Haiku Society of America

Haiku Society of America Senryu Award
in Memorial of Gerald Brady

Complete Archive Collection

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2023

Judges: Julie & Dan Schwerin
See 2023 judges' comments.

 

First Place

sexagenarian —
it’s not what I thought
it would be

John Savoie, IL, USA

 

Second Place

Lev Hart, Alberta, Canada

 

Third Place

coastal clean-up
the message in
an empty bottle

Alvin Cruz, Manila, Philippines

 

Honorable Mention

security deposit
the bride hocks
her husband’s ghost gun

Peter Jastermsky, CA, USA

 

Honorable Mention

his ego dusting the mantel mallard

Richard L. Matta, USA

 

Honorable Mention

the soldiers
on both sides, the shells
of sunflower seeds

Spyros Mylonas, TN, USA

 

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2022

Judges: Lithica Ann & Joshua Gage
See 2022 judges' comments.

First Place

rocket's red glare
at low tide
a coca-cola can

Joshua St. Claire, Pennsylvania, USA

Second Place

kept overnight
for observation
phantom birdsong

Eric Sundquist, Virginia, USA

Third Prize

what she means by blackish half moon

Aaron Barry, British Columbia, Canada

Honorable Mention

carrion feeder
the senator says
it's a mental health problem

Jim Chessing, California, USA

Honorable Mention

we slip
into our mother tongues
lovers' quarrel

Chen-ou Liu, Ontario, Canada

Honorable Mention

muscle memory
her ritual of braids
before chemo

Lorraine A Padden, California, USA

Honorable Mention

tiger bones steeped in rice wine my sanity

Corine Timmer, Faro, Portugal

Honorable Mention

washing dishes
my son tells me
he has a boyfriend

David Watts, California, USA

 

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2021

Judges: Mike Rehling & Kelly Sauvage
See 2021 judges' comments.

First Place

brooding
over world events
cicadas

Amy Losak, New Jersey, USA

Second Place

rainbow flag
there is no color
for who I am

Alvin B. Cruz, National Capitol Region, Philippines

Third Prize

home movie
my parents mute
the sex scene

Spyros Mylonas, Tennessee, USA

Honorable Mention

another fight—
the roses from last time
still blooming

Greg Schwartz, Maryland, USA

Honorable Mention

conspiracy theories why you won’t return my calls

kjmunro, Yukon Territory, Canada

Honorable Mention

crushed by guilt
cicadas

Amelia Cotter, Illinois, USA

Honorable Mention

election night seabirds switch to the other landfill

Matthew Markworth, Ohio, USA

Honorable Mention

estate sale
a bargain
on bedpans

Spyros Mylonas, Tennessee, USA

Honorable Mention

falling leaves
the unexpected weight
of her ashes

Helen Ogden, California, USA

Honorable Mention

travel ban
I stroke her hair
with my cursor

Alan S. Bridges, Massachusetts, USA

Honorable Mention

world hunger
the emptiness
of emojis

June Rose Dowis, Louisiana, USA

 

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2020

Judges: David Grayson & J. Zimmerman
See 2020 judges' comments.

First Place

a hole
in the fence, mostly
on their side

Tony Williams, Glasgow, Scotland, UK

Second Place

insomnia—
lying under fleece
counting wolves

Suzanne Niedzielska, Glastonbury, CT

Third Prize

she died peacefully
according to family
whose views
she detested

Barrie Levine, Wenham, MA

Honorable Mention

x plus x
chromosomes
she loves algebra

Jerrold Levy, Deerfield, IL

Honorable Mention

haiku gathering
a whole lot of shakuhachi
going on

John Stevenson, Nassau, NY

Honorable Mention

horrormones

Julie Warther, USA

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2019

Judges: Susan Burch and Steve Hodge
See 2019 judges' comments.

First Place

refugee—
where to bury
his child

PMF Johnson, Minneapolis, MN

Second Place

newborn
the unplanned
mother-in-law

Roberta Beary, Westport, County Mayo, Ireland

Third Prize

holiday letter
the stories we choose
not to tell

Annette Makino, Arcata, CA

Honorable Mentions (unranked)

town undertaker—
seeing more and more
of his old friends

Barry George, Philadelphia, PA

Honorable Mentions (unranked)

age spots
the last banana
in the bunch

Tom Painting, Atlanta, GA

Honorable Mentions (unranked)

park map
at the end of the day
‘You Are Here’

Jayne Miller, Hazel Green, WI

Honorable Mentions (unranked)

migrant children
in cages
not terrorists—yet

Mel Goldberg, Ajijic, Mexico

Honorable Mentions (unranked)

identifying
scat on the trail . . .
election year

Brad Bennett, Arlington, MA

 

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2018

Judges: Deborah P Kolodji and Tom Painting
See 2018 judges' comments.

