Tomato Haiku Winners

Heirlooms

3rd: Dallas Swindell & Kaitlin Costello

Heirloom volunteers

Mountain’s dew and basin’s heat

A homegrown gospel

2nd: Francesca Kirkpatrick

Come close, tomato.

We need to ketchup on things.

Lettuce start with hugs.

1st: Joanna Collins

If you hate my act

They say to throw tomatoes

But I think, Bring It

Greenhouse

3rd: Stephie (Age 10)

I like tomatoes,

Healthy and such bright red blobs,

Thanks mom for the fruits!

2nd: Asher Lekki (Age 13)

Where are tomatoes?

Tomatoes are everywhere

Maybe in your hair?

1st: Sterling Lekki (Age 11)

The Tomato starts

Blushing a lot when he saw

The salad dressing 

Funnies

3rd: Kristen Shell

School is out; let’s go!

Tomato fights in the yard

Blood or Juice? Who knows!

2nd: Makena Sneed

I was in a race 

Then I thought of this haiku 

Now I can't ketchup

1st: Danielle Thompson

Before acid reflux

The tomato was a dream

Now? Forbidden fruit

Oddities

3rd: Tara Maggiulli

a man discovers a strange plant

when he is out walking one day in late yellow summer.

he bends to it, sinks his knees

into the perfumed earth

and breathes in deep.

he runs a finger across its spiked leaves

until he reaches a shining jewel.

it is swollen, proud and regal and war-red,

tiger stripes spilling across its skin.

a green sepal haloes it like

the divinity of kings.

what a remarkable vegetable,

the man thinks to himself.

he reaches out—he is only Man, after all—and

twists. his palm receives the weight,

and he makes crescent moons in

its flesh with his thumb.

he takes a bite and—

it’s sweet.

it comes apart in his hands: the stained glass membrane,

wet and shuddering as a thing just born,

the seeds like unripe pearls

in the rosy brine.

kneeling, humanity dripping down his

jaw, he starts to cry.

there was so much he did not know about this world, or the next.

there was a vastness to it that frightened him. maybe,

he thinks, all he is supposed to know is right

here, in his hands and in his mouth.

vegetable? fruit? does it matter? no.

it’s sweet. it’s sweet.

2nd: Caley Foster

A Bright (Round, Red) Future

Inside tomatoes 

are tiny constellations.

Hidden galaxies.

Written in the seeds

Is a summer horoscope

Promising delight

Visiting their vines,

This fortune favors farmers 

Who patiently wait 

August’s destiny.

Happiness is an heirloom

Mmmm… Love at first slice

1st: Gabriella Runnels

On the matter of tomatoes  

Used to be, my brother ‘n me,

On matters of eatin’, saw eye to eye. 

He hated ketchup, it made me retch-up,

Marinara and salsa should die. 

On matters of taste, the taste didn’t matter,

For each case we faced we agreed.

Gazpacho, shakshouka, caprese, bruschetta: 

All vile dishes indeed. 

One day in summer, me ‘n my brother

Out in the yard in the garden alone

(Sometimes I shudder, wonderin’ if Mother

Discovered the things that we done)

He pulled from a vine a tomato so fine

Tomato so fine, I never did see. 

“Eat this tomato,” he dared. “If you say so!”

I ate the tomato with glee. 

Thought he might cry, he started to whine,

“But we hate tomatoes!” I couldn’t reply. 

My mouth was too full as I started to pull 

Mom’s tomatoes all off of their vines. 

Later that day, to Mother’s dismay, 

My brother uncovered the truth what he’d seen:

A gaggle of geese goin’ hard in the garden!

My brother, he covered for me. 

So though by and by my brother ‘n I 

Don’t see eye to eye on all we eat

On matters that matter, we’re always together.

Forever my brother he’ll be.