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My corner of The Heron’s Nest has been exceedingly active since the beginning of December. That’s when, responding to our invitation to participate in the annual Readers’ Choice Awards (formerly Valentine Awards) many Nest readers began to send me votes for their ten favorite poems in Volume VII 2005. On January 15 the voting ended. By then it was clear which poems and poets were being hailed as outstanding.

This will be the first year that the awards issue will not appear, in its totality, as a separate issue of The Heron’s Nest at our web site. There’s simply too much work involved now for us volunteers to make that happen. Instead, we are revealing the winning poems and poets below. The complete awards issue, including poems, commentary, special mentions, and readers’ comments will appear as part of the upcoming hardcopy edition of The Heron’s Nest, our first annual paper edition. It is now in the midst of being prepared for publication. We anticipate mailing copies to those who have subscribed at the beginning of April. For ordering information, please navigate here.

And now for the results of your voting!

I am intrigued that readers elected the very same poems that last year we editors chose to receive The Heron’s Nest awards. I’m also rather puzzled that the elected poems placed sequentially, and in the same order as the issues in which they appeared. Intrigued, puzzled — yes. I’m also delighted. Generally speaking, it appears that Heron’s Nest readers and editors are navigating the stream of haiku evolution together. Sometimes the way seems obvious; at other times we find ourselves groping. Happily, we are on the journey together.

With knees hinging in reverse, a deep heron bow to the winners, to the voters, and to the spirit of haiku!

Christopher Herold
Managing Editor

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FAVORITE POEMS

* To give you a feel for how well the winners did, the average point total for a poem receiving at least one vote was 12.

GRAND PRIZE (120 points)

so suddenly winter
baby teeth at the bottom
of the button jar
            — Carolyn Hall

FIRST RUNNER-UP (94 points)

glowing embers
I tell her a story
she already knows
            — Rick Tarquinio

SECOND RUNNER-UP (75 points)

unemployed
the uneven edge
of a quahog shell
            — paul m.

THIRD RUNNER-UP (58 points)

country graveyard
a hummingbird
she would’ve loved
            — Darrell Lindsey

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POPULAR POETS

* This category comes as the result of totaling the number of votes awarded each poet for their entire body of work in Volume VII. The most poems allowable in The Nest each year is eight. Obviously, the more poems one has published in The Nest the better the chances of garnering votes. Hence, one’s success throughout a given year has a bearing on year-end voting. To give you an idea of the range of scores, the average total points for combined works was 24.