First Place

play date
the awkwardness
of naked Barbies

Joshua Gage, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A.

Second Place

graffiti
I choose a bench that supports
my views

Ann Magyar, Brighton, Massachusetts, U.S.A.

Third Prize

family reunion
proof we are alone
in the universe

Jay Friedenberg, New York, New York, U.S.A.

Honorable Mentions (unranked)

forest walk
the chirp
of each text

            Jacquie Pearce, Vancouver, BC, Canada

bird watching
from the dentist’s chair
hum of the buffer

            Marcyn Del Clements, Claremont, California, U.S.A.

 

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2017

Judges: Chuck Brickley & Julie Warther
See 2017 judges' comments.

First Place

tangled shadows lying about what’s making them

Sam Bateman

Second Place

flea market
we once had
it all

Joe McKeon

Third Prize

family cookout
enough of everyone
to go around

Michele Root-Bernstein

Honorable Mentions (unranked)

back pain
again I pick up
unsaid words

Kyle D. Craig

sunrise
no one in line
for tickets

Joe McKeon

a fish
in the heron’s bill
town gossip

Roland Packer

 

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2016

Judges: Paul Miller & Peter Newton
See 2016 judges' comments.

First Place

single again
the woman
in my dream

Tom Painting, Atlanta GA

Second Place

estate sale
the hard
erasers

John Stevenson, Nassau NY

Third Prize

sacred shrine
worshippers raise
their selfie sticks

Annette Makino, Arcata CA

 

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2015

Judges: Gayle Bull & Jerome Cushman
See 2015 judges' comments.

First Prize

grass trampled
by demonstrators
Earth Day

paul m., Bristol, RI

Second Prize

Independence Day parade
a child marches
in the wrong direction

Jay Friedenberg, New York, NY

Third Prize

sleepless and alone
I search for new friends
on Facebook

Margaret Chula, Portland, OR

 

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2014

Judges: Charlotte Digregorio & John J. Dunphy
See 2014 judges' comments.

First Prize

night crossing
Tijuana border guard
in sunglasses

Neal Whitman, Pacific Grove, CA

Second Prize

small town
the same dream
as last night

John Stevenson, Nassau, NY

Third Prize

half-empty cup
I decide I’ve had enough
of you

Susan Burch, Hagerstown, MD

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2013

Judges: Alan S. Bridges & Michele L. Harvey
See 2013 judges' comments.

First Prize

middle age
in the mirror
the turn toward it

Peter Newton

Second Prize

wedding day
the time he takes
to knot the tie

Marylyn Appl Walker

Third Prize

stick figures
including one
i recognize

John Stevenson

Honorable Mentions (unranked)

boy girl party
the slow speed
of the blender

Michelle Schaefer

life and death decisions
the need to feel
the satin lining

Julie Warther

perfect storm the perfume not hers

 Ernest Berry

phantom pain—
the shape of her
in a stranger

 Jayne Miller

 

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2012

Judges: Susan Constable & Susan Antolin
See 2012 judges' comments.

First Prize

death watch
she dies peacefully
in their sleep

Julie Warther

Second Prize

rain gauge
the pastor talks
about grief

Michele L. Harvey

Third Prize

waiting room—
a fly climbs the stairs
on an Escher print

Terri L. French

Honorable Mentions (unranked)

my third glass of wine
the mosquito
comes back for seconds

Terri L. French

philosophy class
I talk myself
into a corner

Tom Painting

Old Faithful
the crowd arrives
right on time

Jim Kacian

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2011

Judges: Eve Luckring & Chad Lee Robinson
See 2011 judges' comments.

First Place

undressing the summer wind turns color

Ernest J. Berry

Second Place

Father's Day--
a potato
without a face

Susan Marie La Valle

Third Place

stirring my coffee
every which way
flamenco

Sheila K. Barksdale

Honorable Mentions (unranked)

a watermelon smile drips off the end of my elbows

Bett Angel-Stawarz

Trick-or-Treat
a sailboat's name
reflects in the sea

Alan S. Bridges

Martin Luther King Day
I readjust
my rear-view mirror

Carolyn Hall

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2010

Judges: Linda Jeanette Ward & Marsh Muirhead
See 2010 judges' comments.

First Place

my skeleton
going for a walk
in the cemetery

Garry Gay

Second Place

mother's day
she puts me
on hold

Roberta Beary

 

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2009

Judges: w.f. owen & Johnny Baranski
See 2009 judges' comments.

