Fall/ Winter 2024 Haiku Contest Winners Announced!
1st Prize “Tinnitus”
Tinnitus
hiss of falling snow
harmonizes with white noise
ringing in my ears
Matthew Kohut has worked as a writer, teacher, and musician. His poetry has appeared or is forthcoming in Tar River Poetry, Psaltery and Lyre, River Heron Review, and The Dewdrop, among other publications.
2nd Prize “Sick Day”
Sick Day
Issues with tissues
Concoctions to stop the cough
I’ll take the day off
Donna Harlan resides in Jonesborough, Tennessee. She has published one collection of poems, and her works have been featured in several publications.
3rd Prize “Account Deactivated”
Account Deactivated
A pill bottle emptied.
Last online 4 weeks ago,
All posts deleted.
Isabelle Tran is a rising third year medical student at the Burnett School of Medicine at Texas Christian University who is currently taking a sabbatical year to conduct academic research and explore passions like reading and writing. Prior to medical school, she studied Cognitive Sciences at the University of California, Irvine and is passionate about innovation in medicine, especially in ways to uplift marginalized communities, seen in her work with the An Lanh Free Clinic and at Cognoa, a pediatric digital health company.
Dear Ms Tran,
You’ve packed a lot of power into this haiku. It leaves the reader curious about what happened to the person who finished the pill bottle? Was this intended to suggest a suicide? Is this why the “social media?” account was deactivated? What kind of account were you referring to?
Great work!
Dear Mr. Kohut.
What inspired you to write TInnitus? Is your experience personal?
Does it interfere with your ability to play music?
I think we often take for granted our basic senses: touch, taste, smell, hearing and sight. They are all precious gifts. Your poem reminded me of how delicate and fragile each one of these precious gifts are.
“Tinnitus” is based on personal experience. I’m fortunate that it does not interfere with my ability to play music, but it is a constant background soundtrack.
Congrats to all the winners!