The Public Arts Commission of Oxford received 146 haikus on the theme of summer in Oxford for its summer art poetry contest. 

Fifteen haikus were selected to be displayed in local business windows. To choose the winners, personal information was removed from the haikus and PACO members voted on their favorites. Submissions for Oxford’s Call for Art summer haiku contest were collected April 28. 

Jessica Greene, assistant city manager, said she was surprised by how much emotion the little poems evoked about summer. The haikus addressed the aquatic center, uptown music festivals, trails, and more. 

Children as young as 9-years-old had their haiku chosen in the final 15. The contest encouraged community engagement and had submissions from around the world who had connections to Oxford, Greene said. 

“An entire third-grade class submitted, which made my heart so happy,” she said. 

Greene said the poems should be installed sometime next week and will be displayed through August. The haikus will also be put together into a booklet to be distributed for free around town. 

“When we’re celebrating local art, we’re celebrating our community,” Greene said. 

The winning haikus can be read online at: https://www.cityofoxford.org/government/boards___commissions/summer_haiku_contest.php