2019
HAIKU (Judge: Scott Mason)
First Place
lingering
in the tide pool
a child’s gaze
Gregory Longenecker
Pasadena CA
Quiet meditation with an element of surprise, this haiku poignantly weds the observed to the observer—and, in the process, ephemeral nature to enduring wonder.
Second Place
autumn wind all the colors of the freight train
Frank Hooven
Morrisville PA
Not a train of thought but sensation, this one-liner delightfully conflates two worlds which in truth are one.
Third Place
owls call in the winter darkness around us
Joseph Robello
Novato CA
Through masterly staging and sound play, this monoku becomes a mystic band (or Möbius strip) of cause and effect.
Honorable Mentions
morning apologies…
frost lingers
on the shaded grass
Frank Hooven
Morrisville PA
into the recycling origami cranes
Carolyn Hall
San Francsico CA
summer moon
a white lie
with wings
Lee Gurga
White Heath IL
SENRYU (Judge: Michael Ketchek)
First Place
used bookstore
memoir bleeds
into mystery
Peter Newton
Winchendon MA
This senryu embodies what Blyth says a senryu should do. Senryu according to Blyth, “is an understanding of all things by laughing or smiling at them.” He goes on to say, “and this means forgiving all things, ourselves and God included.” This senryu certainly gave me a smile when I read it and each time I reread it. It reveals how faulty memory is and how this is relevant to the great mystery of human life and human history. For memoir is history. Placing this sentiment on the shelves of a used bookstore gives it just the right humorous touch that allows us to forgive our own faulty memory and forgive God for not making us more perfect.
Second Place
nine eleven
we all know someone
who knew someone
Alan Bridges
Littleton MA
This senryu shows the interconnectedness of everyone in the whole world. How everyone is touched by the tragedy of nine eleven or any other tragedy for that matter. The phrase “we all know someone who knew someone” adds a subtle twist because usually when someone knows someone it is brought up in a boastful not tragic sense. Such as when at a party someone tells you something like, “My uncle once shared a taxi with Ringo Starr.” This is a powerful poem, but it is not overstated which makes it so effective.
Third Place
lucky day
a penny on the floor
by the urinal
Frank Hooven
Morrisville PA
What is luck? Finding a penny is usually considered lucky, but in this case no one is going to pick up a penny from the urine stained floor by the urinal. So, luck is turned upside down and this lets one reflect on the shifting notion of luck itself.
Honorable mention
all-day hike
he asks me to explain
Brexit
J. Zimmerman
Santa Cruz CA
nothing lasts dear her clear plastic cup
Scott Mason
Chappaqua NY
Father’s Day —
I call
my sons
Lee Gurga, White Heath IL
TANKA (Judge: Michael Dylan Welch)
First Place
our long conversation
about divorcing
we part company
soundlessly
in falling snow
Pamela Babusci
Rochester NY
This conversation in falling snow provides a sense of acceptance, despite the cold—a coldness that seems figurative as well as literal. The word “soundlessly” makes this poem click into place, connecting the nature of the relationship with the natural elements. What is possibly beautiful in nature is perhaps not so beautiful in the relationship. More importantly, we can see that the relationship has gone cold, and we get the feeling that this parting of company is not just at that moment but permanently. The poem offers a bittersweet sadness with the fitting image of falling snow. The soundlessness cements that acceptance, too, which provides a hint of positiveness.
Second Place
in my dream
Mother is still alive—
I fall back to sleep
to finish our stroll
in the summer garden
Margaret Chula
Portland OR
An unspoken grief and a feeling of loss serves as an undercurrent to this buoyant poem. The poet is remembering Mother in happier times, and the dream enables the poet to linger with those memories. I find it fitting, too, that this is a summer garden, when nature is at its prime, and the dream is surely of a time when the mother was in her prime as well, perhaps also being a gardener herself. The poem’s conversation and companionship, and ultimately the love that binds these two people together, makes this an inviting poem, but not without a mix of sadder feelings also.
Third Place
some scars lie deeper
than can ever be seen . . .
the other mourners
mistake my tears for grief
instead of joy
Tracy Davidson
Warwickshire UK
Tanka tends to be more overtly introspective than haiku, and we see an honest introspection here. We can readily agree that some scars, especially emotional scars, lie deep. And at this memorial, the poet’s tears are not as simple as they may seem to others. It is difficult to think of a “mourner” being joyful at someone’s passing, except perhaps guardedly when death ends prolonged suffering. But here there’s a sort of relief to the joy admitted to in this poem, stemming from some prior incident, or many incidents, of betrayal, abuse, or other wrongdoing. These scars are barely hinted at, and although they are obviously very deep, still the poet attends this memorial service, maybe out of obligation but at least with a small feeling of victory.
Honorable Mentions (ranked)
a cumulus cloud
dissipating . . .
would anyone
notice
if I disappeared
Susan Burch
Hagerstown MD
A minimalist introspection that ties the fading of a cloud to the fading of one’s self. Doubt is on candid display here. Yes, is the unspoken answer. Yes, other people would notice that cloud, especially when it’s a possibly stormy cumulus cloud—possibly stormy. And yes, others would notice the poet’s disappearance just as much as the poet noticed that cloud’s dissipation.
the coiled tips
of fiddlehead ferns
remind me
that every forest knows
how to make music
Debbie Strange
Winnipeg Manitoba
These coiled fern tips remind me of what’s called the “scroll” at the top end of a violin, which is surely why these ferns are named for fiddles. These tips will uncoil, as if to release their music. All aspects of the forest—the high canopies of swaying trees, the forest duff below, and everything in between—all contribute to the music of the forest. The poet notices and is filled with appreciation for the harmony of nature.
sewing a button
onto his shirt—
at least this
I know how
to fix
Susan Burch
Hagerstown MD
A minimalist yet weighty presentation. Here a feeling is tied to a practical and everyday task. The middle line suggests that while the shirt can be fixed, other things can’t, or at least that the poet doesn’t know how, or at least not yet. And so the poet does what can be done, with the hope that more complicated issues might be fixed in due course.
