Cezar Ciobica — Touchstone Award for Individual Poems Winner 2024

Cezar Ciobica is the recipient of a Touchstone Award for Individual Poems for 2024 for the poem:

hospice window
my mother counts
shades of green

     —Cezar Ciobica, The Haiku Foundation Kukai, July 2024

Commentary from the Panel: 

The mother in this poem might be visiting a loved one who is near death — a spouse, a sibling, a child, a friend — or she might be in hospice, herself. In line two, we learn she is counting, which is often a self-soothing behavior. We might even think she is counting rosary beads as she prays. In line three, we discover that what she is counting are the shades of green of the trees and shrubs outside her window. Perhaps she is looking with wonder at the abundance in this world, taking in a long last look. So many living things! Perhaps in noticing all the greens, she is going through a process of discernment about what is meaningful, reflecting on various moments in her life and how her having lived matters.

The contrast between the kigo of summer —“shades of green”— and the dying process taking place inside the room is striking, with one way of resolving the tension being the knowledge that life goes on.

The euphony in this poem supports its message. The “s” sounds in “hospice,” along with the “m” and “w” sounds, lend a quietness to this poem; the “g” and “n” sounds in the final word, landing in the throat and nose, give a feeling of interiority. The word “green” trails off, rather than ends abruptly.

In Close to Home, Thor Hanson describes the “hospital bed study,” in which patients with views of trees recovered more quickly, had less pain, and generally had better overall health and well-being than those who had a brick wall outside their windows. As haiku poets, we know this very well! Perhaps the trees can ease the transition into death as well.

Because of its depth of meaning, use of haiku craft, and aesthetics, we voted this poem as one of the top four best poems published all year.

Touchstone winners receive a crystal award to commemorate their selection. See the complete list of winners of both Individual Poem Awards and Distinguished Books Awards in the Touchstone Archives.