The flowering cherry tree has been the subject of countless haiku. And with good reason. These ephemeral blossoms, which provide the background image for TINYWORDS 26.1, symbolize the fleeting nature of life and the importance of cherishing each moment. As TINYWORDS begins its 26th year, we are especially mindful of these sentiments because so much of the world is wracked with chaos and wars. It is our hope that a small dose of poetry each day might ease some of the uneasiness many are feeling, given the current state of affairs.
We’d like to congratulate our two most recent writing prompt winners, Helen Buckingham and Claudette Russell, whose poems appear below. Please be sure to scroll through and enjoy all the poems offered in response to our photo prompt of a people-formed ☮️ symbol. Peace is a message always worth repeating.
Many thanks to our Assistant Editors, Polona Oblak and Carol Ann Palomba for their thoughtful reading, and to Dylan Tweney, founding editor and Technical Director, who keeps the TINYWORDS website up and running year after year.
Time now to enjoy the poetry of a worldwide community of poets who have generously shared their work for TINYWORDS 26.1.
With gratitude,
Kathe L Palka
Peter Newton,
Co-Editors
prompt winning poems:
pitching
peace
to power
peace sign
the longevity
of hope
Lovely. True and full of meaning. However, isn’t Haiku composed of three lines of 5-7-5 syllables? It usually has a beautiful reference to nature.
We all learned the 5-7-5 rule in school when we were growing up. English language haiku has evolved since then and 5-7-5 is no longer required. It has also broadened beyond nature to also include human nature!
I love both the winning peace haiku!
Thanks so much, eds, and to Robert and Melissa for your great comments. Congratulations, Claudette!
Helen, congrats to you too for your winning poem:)