<p> Past Winners of the James W. Hackett Award 2002 – 2009</p><p>2002 Winner</p><p> scattering at sea . . . the great blue heron glides through him Kathy Lippard Cobb (USA ) </p><p>He has also chosen four haiku as Highly Commended (in alphabetical order):</p><p> beyond illusion the stone worn smooth in the stream Marian Olsen (USA)</p><p> in a pause when the wind dies the coo of a dove Marianne Bluger (Canada)</p><p> spring sun the cat visits the greenhouse through a broken pane Fred Schofield (UK)</p><p> the evening sky . . . I leave the curtains open a while longer Alison Williams (UK)</p><p>2003 Winners</p><p>James W Hackett has chosen two overall winning poems of equal merit:</p><p> lengthening shadow – night and the river above her eggs the hen’s heart dark and empty row boats beats against my arm full of mist</p><p>Beverley George (Australia) Ross Figgins (USA) and four Highly Commended haiku (in alphabetical order):</p><p> moonless night I borrow the light of snow Marjorie Buettner (USA)</p><p> over the mourners a flock of geese are calling on their journey north Trevor Christie (England)</p><p> plum blossoms spring sunshine lovers looking everywhere an old person now lives at each other in my body Jim Kacian (USA) Page 1 of 6 Ernest J Berry (NZ)</p><p>2004 Winner</p><p> in tonight’s woods a traveller at ease the cracking buds Mike Howell (USA)</p><p>The following fine poems are highly commended: dusk . . . honeysuckle late autumn hedgerow – and the blackbird’s song a bundle of sticks the tastiest blackberry slips between thoughts under the snow beyond reach</p><p>Jill Bennett (Scotland) Ian Daw (England) R M Atkinson (Scotland)</p><p> nettles hide unraveling back faded sweet wrappers – to the lost stitch – a rusty swing creaks autumn loneliness</p><p>Tamsin Reeves (England) Marjorie Buettner (USA)</p><p>2005 Winners</p><p>The two equal winning haiku for 2005 (with comments by J W Hackett) are:</p><p> winter festival deep mourning a village stray settles deeper still in the forest at the buskers feet dogwood in bloom</p><p>John Bird (Australia) Scott Mason (USA) </p><p>The following six poems are highly commended: news of a friend's death – turn of the tide returning sun – a sharp wind blows onshore for a while, a starfish clasping the glitter of snow where I sowed and the mist rolls in both sea and shore my father’s ashes</p><p>Trevor Christie (UK) Sheila K Barksdale (USA) Scott Mason (USA)</p><p> bounce bounce bounce glove compartment remembrance… over the winter fairway acorns picked up two seagulls arc together a couple of crows at mother’s funeral wheel apart</p><p>Michael Fessler (Japan) John Parsons (UK) Helen Buckingham (UK)</p><p>Page 2 of 6 2006 Winners</p><p>(JH) (DC) derelict airfield scudding ahead of me forget-me-nots in with the autumn leaves the cracked concrete my hat</p><p>Malcolm Williams (UK) Doris Heitmeyer (USA)</p><p>Highly Commended: (JH) (DC)</p><p> garden shed moonlit church vestry a packet of carnations a hint of incense he would’ve planted in the flower vase Katrina Shepherd (UK) Malcolm Williams (UK)</p><p> end of autumn December finding only the antlers the grey pebble holds open of the old buck a cookery book Tony A. Thompson (USA) Ken Cockburn (UK)</p><p> quiet inlet trout splash a great blue heron stilled the river returns on its reflection to blackness Bruce Ross (USA) John Barlow (UK)</p><p>Also commended (in no order, but the first was chosen by both adjudicators): JH DC construction site somewhere among the girders wind chimes Doris Heitmeyer (USA)</p><p> deepening dusk mountain summit through the scent of burning leaves the wind I struggled against the caw of a crow dries my brow Vanessa Proctor (Australia) Scott Mason (USA)</p><p> far from shore into the pinks a bee lands on the sail on the washing line – fireweed seeds last summer day John Barlow (UK) Mara Mills (USA)</p><p>Page 3 