Word Bag Poetry contest winners

Mahalo to all who participated in the Word Bag Poetry contest in the Bamboo Ridge tent at the Book & Music Festival! Word Bag poets chose 3 words from the Word Bag and created a line of poetry using at least one of the words they chose. They then posted their lines on the boards in the Bamboo Ridge tent. Jean Toyama, Ann Inoshita, and Mavis Hara judged the Saturday entries; Gail Harada and Darrell Lum judged the Sunday entries. The Grand Prize winner was chosen at random from the Saturday and Sunday winners by Dennis Toyama. The Word Bag words in each line are boldfaced and italicized.

Grand Prize winner
(From Saturday, May 16)
Marry a trash man and make a shell necklace.
— Marisa
Saturday winners

Jean’s Picks: Saturday, May 16
No can eat, if no bamboo, Panda said, his eyes sad.
— Eliana Crestani

Orion, a speaker not of a colorful rainbow, but of multitudinous stars.
— Martha Shirai

Everyone in my family has made me cry.
— Nancy McMahon

I always got to work choke to pay da bills.
— Alicia Cameron

Life’s choices echo like a haunting chorus, sometimes sweet like mango other times bitter like daikon.
— Paul Zasada

Mavis’ Picks: Saturday, May 16
Sea foam floating on the waves washing over the reef is the Hawaiian print in my soul and heart.
— Leslie

The canoe washes the sad away, no one will find it, not even when fishing.
— Reed Sights

The summer air was as crisp as the first cut mango.
— Nicole Dela Fuente

The rough edge of the mountain greets the sky.
— Laurie Tochiki

Bachan’s koi pond by the hibiscus hedge. . . colors swirl within my favorite bamboochas!
— pcseeker

Ann’s Picks: Saturday, May 16
No can sing with pupu in your mouth.
— ʻIlima Stern

Recipe for life. Forget all and live deep into the ocean.
— Annie Suite

Daikon flavored ice cream. . . think Obama likes dat flava?
— Natasha Shirley

I will come back to the mountain for kaukau one day soon…
— Sherry Cameron

Like flowers, children shrivel up when they have no where to be.
— Ikaika Pestana

Sunday winners
Darrell’s picks: Sunday, May 17
The trash makes koi disappear.
— Harrison Yen

Afta da great gas battle, I sat content amidst the fumes.
— Kent Sakoda

My waistline’s grand! My new belt does the best it can to span!
— Adrienne Iwamoto Suarez

Gather inspiration. I imagine.
— Shoo and Cody

Time to swim when you cry.
— Carol Moore

Gail’s Picks: Sunday, May 17
Find the money then toss um!
— Kristie Kodama

Mahalo! fo’ rescue koi; no eat dog!
— Don Lee

This whole year you run around free as a bird. You are a huge disappointment.
— James Bright

You are a pest! But jus’ a little bit.
— Lisa Katagiri

Went to school, kiss a boy, kick um to the curb.
— Elizabeth Gonsalves