The prize-winning laureates of our pithy-poems competition reflect the high quality of our many entries

With apologies for running a bit past our scheduled announcement date of June 12, we’re pleased to reveal the winners of the Vital Choice Haiku Contest.

We were overwhelmed by the volume of entries—more than 170 in all—and it took longer than expected to get decisions from our chosen circle of voters.

We’d like to express our sincere thanks for all of the wonderful, thoughtful haiku we received. Their quality and creativity proved, once again, that our customers consume a lot of “brain food”!

It was exceedingly difficult to choose only 3 winners out of so many good entries.  We plan to publish many more on our Web site, and send out "consolation prizes". So, if you sent us an entry but your haiku isn’t among the official winners below, keep an eye out for an email from us.

In case you missed the contest notices, Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry based on ancient traditions that was formalized only in the closing years of the 19th century.

The normal rules for haiku call for the composer to use 17 syllables, and break the poem into three lines of five, seven and five syllables, respectively.

But to qualify for our contest, entrants’ haiku poems could contain fewer than 17 syllables, and each of the three lines could contain any number of syllables.

1st Prize: Pamela Edwards

Swim through iced waters

My net will be your blanket

You will be my life

2nd Prize: Joan Stirlen

Blueberries ripen

exploding with flavor, like

kisses from nature

We had a tie for 3rd Prize:

Colleen Purcell

Berries, fish now or

pharmaceuticals later.

It's a vital choice

Amy Drylie

The gifts of the earth

Fresh seafood, organic fruit

Make a vital choice

And these seven worthy runners up completed our top ten:

— Amy Britton