traverse City, Michigan
dodge ball
even the cherry blossoms
scatter
Garry Gay
Santa Rosa, California
a cherry blossom . . .
the moment
I first believed
Chad Lee Robinson
Pierre, South Dakota
cherry blossoms
she tells me her name
in sign language
Robert Bauer
Big Wheeling Creek, West Virginia
suicide . . .
I sink into the foam
of cherry blossoms
Earl Keener
Bethany, West Virginia
from home
the little porcelain girl
forever smelling cherry blossoms
Jennie Townsend
O’Fallon, Missouri
wind ravages the blossoms
I think of you
not at all
Lana Ayers
Kingston, Washington
a long interval
between joggers—
cherry petals
Diana Webb
Leatherhead, England
freewheeling . . .
the cherry blossom canopy
becomes the track
Susan Shand
Liskeard, United Kingdom
cherry blossoms . . .
the clip-clop of horses
distant now
Katherine Gallagher
London, England
cherry blossoms
on the sidewalk . . .
somebody’s name
Leonie Bingham
Stony Chute, Australia
Geese on the river
peck at cherry blossoms—
their stretched necks
Ian Storr
Sheffield, United Kingdom
cherry blossoms—
no need to decorate
the birthday cake
Katrina Shepherd
Dunblane, Scotland
dusk in the yard
the only light there is
a blossoming cherry
Ljubomir Radovancevic
Zagreb, Croatia
spring storm
my old cherry orchard
all in one window
Jacek Margolak
Kielce, Poland
sakura
an old artist hones in
on one cherry petal
Lech Szeglowski
Gdansk, Poland
Honourable Mentions
rain soaked mailman
pink cherry petals
puddle underfoot
Karen Crawford
Surrey, British Columbia
unsent letters
in his personal effects
cherry blossoms
Trish Shields
Courtenay, British Columbia
alone in the garden
cherry petals on the bench—
last year, you and I
Helen Helvoigt
Bridge Lake, British Columbia
cherry blossoms
here gone
again
David Randen
Coquitlam, British Columbia
Scent of cherry trees
I relive a childhood love
Under a white veil
Meg Elliott
North Vancouver, British Columbia
Let go!
The swing lifts me up
into cherry blossoms
Lorene Oikawa
Surrey, British Columbia
a rainstorm
thins the cherry blossoms—
their scent rises
Erin Bow
Kitchener, Ontario
a cherry petal falls
vanishes
on baby’s cheek
Sheila M Ross
Gatineau, Québec
the O
of baby’s mouth . . .
cherry blossom rain
Roberta Beary
Washington, DC
cherry blossoms
on the half-dead tree
the pull of sunshine
Adelaide B. Shaw
Millbrook, New York
dancing
in my new pink shoes—
cherry blossoms!
Catherine J. S. Lee
Eastport, Maine
spring rain—
potholes fill
with cherry blossoms
John Holt (tori inu)
Armed Forces Pacific, USA
not alone
cherry blossom
I too, must fall
Michele L. Harvey
Hamilton, New York
taking and giving
the morning light
cherry blossoms
Melissa Spurr
Joshua Tree, California
our way back
last year’s cherry trees
this year’s blossoms
Gary Hotham
Scaggsville, Maryland
oh these little words
they will never be
a cherry blossom
Timothy Sparen
New London, Connecticut
homeless veterans
in the park . . . decorated
by cherry blossoms
Marilyn Murphy
Providence, Rhode Island
night viewing—
blossom
lantern or moon
Carmi Soifer
Suquamish, Washington
past her due date
trying to recall
cherry blossoms
Elliot Nicely
Amherst, Ohio
grandma’s apron . . .
cherry petals stil
in the pockets
Brett Brady
Pahoa, Hawaii
sidewalk blossoms—
street noise and a song’s
last notes
Sherry Weaver Smith
San Ramon, California
on the back of my hand
last petal—
of the cherry blossom stamp
Jyothirmai Gubili
Flushing, New York
cherry blossoms
on paper—a gift from Seiji
I write the world
Nuri Rosegg
Vienna, Austria
the motorcade
makes an unscheduled stop
cherry blossoms
Tony Beyer
New Plymouth, New Zealand
falling
for each other
cherry blossoms
Gabriel Rosenstock
County Dublin, Ireland
brawl’s echoes—
amidst the cherry blossoms
a sudden silence
Andrea Cecon
Tavagnacco, Italy
my bicycle
slows to a wobble
cherry blossoms
Sheila Windsor
Worcester, England
cherry blossoms
light up the sky . . .
daybreak
Dawn Bruce
St Leonards, Australia
from bloom to bloom
flying into its own glow . . .
a red butterfly
Mary Privat
Naucelle, France
letterbox opened—
the round dance of bills and
cherry blossom petals
Anthony Anatoly Kudryavitsky
Dun Laoghaire, Ireland
Sugihara Memorial—
yellow dandelions blossom
under a sakura tree
Hana Nestieva
Jerusalem, Israel
Easter parade
on the priest’s habit
cherry petals
Mark Miller
Shoalhaven Heads, Australia
cherry petals
on the old guard dog
asleep beneath the tree
Tomislav Maretic
Gornje Vrapche, Zagreb, Croatia
silence . . .
my body too is
a blossoming cherry
Dubravko Korbus
Ivanic Grad, Croatia
in shadow play
the moss on the fence
with cherry blossoms
Josko Armanda
Split, Croatia
cherry blossoms
my life
my death
Dietmar Tauchner
Puchberg, Austria
Wastepaper collection.