First Place

the stylist
rinses away
the sound of her voice

Barry George (Philadelphia, PA)

Second Place

their first Thanksgiving
    posing together
    with the turkey

Marilyn Appl Walker (Madison, GA)

Third Place

graduation day
in the gait of our son
your younger strid

Kathe Palka (Flemington, NJ)

Honorable Mention

Kona Wind
an ocean between me
and my worries

Carolyn Hall (San Francisco, CA)

Honorable Mention

new bride—
the squeak of her
sweet corn being shucked

Bill Pauly (Dubuque, IA)

Honorable Mention

old timers' game
seventh inning stretch
the creaking of knees

Tony Virgilio (Camden, NJ)

 

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2008

Judges: Alexis Rotella & Scott Mason
See 2008 judges' comments.

First Place:

street corner memorial—
my four-year old
asks for the balloon

David P. Grayson

Second Place:

busy Italian restaurant—
happy birthday
sung to the wrong table

Michael Dylan Welch

Third Place:

Tokyo vending machine
   the long line
      behind the foreigner

Margaret Chula

Honorable Mention

old palm reader . . .
my life line
her longest yet

Kenneth Elba Carrier

Honorable Mention

engagement ring
     he decides
     it looks real enough

Marian Olson

Honorable Mention

parade march—
the old vet with canes
refuses to ride

Catherine J.S. Lee

Honorable Mention

first day of school
her brother's backpack
with legs

Robert Mainone

 

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2007

Judges: Ce Rosenow and Francine Banwarth

First Place:

inviting aromas . . .
     the hostess asks
          will it just be me

Scott Mason

Second Place:

our pilot hopes
to see us again real soon
the intercom clicks

Scott Mason

Third Place:

candlelight dinner
she fingers the rose
to see it it's real

Carolyn Hall

Honorable Mention

stale cookie
I give away
the fortune

Collin Barber

Honorable Mention

     wrong date
the thickening skin
     on her latte

Ernest J. Berry

Honorable Mention

a new boyfriend
the same lingerie
enticing again

Anne Maud Godles

Honorable Mention

feeling the shape
of the wrapped gift
I put on a polite face

Marylouise Knight

 

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2006

Judges: Claire Gallagher & Carolyn Hall
See 2006 judges' comments.

First Place:

first date—
the little pile
of anchovies

Roberta Beary

Second Place:

mistaking telephone
for doorbell—
I let loneliness in

Daniel Liebert

Third Place:

arguing—
a deaf man grabs
the other's hands

Kenneth Elba Carrier

Honorable Mention - 1st place:

crossing the hopscotch
two old women
avoid the lines

Kenneth Elba Carrier

Honorable Mention - 2nd place

dentist's obituary—
common interests
we could never talk about

C.R. Manley

Honorable Mention - 3rd place:

As if it were spring
the green mold
on the cheese

Garry Gay

Honorable Mention -4th Place

psychic fair
she brushes some dirt
from the cards

Roland Packer

 

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2005

Judges: An'ya & Carlos Colon

First Place:

centerfold:
the model's navel
off-center

Emily Romano

Second Place:

day moon
a fresh tattoo rises
out of her jeans

Ron Moss

Third Place:

Independence Day
I struggle to free myself
from a wet swim suit

Susan Antolin

Honorable Mention - 1st place:

fresh blueberries
a 'gothic' teenager
darkens her lips

Ron Moss

Honorable Mention - 2nd place (tie):

switchbacks—
five or six cub scouts
an octave higher

Scott Mason

Honorable Mention - 2nd place (tie):

my father and I
paint the barn
compare wars

James Fowler

Honorable Mention - 3rd place:

picnic
in the sun-dappled courtyard
my freckled banana

Evelyn H. Hermann

 

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2004

Judges: Terry Ann Carter & Claudia Coutu

First Place:

in the dream
my dog has a whistle
only I can hear

John Stevenson

Second Place:

rodeo cowboy
hopefully clutching
a handful of sky

Emily Romano

Third Place:

two-way glass—
the patient waits inside
the therapist's reflection

J. Daniel Beaudry

Honorable Mention:

rush hour—
the blonde in the Porsche peels
an orange

Robert Bauer

Honorable Mention:

scar on her cheek
she gets her lipstick
just right

Carl Patrick

Honorable Mention:

grocery shopping—
his python tattoo
squeezes the Charmin

Marilyn Appl Walker

Honorable Mention:

on display:
her small and firm
opinion of men

Frank Walsh

Honorable Mention:

conservatory,
the carnivorous plants
behind glass

Jeanne Harrington

Honorable Mention:

grinding sausage meat
she recounts the times
her husband cheated

Bill Pauly

 