I am grateful for the opportunity to select these poems, chosen from 77 tanka entries. This contest struck me as having a much higher percentage of strong poems compared with other contests I’ve judged, which demonstrates how devoted to tanka most of the people who entered must be. My first pass through all the poems made me think that I had too many good poems to choose from, which was a refreshing pleasure, but of course not an easy challenge. I had many close selections that could easily have been among the top selections. My congratulations to the winners and to everyone who entered for continuing to explore the nuances of tanka poetry.
Michael Dylan Welch
RENGAY (Judge: Seren Fargo)
First Place
Moonflowers
Dan Schwerin, Greendale, WI
Julie Warther, Dover, OH
first light
the morning glory and trellis
find each other Dan
noon, and still
the moon lingers Julie
their shadows touch . . .
a beetle’s knowledge
of the milkweed Dan
sinking sun
legs heavy with pollen for
his queen Julie
the sting of having
one last night Dan
moonflowers
catching the Perseids
at their peak Julie
Despite being a little less technically dead-on as a few of the other top picks, this rengay stood out to me throughout my readings; always in the top spot. It is uniquely worded and has a poetic flow that was a pleasure to read each and every time. There's a romantic quality to this rengay that made it stand apart from all the others, such as in "a beetle's knowledge of the milkweed" and "legs heavy with pollen for his queen". These phrases ride that line between objective and subjective quite expertly. A gorgeous rengay indeed.
Second Place
Rubbing Rock
Bryan Rickert, Bellville, IL
Terri L. French, Sioux City, SD
languid heat
all the crawdads
in one puddle Bryan
tadpole bellies
rubbing rock Terri
empty rain gauge
catfish searching
for a deep end Bryan
iced tea glass
a honey bee
sipping sweat Terri
dried 'coon tracks
circle the old pond Bryan
darkening clouds
robins waiting
for that first worm Terri
This rengay also stayed at the top of my list throughout. Not only a technically well-crafted rengay, but an effective one as well. With my first reading (and each one thereafter), I was there, experiencing that dry spell; I could feel the heat, the thirst, the sun baking down. Each verse describes so well the desperation for moisture. I especially thought this was apparent in the two-line verse, "tadpole bellies rubbing rock", which was also wisely used for the title. And then, nicely, in the last verse, a ray of hope.
Third Place (Tied)
In the Key of Grey
Debbie Strange, Winnipeg, Canada
Jennifer Hambrick, Worthington, OH
hydro lines
the sixteenth notes
of grackles Debbie
morning
in the key of grey Jennifer
the lullaby
of wind through grain
empty silo Debbie
high lonesome
a crush of midnight
shadows Jennifer
barbed wire
the descant of coyotes Debbie
curving
into the distance
a train’s lament Jennifer
Unlike 1st and 2nd place, this rengay was not immediately at the top of my list. The music theme did not initially catch my attention. And the rengay was submitted in handwritten form, perfectly within the guidelines, but which did not read for me as smoothly as if it were typed. Had I not decided to re-type and print out this poem, and re-educate myself on a couple music terms, it may not have made it to my shortlist. But once it did, it soon moved up in the pile. It was one of very few rengay with a double theme. And the music references are skillfully incorporated into each verse, all of which relate very nicely to one another. I found this rengay to be very aesthetically pleasing.
Third Place (Tied)
Cleared by the Flood
Lorraine Haig, Richmond, Tasmania, Australia
Kristen Lang, Sheffield, Tasmania, Australia
seagrass bed
from the turtle's nose
a black straw Lorraine
in the weather – plastic
rubbed down into raindrops Kristen
full of something –
a dark garbage bag
washes to shore Lorraine
clean slate
the road gutter stripped
by the flood Kristen
a barnacle-crusted shoe
among the seaweed Lorraine
doll's arm
the chick's
open mouth Kristen
I debated on this one for a while. A couple lines gave me pause, but I really liked this rengay, and it remained in my shortlist throughout. Since the subject matter is important to me as an ex-wildlife biologist, I wanted to make sure I wasn't biased in favor of it solely on that criterion. So I read this one many times. I eventually realized that the subject matter is exactly what makes it so powerful, no matter what your background. We are all earthlings facing the same dilemma on this planet. The last verse really sums it up:
doll's arm
the chick's
open mouth
Honorable Mentions (not ranked)
The Waiting
Alan S. Bridges, Littleton, MA
Jacquie Pearce, Burnaby, BC, Canada
buried deep
a cache of arrowheads
in a dream Alan
behind the wall
a nest of mice Jacquie
transfer station
rifling through
the take it or leave it Alan
end of summer
placing her favourite doll
in the time capsule Jacquie
metal-detecting in a park
the shine of a 1904 quarter Alan
under snow
the waiting
crocus bulb Jacquie
Miles and Miles and…
Lew Watts, Chicago, IL
Tanya McDonald, Woodinville, WA
braided stream
she lets me touch
her varicose veins Lew
sharing a granola bar
and a salt-tinged kiss Tanya
packs back on,
with a flick of a tail
no chipmunk Lew
a birdcall
we don't recognize
forgotten hiking poles Tanya
switchbacks . . .
waiting for each other Lew
krumholtz pine
his vocation stubble
against my cupped palm Tanya