Poet Profile

Rajna Begović

Born in Skopje, Macedonia, Rajna Begović was a retired physician at the time of her death. She was a member of the Haiku Society of Serbia and Montenegro. Her work has been included in a number of haiku collections, journals, and anthologies, and she was the recipient of many awards for haiku, waka, and haibun. She also wrote aphorisms, short stories, and classical poems. She lived in Belgrade, Serbia.

Awards and Other Honors: Honorable Mention, Mainichi Haiku Contest (2001); Commendation, Third Place for senryu, Lotos, Valjevo (2001); Commendation, Haiku Club AN4 (Novi Sad, 2002); Third Place and Commendation for haiku, Haiku Club AN5 (Novi Sad, 2002); Award, Haiku contest (Knjazevac, 2002); Inspirational Award (Knjazevac, 2002); Honorable Mention, Yellow Moon (2002); Honorable Mention, Suruga Baika Festival (2002); Merit Award, Ito en (2003); Honorable Mention, Mainichi Haiku Contest (2004); Commended Haiku, 38th A-Bomb Memorial Day Haiku Meeting (2004); Special Award, 58th Basho Festival (2005); Third Place, Apokalisa (Slovenia, 2005); The Best Haiku, 38th A-Bomb Memorial Day Meeting (2005); Second Place, Mainichi Haiku Contest (2005); Commendation, Klostar Ivanic (Croatia, 2005); Second Place, Ito en (2006); Honorable Mention, Ludberg (Croatia, 2007); Second Place, Dubravko Ivancan (Krapina, Croatia, 2007); Award, Genkissu Spirits Up! (2007); Merit Award, Ito en (2008); Commended Haiku (Odzaci, Serbia, 2009); Commended Haiku Sequence (Odzaci, Serbia, 2009).

Books Published: Crveno nebo (Red Sky) [a haiku journal] (Svitak, Pozega, 2001); Bela ždrebica i Kicino magare (A White Filly and Kica’s Colt) [a children novel; self-published; editor, Dejan Bogojevic (Belgrade, 2002); co-author of PreZenT anegdote [edited by Dragan J. Ristić] (Literary association Sveti Sava: Belgrade, 2007).

The wind swings
the laundry and a cherry branch
in the same direction

A yellow leaf flies in
through the open door
of an ambulance

Roadside fountain
A traveler's shadow
becomes wet

Winter sunshine
The smell of sprouted potatoes
from the cellar

The smell of the sea
This small shell
in my suitcase

A petrified snail
in the fortress wall—
a rose of winds

Credits: "The wind swings" – Honorable Mention, Mainichi Haiku Contest (2001); "Roadside fountain" - Magnapoets 4 (July 2009); "The smell of the sea" - Genkissu! Spirits Up, collection (September 2007); "A yellow leaf flies in" - Second Place, Ito en (2006); "Winter sunshine" - Second Place, Mainichi Haiku Contest (2005); "A petrified snail" - Ginyu 40 (2008).