Under cherry blossoms
a travel brochure.
Volker Friebel
Tuebingen, Germany
More view—he says
trimming the cherry tree
trimming my view
Valeria Barouch
Cologny, Switzerland
Again and again
we meet and part
under the sakura blossoms.
Wai Peng Lee
Singapore
into the bus
and downtown—
cherry petal
Rafal Zabratynski
Rzeszow, Poland
Youth Sakura Winners
Cherry petals
the blushing color of her face
after her first kiss
Annie Hui, age 15
Vancouver, British Columbia
after the storm—
making
blossom angels
Harry Frentz, age 12
Tauranga, New Zealand
a pink scarf
around the full moon:
cherry blossoms
Héloïse Bonnet, age 16
Rodez, France
Falling gently
pretty cherry blossoms. . .
Ouch! A bee!
Vanessa Tam, age 12
Vancouver, British Columbia
Twirling so freely
Your petals so delicate
I wish to be you
Emma Field, age 9
Port Moody, British Columbia
Petals fall like rain
Disturbing the clear water
My reflection—gone
Nicole Kapphahn, age 14
Prince George, British Columbia
A tiny dewdrop
On a cherry tree petal
One touch and it’s gone
Aaron Kordyban, age 14
Prince George, British Columbia
Light pink petals
Swaying gently back and forth
Falling with no regrets
Nastya Martseva, age 15
Vancouver, British Columbia
Hurting, aching,
Too much grieving—
But look, a blossom in the air!
Charlie Tang, age 10
Vancouver, British Columbia
Sakura blooming
lasting only a moment
before descending
Malina Malla, age 14
Abbotsford, British Columbia
Youth Honourable Mentions
staring down
at the deserted sidewalk—
cherry blossoms
Sherry Zhou, age 10
Vancouver, British Columbia
The snow has fallen
But the cherry blossoms say
Time to play soccer
Sebastian Torres, age 10
Coquitlam, British Columbia
The cherry blossoms
Falling and dancing with life
Hit the ground and die
Thomas Jaggard, age 17
Coquitlam, British Columbia
They drift to the ground
In a big river of blooms
Beautiful blossoms
Shanta Borrego, age 10
Coquitlam, British Columbia
Swirling in the sky
Cherry blossoms falling
Coating me with joy
Catherine Petrelli, age 10
Coquitlam, British Columbia
Dead and forgotten
cherry blossoms float away
then new ones arrive
Lucas Souliotis, age 14
Prince George, British Columbia
I hold its hand
As the cherry blossom utters
The words of beauty
Rachel Ingram, age 13
North Vancouver, British Columbia
Sitting on a branch
In a garden of soft pink
Like a cloud, floating
Jason Liu, age 13
Vancouver, British Columbia
Beauty giving might
Budding pink pearls reach for light
Cherry blossoms bright
Yana Volodarets, age 17
New Westminster, British Columbia
Cherry blossom tree
A petal falls on my lips
The sakura kiss
Conniver Cheung, age 13
Kamloops, British Columbia
All pretty in pink
So tender your life cycle
Delicate flower
Justin Ball, age 11
Ft. St. John, British Columbia
Over the long road
An arch of pink flowers sway
In the soft spring breeze
Andrew Black, age 8
Vancouver, British Columbia
Look out the window
What do you see in this sight
Missing the blossoms
Kim Bui, age 10
Burnaby, British Columbia
Gateway to heaven
Blooming cherry blossoms lead me
Down a quiet path
Maria Kim, age 10
Coquitlam, British Columbia
On a clear blue sky
Not a cloud in sight
Cherry blossoms fall without a care
Gursharan Parhar, age 15
Vancouver, British Columbia
Bubblegum beauty
sweet muse of an artist’s dream
delicate flower
Gabrijela Mijatovic, age 16
Prince George, British Columbia
A gentle breeze blows
Pink blossoms fall to the ground
Peaceful forever
Isabelle Spinney, age 12
Burnaby, British Columbia
I love the flower
The smell takes me to heaven
Does it take you there?
Jasmine Somani, age 13
North Vancouver, British Coloumbia
A cherry blossom
Has the color of a rose
The silence says all
Hannah Johnston, age 10
Vancouver, British Columbia
We wave.
We are flowers.
Well, we used to be.
Jade Bodner, age 7
Comox, British Columbia