Tomato Haiku Winners

Heirlooms

3rd: Joseph Rapolla

My skin may be thin

I’m seen as sauce or ketchup

But I know my worth

2nd: Jake Dowler

red jewels in crates,

picked with hands the sun forgot

ketchup hides the past.

1st: Hank Robertson

My grandmother’s hands

Bejeweled with rich, dark earth

Plant ‘maters for me

Greenhouse

3rd: Casey

Cantaloupes & carrots

are riding on parrots

Apples & corn

are shearing sheep shorn

Celery & citrus

are doing some fitness

Spinach & pears

are going to fairs

Veggies & Fruits

are trying on boots

Tomato’s a uniter

not a divider.

2nd: Avonlea

I love tomatoes

They are so juicy and red

Tomato power!

1st: Emma

So juicy, so sweet

One fruit uniting all plants

Golden in the sun

Funnies

3rd: Tarryn Sanchez

When I'm fast asleep,

Round, juicy things come to mind.

No, Bob. Tomatoes.

2nd: Jill Fox

Tomato ta-tas

the heirloom variety

my low-hanging fruits.

1st: Braxton Kinney

Tomatoes shout out:

“Legalize marinara!”

A few will do thyme

Oddities

3rd: Gabriella Runnels

"Old Mr. Matterson"

Old Mr. Matterson's down at the market

Each Saturday without fail.

People'll warn you away from the fella

But I'm here to tell you a tale.

Folks'll be sayin' you can't stop to chatter

With Matterson, 'less you got time

To hear 'bout tomatoes for hours and hours.

"That much tomato talk should be a crime."

One Saturday mornin', I needed tomatoes-

Matterson had the last ones.

"I need some tomatoes," I told him, "Can't stay, though-

Sorry- I gotta run."

"Pear-shaped tomatoes'll have better flavor

Year-round than the round ones've got,"

He continued: "But this time o' year, it's the heirlooms

or heritage that hit the spot."

"Matterson-" I couldn't help it- "Why is it

You so love tomatoes?" I asked.

"I don't," 'swhat he said. I started to chuckle,

But I noticed he hadn't laughed.

"My wife loved tomatoes," he said with a smile,

A smile as sad as a smile can be.

"She talked 'bout tomatoes from mornin' to night -

Drove me 'bout crazy, you see.”

“But if I could once again talk of tomatoes

With her… well, guess it's too late.”

So Saturday stop by the stall of Old Matterson.

Tomatoes're good; conversation is great.

2nd: Shaun Barber

"Storm the Weather"

They gather in the corner shop at dusk—

the man who swears he can smell storms,

the woman who speaks only to mirrors,

the boy who trades shadows like currency.

Shelves groan with impossible things:

a clock that ticks backward until you forget your name,

a jar of laughter from 1912,

a tomato that never rots—

its skin warm as if it’s just been plucked from the sun.

Outside, the street hums ordinary life—

bus brakes, clinking bottles,

a dog dreaming in the sun.

Inside, every breath feels slightly sideways,

like you’ve turned a corner in your own mind.

Here, oddity isn’t a flaw,

it’s a language—

and the ones fluent in it

smile when you arrive,

offering a slice of the eternal tomato,

and a taste of something

you’ll never quite forget.

1st: Troy Coll

"wild tomatoes"

There has to be a secret to this.

One weird trick that doctors hate.

A memory palace, a mindfulness practice, a murder mystery podcast.

Some way out that isn’t through.

When you find it, let me know.

A secret is a heavy load.

Our soft bodies,

naked to every sting and sorrow,

were not meant to carry this much alone.

While we’re here sharing things, you should know:

I am afraid that the people I love

don’t know that I love them,

that they’ll get tired of helping me

and leave me behind.

Don’t think for a second that you’re special.

You are indistinguishable from the atmosphere.

You are welcome.

There’s beans and rice on the stove,

fix you a plate and sit down.

It’ll be like pulling out thorns you didn’t know were there.

I’ll be the first to admit that the horrors are significant.

There are potholes to fill,

police cars to flip,

lies to retruth,

and maybe a few rotten teeth to pull.

Despite all that,

despite the worry that rocks me to sleep every night,

I knew we were gonna be okay

when I asked my neighbor if he’d seen

the wild tomatoes

growing in the vacant lot on the corner.