[Seasonal Tanka] Madonatsu Award Judge's Selection

Looking back, I have been involved in the Tanka section of Min-Hai since it was first established,
one way or another.

This time, too, I have selected 12 poems
that are rich in variety, based purely on my own personal taste.✨

⛱ Madonatsu Award 1st Place

Summer night, tightrope walking on a first-magnitude star,
with the hem of my summer dress fluttering.

Sora Aono

I thought that the modern-day Orihime would lightly cross the Milky Way
to go and meet Hikoboshi.
Perhaps Orihime is surprisingly playful and is making the most
of the time they cannot meet.
They might even be easily keeping in touch
using electronic devices now.

I thought it was wonderful how a story could be imagined
from these 31 characters that read like lyrics.

⛱ Madonatsu Award 2nd Place

Don't ask me "Do you like me?" with such a serious face,
playing at happiness while stuffing my cheeks with cherries.

Suufu.

It's as if it were matched to the header of the entry article.
By ending with "playing at," several patterns of what kind of relationship
these two have or what their ages might be
came to mind.

Various imaginations expand
from each and every word.

⛱ Madonatsu Award 3rd Place

Leaving the somen to boil in the convection,
a blazing noon where I just stare at it.

Pokomaru (Poko Tomura)

Hot, just simply hot...

Inside the pot, the somen is boiling
enough to create convection.

Inside the pot, outside, and myself.
It is as if the boundaries have disappeared
due to the heat.

A state of almost nothingness.

⛱ Mado-Natsu Award 4th Place

We were supposed to be friends just a moment ago,
the waves carried something away

Shichi

I felt a thrill upon reading this once, but
I could imagine various scenarios regarding what kind of friends they are
and what exactly was carried away.
Many patterns came to mind.

I felt a thrill with every pattern.
It's great to be young.

⛱ Mado-Natsu Award 5th Place

So so so so so so
so so so
so so blue sky

Momoco

The repetition of 'so' creates a trance-like state,
giving a sense of floating that reaches one's own essence.

Even though it describes a sky that seems to pull you in,
it's a strange sensation, as if diving deep within.

⛱ Mado-Natsu Award 6th Place

Boarding the Shinkansen, heading to the city of Kyoto,
summer seems to have arrived, the night of Yoiyama

Sora

Is it the weekend? I imagined the sense of liberation after work
and a scene like an anime ending.
The Shinkansen (from the driver's perspective) rushes toward Kyoto on an upward slope.
The scenery flies by to the side.
That imagery heightens the anticipation for the Yoiyama I am about to see.
Just my imagination.

🚢 7th Place and below, in no particular order

You, like fireworks, spread across the sky
and burned even brighter without fading away

naomi

I like that it doesn't have a lonely ending,
like something that vanishes in an instant.
A star-mine love.
An endless summer.

The bicycle I pedaled toward happiness,
the sky to the south was blue.

Vine

Like 'Beyond the Mountains',
I don't think you'll 'return with tears in your eyes'.
It's still the best. The destination is also the best.
I am in the middle of paradise.

The fact that you pretended not to notice was still
your kindness, that summer of memories.

Akira Yamane

What popped into my head was a dark history,
but while watching the YouTube video embedded in the article,
what came to mind was a romance with a skilled girl.
Perhaps I was being led to confess.

You can fly back to that summer in an instant.

The small vinyl umbrella I bought
by rushing into a convenience store still hasn't broken.

SF

You are someone who cherishes things, aren't you?
Since it fulfills its minimum function,
I feel hesitant to discard it lightly.

Even though I want to put a better umbrella there,
I regret that I ended up keeping this stopgap one
at hand.

That it is okay to remain sad forever,
an artificial flower that never withers.

Ricotto

That is painful.

Looking at it objectively, even if it doesn't weather away,
time is passing, so
the timing to let go is up to you.

If you treat artificial flowers the same as fresh ones,
I wonder if the timing to let go
will come naturally.

How can one be forgiven?
I found myself thinking about it seriously.

On a night when Vega of Lyra is at the zenith,
I listen to the SPITZ album I borrowed from you.

Sen-sing

I learned that Vega, one of the stars of the Summer Triangle,
passes almost directly overhead.

I hear that SPITZ's "Namida ga Kirari☆"
was released on the day of Tanabata.

Masamune Kusano's transparent voice
must become the light that crosses the Milky Way
to connect you and me.

So stylish☆

Please click here for other judge awards✨

Please click here for the list of official and private awards✨

Congratulations to all the winners✨