Participating in the Everyone's Haiku Tournament 'Shun-hai'

The final Everyone's Haiku Tournament, the 'Shun-hai', is finally here.
And the theme is my favorite: 'Summer'.
I was excited and struggled with what kind of haiku to write.

Looking back at the tournaments so far,

there was the autumn 'Izayoi-hai' where I leaned on the moon and revealed a bit of my vulnerability, 'Izayoi-hai'
the winter 'Shirokuma-hai' where I gathered moments that made me feel, 'I love this season!', 'Shirokuma-hai'
and the 'Lilac-hai' where I attempted to express the yin and yang of spring. 'Lilac-hai'

As I thought about what to theme my final and favorite 'Summer' around, reflecting on the summers I've spent, many happy memories came to mind.
My family and I got excited talking about how things were back then, and as we discussed the memory that remains most in our hearts to this day,

《That's it! I'll make it about a summer memory.》

I decided to capture in a haiku the most fun, sparkling, and unforgettable summer memory of my life.

The application guidelines for the Shun-hai are here.

The host, Shun-kun, is an elementary school boy aiming to be a manga artist. I wondered if the Shun-hai header was Shun-kun's drawing, and it turned out it was.
It feels like the radiance of summer; it's bright and cute.

Now, here are my three special memory haikus.
Ta-da! 🎊

Sea breeze, lips moistened by pineapple rings.

Every year, I used to go to Okinawa with my family in the summer.
The clear emerald green sea and the brilliant, shining sun were dazzling,
and after enjoying snorkeling and canoeing to the fullest, when we were tired from playing and took a break on an uninhabited island, we would open the canned pineapple we had brought frozen.
It had the wonderful scent of thawed, chilled pineapple, the ring-cut pineapple with the hole in the middle was so juicy, and my lips, dried out by the salt air, were moistened by the sweet syrup—it was absolutely delicious!

Ever since then, I've loved pineapple, and whenever I see it for sale, I can't help but pick it up and bring it home.

With mangoes, full of smiles, hands full too

This is also a memory of Okinawa.
When we visited a mango farm, the owner cut up plenty of chilled mangoes for us to sample. My son, who was still quite small, was overjoyed by the deliciousness of the fruit he was eating for the first time, and he ran off to his dad, who was waiting outside, with his hands full of mangoes.
His dad says he still can't forget how incredibly delicious the mangoes were at that moment and the sight of his son's happy, beaming smile.

Noctiluca, in a single night, shining brilliantly for eternity

Lastly, a memory of the Maldives.

Days spent on a remote island.
It was a small island where, if you walked just about 10 meters from our quiet cottage and passed through the palm trees, you were already at the water's edge.
One night, the quiet waves rolling in and out were sparkling blue all across the surface.
It was truly a breathtaking sight.
The pitch-black night sea was shining brilliantly blue.
When I stepped into the sea, my feet sparkled, and when I touched it with my hands, my fingers also glowed with a blue sparkle.
I don't know how to describe it, but it was fantastical and dreamlike,

I wanted to stop time right there.

I thought I wanted to burn this scene into my eyes and never forget it for the rest of my life.

I remembered seeing the word 'Noctiluca' somewhere, and thinking that was probably it, I looked it up later and confirmed it was indeed Noctiluca.
It is a phenomenon seen when plankton that create red tides occur in large numbers near the sea surface, and it is a once-in-a-lifetime memory that I will likely never encounter again.
My daughter, who was not yet in elementary school at the time (unfortunately, my son hadn't been born yet; I wish I could have shown him), says she remembers the scene well, so it must have been quite impressive.
It was only for one night, but it is an eternal memory.

I will participate with these three haiku.
To the host, Shun-kun, and all the crew members, thank you for everything until the end.
To everyone who read them and everyone participating, thank you.
Interacting through haiku is warm, heartwarming, and truly wonderful.
I am grateful for being given such an opportunity.
From now on as well

'We'll always be together'