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