of 6 2007 Winners</p><p>JH DC polarized light – car door clunk the mixed melodies a shell of fresh snow of twilight birds. falls utterly away an’ya (US) Scott Mason (US) James Hackett’s choices: David Cobb’s choices: sunrise2007 –Highly Commended (in no particular order) backyard reverie a goose on the river calling the expanding cosmos to geese in the sky of watermelon seeds Scott Mason Martin Lucas (Eng)</p><p> windfall apples Summer at last – the softness cloud watching of the pony’s mouth Claire Knight on my back Vin Godier (Wales) my late dad’s effects – memorial – the startle when i find from her favourite vase his heavy belt hanabi the smell of fresh flowers Trevor Christie (Eng) The first is a captivating picture of someone at leisure to ‘see a world in a grain of sand.’ The second artfully leads us towards one expectation – that the apples are soft midges twist (which of course they are) – only to tell us that the pony’s in and out of sunlight mouth is even softer. the bittern’s neck And the third catches us unawares – we don’t realise the John Barlow (Eng) possible significance of that ‘dull’ (but ambiguous) word ‘effects’ until we have read the whole, possibly not once but several times: what ‘effect’ might that belt have had at her fingertip some time in the past, before it became an ‘effect’, to have follows the name of the brother such a strong effect once more when rediscovered? who didn’t return André Surridge (NZ) I would like to place 4 more haiku / senryu in the ‘ Commended’ category: </p><p>Normandy sunset— howling wind – a steeple quivers an autumn note within in the red-tinged bay the bamboo flute Kala Ramesh Scott Mason (US) (India)</p><p> old logging camp Arctic meltwater – wagon tracks disappear into wildflowers the white whales moulting Tony A Thompson in harmony Malcolm Williams (US) (Eng)</p><p> big city park, passersby queuing to nose a lilac Scott Mason (US)</p><p>Page 4 of 6 family bible a wisp of my baby hair in Revelation Ernest J Berry (NZ) 2008 Winners</p><p>David Cobb’s Winner: James Hackett’s Winner: estuary fog – asparagus bed – a bell boomerangs I compost ashes from shore to shore from a decade of poems</p><p>Malcolm Williams (UK) Linda Jeanette Ward (USA) </p><p>Highly Commended Haiku </p><p>David Cobb’s choices:</p><p>Melting snowflakes – Still waiting the night watchman for the hungry whales – remains alone myriads of stars</p><p>Eduard Tara (Romania) Eduard Tara (Romania) </p><p> now he’s here folding clothes the coarse hair of the horse . . . I am here then not here – summered grasses winter’s first rain</p><p>John Barlow (UK) Marjorie Buettner (USA)</p><p>James Hackett’s choices:</p><p> no longer knowing beating the rain… every bend in the road . . . Dad lingers last quarter moon to smell the pinks</p><p>John Barlow (UK) Helen Buckingham (UK)</p><p> a tide line the gull shifts between its reflection and shadow</p><p>Natalia L Rudychev a.k.a. Liao (USA)</p><p>Page 5 of 6 2009 Winners</p><p>James Hackett’s winner: Dee Evetts’ Winner</p><p> in the silence bee on a black key – before the dreaming I halt the metronome the warmth of a paw on my hand Malcolm Williams (UK) Claire Knight (UK)</p><p>A close second: no sign of puppy in the old dog’s eyes deep winter</p><p>Kathy Lippard Cobb (USA)</p><p>James Hackett’s highly commended: crossing the pause her book closed, mayflies – in the shouting she listens – writing their passion the cat takes my side the geese are returning on the stream</p><p>Richard Tindall (UK) Graham Duff (UK) Keith Heiberg (US)A</p><p>Dee Evetts’ highly commended:</p><p> neon buzz of the allnight crossroad cemetery kiosk . . . Roland Packer (Canada) attending to the taste of peppermint tea</p><p>John Bird (Australia) leaf storm she says something I don’t catch the heat… paul m. (USA) my wife down there lost in lotuses</p><p>Michael Fessler (Japan)</p><p>Page 6 of 6</p>