You always remember your first, and as such, this contest will always have a special place in my heart.

Tough choices all around. I sent the entries to an old friend – one of my former English professors in college – and let her make the final call. She had a few favorites based on technical correctness of the form and execution of the theme. She said the following in regards to the entry she finally chose:

“A good haiku is about more than getting the syllabic counts right. Some even argue that the 5-7-5 English format isn’t a true haiku at all, but we’ll ignore that for now. Haiku evokes a sensory response that isn’t limited to one impression. It’s a moment in time at a particular place. It isn’t one feeling or one sensation. To capture that simply and elegantly in a short phrase is limitation enough. To do so syllabically is a real challenge. Her entry accomplished the above in spades. While it may not be considered the most poetic or romantic of the entries, it is the most evocative. I was transported.”

And I have to say that I agreed.

Rock on, Whitney!

Miss 400-yen

Bento lunch at Air Force gate

On Okinawa.

I could hear the coming and going of the Air Force jets, loud up close and faded in the distance. I could smell the savory aroma of the bento, maybe it was teriyaki with rice, intermingled with the jet fuel exhaust coming off the tarmac. And Okinawa. Palm trees. Turquoise blue waters. Island chains. Coral sand. Sea turtles. Evocative? I’ll bet it’s Whitney’s middle name.

There were a few other entries that deserved call outs for various reasons. I was particularly tickled by Allezoop’s entry:

Is it wrong to put

Horseradish cheese sauce on fresh

Asparagus spears?

No, A. It’s not. In fact, that sounds really really good right now.

Essjayeff reminded me that it’s not springtime in the SoHem.

“Spring” you say is topic

But I am cool and sweeping leaves

Aussies read you too!

Touché, SJ. I shan’t forget ever again.

One that I thought was a definite contender was Mamichan’s ditty about bento.

Spring, a time for change

So I and making bento

That don’t contain rice

So true on the seasonal tip if you aren’t able to procure local veggies and fruits due to harsher winter weather. I could only nod in remembrance of east coast winter food.

But east coast spring food isn’t to be ignored, said Tina Serraphim.

Delicate breezes

a glass of Savignon Blanc

and fresh shucked oysters

Lordy, that had me drooling.

Thanks everyone for taking the time to enter. It was a huge gift to me and I wish I had enough bento kits to go around. Alas, there can be only one. Congratulations, Whitney! Send pics when you start your bento magic.

Thankfully that ‘only one’ rule rule doesn’t apply to contests. There will be another one. Soon.