The following haiku was one of
three winners of the inaugural Sydney Writers' Festival haiku competition in
2000. Displayed on giant banners across
the city of
eternity is
the fading smell of cologne
in an empty room
This haiku was one of many
submitted to the competition. The others
are printed here for the first time:
eternity is
a drop of water,
trickling
down a window pane
eternity is
the time it takes for a
child
to say: "i love you"
eternity is
the final stroke of
midnight
on all hallow's
eve
eternity is
precisely how long it takes
to catch someone's eye
eternity is
the sight of autumn,
falling
like tears, brown and gold
eternity is
a note explaining
nothing,
a sad heart at night
eternity is
in the tiny, the fragile,
in life's smallest things
eternity is
waiting for a bus to come
on a rainy day
eternity is
summer, autumn, winter, spring
(repeat
until done)
eternity is
tripping on the final step
with nowhere to fall
eternity is,
against all expectations,
nothing but itself
(For more of Sean Williams' haiku, see Daikaiju! Giant
Monster Tales.)