Haiku Society of America Renku Awards
in Memorial of Bernard Lionel Einbond
~ ~ ~
HSA Renku Awards for 2010
Jerry Ball, California and Merrill Ann Gonzales
judges
Grand Prize
Tide Swell
Ron Moss, Tasmania
Ferris Gilli, Georgia,
Matthew Paul, England
Paul MacNeil, Florida~ ~ ~
Tide Swell
a summer kasen
tide swell
sunburnt arms
reel in the catchRM
cheers when the batter
touches first baseFG
in the showroom
sound effects rumble
from an outsized TVMP
yesterday’s belt
traded for suspendersPM
the climbing train
is closer to the moon
with every shudderRM
a woodpecker’s backward lean
on top of the osierMP
foraged by a bag lady
the Thanksgiving garbage
dwindlesFG
thieves meet
and divide their swag
PM
carving a new heart
with another girl’s name
at school recess
FG
a poster comes unstuck
from her bedroom wallRM
as midnight strikes
I reach out for her
once againMP
coloratura
high notes at La ScalaPM
the mute wolf
steadily watches
a gibbous moonFG
Christmas lights
switched on by a nobodyMP
Einstein said, “It is a miracle
that curiosity survives
formal education.”PM
beyond the pleasure dome
E = mc2RM
plum blossoms
reflect several colors
of the rainbowPM
my April Fool’s joke
backfires on meMP
the wild daffodils
collect evening dew
on a dead-end roadRM
a lithe, naked boy
swinging through the jungleFG
she sexts
to let him know
she’s on her wayMP
shaking monopoly dice
the couple counts hotelsRM
three sticky licks
stop the honey’s
slow descentPM
the imprint of a signet
in softened waxFG
sand grains
at their angle of repose
form the ant lion’s trapPM
glad you’re not here,
says the postcardMP
another smarmy smile
as the party host greets
the President’s aideFG
my ticket to space
on a celestial VirginRM
the moon in the river
slaps around the arches
of the old stone bridgeMP
a veteran empties his shoe
of dust and broken leavesRM
curates
finish the flagon of wine
after the benedictionPM
one strip club’s address
committed to memoryFG
late night stories
from the Kindle book
create a ghostly glowRM
wind faintly moaning
as the dragon kite pulls freeFG
I brush the blizzard
of apple blossom
from my fringeMP
starting irrigation
shows all the new leaksPM
~ ~ ~
First Honorable Mention
Steamy Windows
Christopher Herold, Washington
Carol O’Dell, Washington~ ~ ~
Steamy Windows
an autumn kasensmell of pumpkin pie
she waves through steamy windows
as we arriveCO
moonlight too
enters the cat doorCH
eager to win
the harvest dance contest
they practice swing stepsCO
the violin maker fiddles
with a faulty tuning pegCH
you lose reception
just as your team passes
for a touchdownCO
ragged cloud shadows
cross the field of frostCH
this note
on a scrap of birch bark
signed with an XCH
from somewhere in Afghanistan
he speaks of his eternal loveCO
the baby’s birth cries
mix with those of the mother
clutching a photographCH
to celebrate our 50th
we assemble a collageCO
an old Bible spine
marks a poem in Rilke’s
Book of HoursCH
a long line of tourists
winds along the Great WallCO
that July
the Earth was seen
from the moonCH
seeming taller than before
he comes home from Boy Scout campCO
at last
the lawn gets mowed
edged and rakedCH
lava from Mauna Loa
hisses into the oceanCO
with fallen petals
someone formed an arrow
on the red flagstonesCH
using a French recipe
I prepare escargotCO
estate gardeners
spread diatomaceous earth
around the lettuceCH
a white line separates
girls and boys at recessCO
failure to agree
on yet another version
of Health Care ReformCH
the ‘67 Corvette
is her favorite modelCO
the outrageous price
of a fleece-lined coat
at the fashion showCH
again we put too many presents
under the Christmas treeCO
he calls her each day
until she finally says yes
to meet over coffeeCO
I promise you to give
Viagra another tryCH
in anticipation
they buy candles, champagne
and a sex toyCO
at sunset the birds fall silent
and the lake becomes glassCH
through a church window
the full moon shines
on the altarCO
tonight’s oblation made
amidst sparkling dewCH
this World Series won
in extra innings
on a sac flyCH
at last year’s derby
she caught the biggest fishCO
Gulliver wakes up
and finds himself surrounded
by LilliputiansCH
green shoots have begun
to poke through the melting snowCO
a gust of wind
whirls a few plum blossoms
into the kitchenCH
back and forth he swings
then jumps from the highest pointCO
~ ~ ~
Second Honorable Mention
Ever Reviving
Origa, Michigan
Hana Nestieva, Israel
Valeria Simonova-Cecon, Italy~ ~ ~
Ever Reviving
a winter shisanpale dawn . . .
brown briar hips puncture
the snow crustO
cold and heaviness
of Sunday paperHN
absent-mindedly
preparing for myself
a junk food lunchVS-C
the neighbors’ boy
tunes a guitarHN
a titmouse chirps
somewhere in the mist
of plum blossomsO
Botticelli spring
all around ToscanaVS-C
at the Mass
two teens exchanging
furtive glancesO
“Just married” balloons
on both wheelchairsVS-C
dreams of a waterfall
the psychologist raises
his eyebrowHN
all the hustle and bustle . . .
and then you die!O
ever reviving
out of darkness
the mellow moonHN
straw basket too full
for the last Malus sylvestrisVS-C
~ ~ ~