Between August and October 2012, a total of 300 haiku and 18 tanka were submitted by 76 authors for this selection. The deadline for entries was October 15, 2012. Each participant could send in up to 5 haiku or tanka.
These works were anonymized by Silvia Kempen, who also took over the overall coordination, before the selection began. The jury consisted of Annette Grewe, Eve-Marie Helm and Gabriele Reinhard. The members of the selection group did not submit their own texts.
All selected works (37 haiku and 2 tanka) are listed below alphabetically by author's name - up to max. three works per author.
“A haiku / a tanka that appeals to me in particular” - under this motto, every jury member has the opportunity to choose a work (still anonymized), present it here and comment on it.
A haiku that particularly appeals to me
Selected and commented by Gabriele Reinhard:
the space
my jeans
too tight
For me, this three-liner has everything that makes a successful haiku: concreteness, haiku moment, reverberation, juxtaposition, originality, clear images and it is so short that nothing can be left out. Are you reminded of the television series "Spaceship Enterprise"? That has something humorous for me! Don't forget: "Haiku, the funny verse". What particularly affects me? The perception of your own limited growth in the face of (inf) finiteness.
Selected and commented by Annette Grewe:
evacuation
about the Jacob's ladder
from the lurching ship
This unobtrusive haiku reports on a shipwreck in the classic 5 - 7 - 5 syllable scheme. As sober and distant as the first line with the word “evacuation” comes across, it still conveys images of a catastrophe: howling sirens, frightened and disoriented people, helpers overwhelmed.
In the middle line, the escape route is described using the Jacob's ladder. This and the following line make it clear that it is a ship accident.
The alliteration "lurching ship" in the third line emphasizes the violent ship movements, which make it difficult for people to hold onto the simple rope ladder and climb down into the lifeboats.
In my eyes, the Jacob's ladder is the linchpin for this haiku. The ambiguity enables an extended interpretation of the text. In a dream vision (Gen 28,11:XNUMX), the biblical Jacob sees a heavenly ladder on which the angels ascend and descend. Above, at the end of the ladder, God himself stands and promises him land and offspring. Jacob realizes that God carries and accompanies him in all the ambiguities and aberrations of his life. The ladder connects heaven and earth and thus symbolizes the flowing contact between God and the believer.
Just as the Jacob ladder connects heaven and earth, in this haiku it clings the first and third lines together. The wet ropes and rungs become symbols of salvation and hope for the shipwrecked.
The selection
Felled tree -
in his bark was once
your name carved.
a wool hat in the snow
is felting
a child is freezing somewhere
End of vacation -
a rest of the Baltic Sea
in the handbag
Autumn evening ...
On the sleeping trees
the croak darkens.
from the hood
Snow is dusting
in our laughter
the space
my jeans
too tight
No more bell
in the tower of the old monastery -
Click cameras
findings opening
the face in the window
is mine
waiting for the Christ Child
three generations
Man does not annoy you
continuous rain
the gardener clicks
from flower to flower
coffee scented
Filter sparrow wings
the morning light
Sunday morning
one paw checks
the depth of my sleep
Autumn evening.
In the Roman fountain
streams of light.
Short of his words.
The empty field in front of her -
infinity.
Beginning of winter -
the moon freezes
in the horse trough
radio silence
the fisherman mends in the bay
his network again
The Southern Cross -
a mattress spring
is worn out.
evacuation
about the Jacob's ladder
from the lurching ship
This morning
Grandmother's ladle
full of snow
sculpture garden
in the cornucopia of the goddess
a spider web
already the asters
in the mild light
weigh our words
brittle singing -
on the urn
a guitar
when awakening
the tree in the room
Vollmond
sleepless night…
my mother's picture
loses contours
Autumn rain -
the blue on the palette
is getting darker.
Scirocco ...
now they're cutting ocher sludge
in Roussillon
From around the world…
He continues browsing
to the stock exchange part
Fresh snow -
all data on the gravestone
deleted…
Syrup moon
he takes his brush
after a month of gray
Angry words
the steam hits you cold
Winter before
he throws out his fishing rod
in the reflection of the trees
the birds disappear
On the gravel path
in dialogue
our steps
Cable cut.
Nowhere is a light on
between you and me
autumn leaves
under the old boots
no rustling
In September moor -
our long shadows
streak tufts of grass
Warm summer night -
on the street and in the house
Traffic noise.
heat wave
the candle in the grave light
the geschmolz
speechless at the sight
the thunderous speech
of the waterfall
from leaves
the green withdraws
along the river
I'm looking for the colors
of your words
Clear sky today -
the magpie on the balcony
carries something in its beak.
Is it my hearing aid
that I'm desperately looking for?
