2012 Hexapod Haiku Challenge Winners!

The winners have been announced in the 2012 Hexapod Haiku Challenge!
You can see all of them on the NCSU Insect Museum Blog.

I especially liked this one, probably because I am contemplating some big changes in my life right now:

Molting is a must
The vehicle is renewed
Same old heavy soul

Anish Thakkar; Raleigh, NC

They also have some classic haiku and other short poems; this one is profoundly true:

Even with insects—
some can sing,
some can’t.

- Kobayashi Issa, 1763–1828

Check them all out for a nice break.

Check it out!

Hexapod Haiku Contest!

It’s time once again for the NCSU Insect Museum’s Hexapod Haiku Contest!

hexapod haiku -
short poems that celebrate
most Arthropoda

The goal of this contest is to encourage people to think about the myriad ways in which insects and other terrestrial arthropods interact with their environments and other organisms (including humans!) and to express these thoughts through short poems. Despite the name of this contest we actually encourage any short poems you’re inspired to write, including (but not limited to!):

• Haiku (of course): An elegant medium, traditionally focusing on seasonal changes and nature and with a relatively standard format and objective.
• Senryū: Similar in structure to haiku but focused on the foibles of of humans and, in our case, insects, rather than seasons and nature.
• Haiga: A haiku that is accompanied by an illustration. Include a photo or draw a picture!
• Any other short poem you want to write!

We offer four awards with (small) prizes: 1) best in show, 2) runner-up, 3) best entry from poet under the age of 13, 4) runner-up from poet under the age of 13. Poems from any of the categories listed above are eligible to win any of the awards and therefore are judged together.

We also have honorable mention categories that change every year depending on the submissions we get (most traditional, funniest, best IPM-themed poem, etc.)

Visit the NCSU Insect Museum website for details on how to enter.

You can also browse through the past 5 years of winners with the tag “haiku” for inspiration and enjoyment.  A favorite of mine from 2011:

flowers’ bouquet
rousts them from their slumber
— bacon for bees

Hexapod Haiku Winners Announced

If you haven’t already paid a visit to the NCSU Insect Museum Blog, now is the time!
They have announced the winners of their yearly Haiku/poetry challenge in several blog posts over the last week.

Here’s one I thought was especially poignant:

at rest
on the hospice wall
a mayfly

Charles Trumbull

4th Annual Hexapod Haiku Challenge!

Hurray! Once again, the North Carolina State University Insect Museum is sponsoring a Haiku Challenge!  Here’s the specs:

The goal of this contest is to encourage people to think about the myriad ways in which insects and other terrestrial arthropods interact with their environments and other organisms (including humans!) and to express these thoughts through short poems. Despite the name of this contest we actually encourage any short poems you’re inspired to write, including (but not limited to!):

• Haiku (of course): An elegant medium, traditionally focusing on seasonal changes and nature and with a relatively standard format and objective.
• Senryū: Similar in structure to haiku but focused on the foibles of of humans and, in our case, insects, rather than seasons and nature.
• Haiga: A haiku that is accompanied by an illustration. Include a photo or draw a picture!

Any other short poem you want to write!
We offer four awards with (small) prizes: 1) best in show, 2) runner-up, 3) best entry from poet under the age of 13, 4) runner-up from poet under the age of 13. Poems from any of the categories listed above are eligible to win any of the awards and therefore are judged together.

…Your haiku should be submitted by 11:59pm, March 20th (first day of spring!)

See their website for rules and details of how to submit. Get busy!

Last Year’s Winner:

Major, Undeclared

Silverfish, tell me,
Darwin and Dostoevsky,
do they taste the same?

Submit! To Hexapod Haikus

Once again, it’s time for the Hexapod Haiku Challenge from the North Carolina State University Insect Museum!

They usually have entries from all around the world–will you be participating?

“Haiku is a fun medium, traditionally focusing on seasonal changes and nature (including insects and other terrestrial and freshwater arthropods!), and with a relatively standard format that makes judging (perhaps) less difficult. We will definitely accept minor departures from traditional haiku “rules” (i.e., the 5-7-5 onji composition). We’d also love to see more haiga (a haiku that is accompanied by an image) and senryu (short poem about human and/or, in this case, insect foibles) though they will be judged as haiku equivalents.

For you we offer three awards with (small) prizes: 1) best in show, 2) runner-up, 3) best entry from poet under the age of 13. We also have honorable mention categories that change every year depending on the submissions we get (most traditional, funniest, best IPM-themed poem, etc.)”

Inbox Haiku

I really liked this–from Good Experience:

A full inbox is a full mind
Emptiness is stress-less
Delete and file with swiftness!

Alas, I have a full mind, and must away….Back later this week.

Hexapod Haiku–the winners!

I forgot to mention the winners of the NCSU Museum Blog’s Hexapod Haiku contest have been posted!

Grand Prize and runner up
The winner:

Two million flowers
The Ten-thousand-mile harvest
Sweetens my pancake.

–Joel Caren, Raleigh, NC

Funniest Haikus
Honorable Mentions
Grand Prize (Under 13)

Go visit for a delightful half hour of discovery (and pretty photos). This lovely wasp photo is from jciv.

hexapod haiku contest!

NCSU’s Insect Museum Blog is having a Hexapod Haiku Contest! Your haiku should be submitted by 11:59pm, 20 March 2008 (the first day of spring!).

This one I particularly liked, as we are inundated with Asian Lady Beetles right now:

Dapper red and black
What brings you into my house?
Go! Aphids await

Enter, why don’t ‘cha?

Vampire haiku, etc.

These made me laugh, and I’m in favor of laughing on a Sunday, which is almost Monday. Which means I have to get back to work and quit goofing off.

Should have worked out more
Now deathless and eternal
doughy midsection

and

Oh lame emo boy
Trent Reznor would kick your ass
Don’t wear manliner

These were from a contest by the Smart Bitches, who also have posted the 8 worst lines from Sci-Fi erotica. That led me to the 10 wierdest time travel missions and 9 worst moments in sci-fi history.

Oh hell, here’s all the top 10 lists from this year for Sci-fi.
Don’t miss the top 10 Sci-fi Ice Cream Flavors; Obi Wan Spumoni made me almost destroy my keyboard with coffee.

Oh, and there are top 10 science lists too–
check out the top 7 health scams involving insects. (based on this real-life event.)

I’m never getting my grading done now.

Academic Haiku Contest!

Oh, I can’t wait for the results! Academic Haiku contest

I really liked this one, which I think every graduate student can identify with:

Please read my thesis.
Someone, please read my thesis.
Anyone? Please? Sigh.