2006
HAIKU (Judge: Paul MacNeil)
First Place ($100)
mackerel sky—
the final wave
before you board
Earl Keener
Bethany, West Virginia
Second Place ($50)
Hiroshima Day
cigarette-pack cellophane
uncrumpling
Claire Gallagher
Sunnyvale, California
Third Place ($25)
end of summer
my garden
in one wheelbarrow
Margaret Chula
Portland, Oregon
Honorable Mentions (unranked)
Valentine’s morning—
returning redpolls
alight on fresh snow
Billie Wilson
Juneau, Alaska
the long stride
of a stranger’s walk
autumn sky
Roland Packer
Hamilton, Canada
dark spots
in the honesty pods—
looming rain
John Barlow
Liverpool, United Kingdom
summer solstice
the backyard venus
knee-deep in weeds
Roland Packer
Hamilton, Canada
SENRYU (Judge: Carlos Colón)
First Place ($100)
family secrets
the shape
of a popped kernel
Carolyn Hall
San Francisco, California
Honorable Mentions (ranked)
funeral—
we pray a split second
after the priest
John Barlow
Liverpool, United Kingdom
end of summer
press one
to confirm
John Stevenson,
Nassau, New York
from bee sting
to emergency room
six stop lights
Carolyn Hall
San Francisco, California
TANKA (Judge: Pamela Miller Ness)
First Place ($100)
even this
late in the season
seeds sprout
the first tiny leaves
almost always in pairs
Cherie Hunter Day
San Diego, California
Honorable Mention (unranked)
Sunday sermon
advising us to exceed
our limitations
a child in the next pew
colors outside the lines
Yvonne Hardenbrook
Columbus, Ohio
selecting a flavor
I’ve never had before,
mango-orange—
that will be my mood today,
the hottest of the year
Michael McClintock
Fresno, California
first date—
at the Drive-In
a bag of popcorn
between them
all those unpopped kernels
Margaret Chula
Portland, Oregon
RENGAY (Judge: Michael Dylan Welch)
First Place ($100)
Only Words
poem idea
on a napkin
in lipstick Carolyne Rohrig, Fremont CA
note of condolence
run-on sentence Marco Fraticell, Pointe Claire, Quebec, Canada
red
her phone card
on my dresser Carolyne
carving
my initials
only Marco
under his sleeve
concentration camp number Carolyne
writer's block
the moth
circles my lamp Marco
Second Place ($50)
Echoes
by and
100-year storm--
an antique toy
tangled in driftwood Billie Wilson, Juneau, AK
the empty perfume bottle
still full of her scent Carolyn Hall, San Francisco, CA
blue velvet--
memories of that Paris night
you walked away Billie
chill in the air
pebbles from Delphi
in my coat pocket Carolyn
dying embers--
echoes from the shaman's drum
Billie
such soft rain--
new leaves on the ancient oak
begin to unfurl Carolyn
Third Place ($30)
Loose Ends
the wee hours
weaving loose ends
into my knitting Pamela Miller Ness, New York, NY
beneath the comforter
the argument continues Carolyn Hall, San Francisco, CA
frosted panes--
in my hair the grey streak
mother always wanted Pamela
unlabeled tintypes
in the family album
drifting snow Carolyn
from an old flame
an unexpected letter Pamela
velvet jewel box
just one of the pair
of heirloom combs Carolyn