[UPDATED: Top 10 list below. Congratulations to all in the top 10!]
Okay, I left my brain in Georgia (currently up in Ohio) along with my Top 10 list for the haibun challenge. I will update this post when I get back down to Georgia, but I don’t need my list to remember the winning haibun. It’s not because the other haibuns were not excellent; it’s because this haibun haunted me personally (as the father of five children).
Look for updates next week, but here’s the winning haibun in the meantime:
Splash of Silence, by Taylor Graham
He left his room in disarray – toy cars scattered, coloring books on the floor with broken crayons. He didn’t make his bed this morning. How his mother would like to straighten the sheets, pull up the comforter, and fluff the pillow in its place. She watches at the window as a searcher follows his dog down the street.
creekwater giggles –
a deep pool under willow
dances small debris
*****
Wow! Please congratulate Taylor. She wrote an amazing haibun.
But she’s not alone. Here are the rest of the top 10:
- Splash of Silence, by Taylor Graham
- Widow’s Walk, by Andrea Fleming
- Cricket, by Walt Wojtanik
- “Riding the ocean waves…,” by Marjory M. Thompson
- Twenty Games Back, by Bruce Niedt
- “In the cooling shade…,” by Jane Hoover
- Her Tokens, by Taylor Graham
- “Tiny feet splash…,” by Sheila Moore
- Implosion, by Marie Elena
- Labor Day in Texas, by ChristineA
*****
Follow me on Twitter @robertleebrewer
*****
If you’re into blogging, check out this 9-minute excerpt of my hour-long tutorial 50 Ways to Increase Traffic to Your Blog.
Great job, Taylor and everyone else. Been out of it for a couple weeks so just now making it back to my blog rounds. Excited to see my name up there, too. Thanks, Robert! Sorry for the late reply.
Congratulations to Taylor, and everyone else in the top ten! I enjoyed reading all of your work.
Congratulations to all the winners!
Taylor, yours stole my very breath.
Congratulations to all!
Oh, Yes, Taylor. A fantastic job of writing. Sharing so much …. Thank You.
Congratulations to each of the others in the “Top Ten”.
And Robert – Thank You for your encouragement. I am delighted to be included in your selection.
I look forward to returning to review the offerings again. It is a great poet form that lends itself (as shown) to many feelings and thoughts.
Congratulations to you all!
Ohmigosh! Thank you so much, Robert!!
Taylor, “Her Tokens” was my favorite of all. Big time congratulations on three (3!) of the top 10!
Congratulations to all the top tenners! I have to say that I would have traded my own out for Sharon’s. Sharon, yours is included in my own list, for certain.
you are so sweet Marie Elena – I still savour my special bloom for that, so thank you again!
And congrat
dang – either I’m posting too quickly or I get cut off – I just wanted to extend congrats to the other 10 Haibun writers who made the list …
Congratulations, Taylor (and to everyone in the top ten). Taylor, your work shifted my emotions from playful to haunted. Wow. Awesome.
I read a lot of great haibun; would like to see what else made the top 10!
Always a great work from you, Taylor. Congrats.
Simply beautifully touching, Taylor. Well done, and well deserved.
Awesome job, Taylor!
Congratulations, Taylor! That is an amazing haibun.
BTW, Robert (not to put any pressure on you) but when will you be announcing this year’s “Poet Laureate”?
Congratulations Taylor!! Wonderfully written piece, so very moving.
Beautiful work, Taylor. Richly deserved choice – congratulations!
Congratulations, Taylor! This was a wonderful haibun. However, my personal favorite was the one you wrote about the the search in the woods, with the dog’s light. All of your entries were beautifully done.
Congrats, Taylor. I like the description in your prose and the haiku ends the piece nicely.
Congratulations, Taylor! You had several wonderful haibun, but this was the ONE. Richly deserved win.
Terrific choice! I liked how the haiku gave us *more* of the story, not just reiterating it.
Congratulations, Taylor. I can diefinitely see why you won first place!!
sigh, *definitely*
Thank you, Robert! I’m honored and humbled — so many wonderful haibun to choose from. Mine is for the searchers, and the lost people, and the families left behind.
Congrats Taylor – good haibun! So succinct yet profound. Well chosen Robert.
Congratulations, Taylor. It really is amazing. So much said in just a handful of lines.
This poem comes from someone very familiar with a dog’s search… I remember this one standing out, too, though I must admit I seek out your poetry in the long lists of entries. Beautiful work. Congratulations!
As do I, dandelionwine (seek out Taylor’s poetry). She is truly amazing. Great pick, Robert! Congratulations, Taylor!!
Congratulations Taylor. I remember reading this one on the contest entries and thinking…. WOW!