Again this year, C-VILLE asked readers to capture the beauty, agony, or mystery of love—in just 17 syllables. They signed, sealed, and delivered haikus that both broke our hearts and put them back together. Here’s our winner and 10 runners-up. Happy Valentine’s Day!
FIRST PLACE
The wise wind sighs, time
To soar, sweetest butterfly;
I’ll never let go.
—Jason Stajduhar
RUNNERS-UP
True lovers are we
Of passion, bliss and concord
Just not each other.
—Anne Olsson Loebs
A crumb shared with you,
golden light warms empty hands—
love, a quiet feast.
—Winslow Whiskerby
An aha moment—
“Let love be the path you take;
arise, and go forth…”
—James Irving Mann
Sweethearts in high school
Dysfunctional marriages
Last chapter so sweet
—Martha Coates
It’s cold out today,
we should heat it up right now.
Meet me in the bed.
—Tim Parker
Still just friends. Orange
embers glow, giving hope, he
mouths “elephant shoe.”
—Sandy McGinnis
Oh my racing heart
Long black hair flies behind him
As he bikes past me
—Sadie Rementer
You’re the funny one
in this family, you said.
How you made me shine!
—Cynthia Woodring
You and the salt air
My one constant memory
Just like an anchor
—Mary Courts
My roots tell my tale,
Melanin rich, bold, and proud,
History lives on.
—Favor Muriuki