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2003

Judges: Roberta Beary & Ellen Compton

First Place:

aftershock
the picture on the wall
straightens

w.f. owen

Second Place:

in the middle
of making love
counting syllables

Carlos Colon

Third Place:

nudist camp
where to begin
with the sunblock

R.A. Stefanac

Honorable Mention:

Clothesline—
the shirt shows off
its biceps

Zanna P. Rade

Honorable Mention:

open mike night
the audience
goes dead

Bob Boni

Honorable Mention:

getting acquainted
I learn another name
for wild radish

Carolyn Hall

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2002

Judges: Pamela A. Babusci & Tom Painting

First Place:

divorced
she cleans the ring
around the tub

w. f. owen

Second Place:

after lovemaking
returning
to ourselves

Heather Basile

Third Place:

    nest of black hair
secured with ball-point pens
    office geisha

Art Stein

Honorable Mention:

naked at the ironing board
    concentrating
        on a crease

Marilyn Taylor

Honorable Mention:

round and round
debating
circumcision

w. f. owen

 

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2001

Judges: Barbara Ressler & Bill Pauly

First Place:

freezing wind—
the body builder pumps gas
in a muscle shirt

Billie Wilson

Second Place:

werewolf movie
at the commercial
letting the dog out

W. F. Owen

Third Place:

winter rain
holding the umbrella
over the dachshund—pissing

Janeth H. Ewald

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2000

First Place

the clerk’s lip ring
I forget
what I wanted

Yvonnne Hardenbrook

Second Place

in the midway sun
corn on the cob customers
grinning ear to ear

Robert J. Guarneir

Third Place

school library
such quiet
books

LeRoy Gorman

Honorable Mention

At the fence
they sit on their tractors
talking hay

Garry Gay

Honorable Mention

three surgeons
five nurses
wrong leg

Timothy I. Mize

Honorable Mention

Full moon
I iron a wrinkle
into his pants

Marian Olson

Honorable Mention

Valentine’s Day
she reminds me
to fasten my seatbelt

Michael Dylan Welch

Honorable Mention

before the guests arrive
I straighten
the straight cushions

Michael Dylan Welch

Honorable Mention

a lull in her hands
the hairstylist asks
how I part my hair

Michael Dylan Welch

Honorable Mention

your fingers touch me . . .
sunlight on the tree
moves down the trunk

Valorie Broadhurst Woerdehoff

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1999

First Place

in one room
everything she has
and a window

Leatrice Lifshitz

Second Place

Floating
in the dishwater
a pair of chopsticks

Garry Gay

Third Place

serious
she takes off her sunglasses
to speak english

Jeff Witkin

Honorable Mention

nude beach
an empty bikini
turns me on

Ernest Berry

Honorable Mention

dropping valentine chocolates
he quickly swaps them
for another box

John Barlow

Honorable Mention

leaning back
in their chairs
old friends reunited

Carolyn Hall

Honorable Mention

saving her best dishes
for a better day
my eighty year old mother

Theresa Mormino

 

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1998

First Place

fireflies
my neighbor
has more

Carl Patrick

Second Place

blowing out
one birthday candle:
the whole family

D. Claire Gallagher

Third Place

“Just Married”
the attendant
pumping too much gas

John Stevenson

Honorable Mention

family reunion
everywhere I look
my old nose

Diane Tomczak

Honorable Mention

identical twins
their hair neatly parted
on opposite sides

Lee Gurga

Honorable Mention

at the flea market
looking through books
I gave away

David Gershator

Honorable Mention

nightfall
the zookeeper
lets himself out

Sandra Fuhringer

 

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1997

First Place

tourist town
postcards of the waterfall
racked upside down

John Stevenson

Second Place

carrying their canes
two old women lean
on each other

Paul Watsky

Third Place

first date
in the parking lot
our car doors touch

Jeff Witkin

Honorable Mention

parents coaxing
baby to eat
mouths wide open

Diane Tomczak

Honorable Mention

handsome vendor
my name
on a grain of rice

Francine Porad

Honorable Mention

driving lesson done
father and daughter run
fingers through their hair

J. Lent

Honorable Mention

naked
on the bathroom scales
stomach held in

Bruce Detrick

 

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1996

First Place

reconciliation
the candle between us
sputters

Sandra Fuhringer

Second Place

his ashes scattered
what to do
with the box

Paul Watsky

Third Place

nude beach
his enormous
sand castle

John Stevenson

Honorable Mention

letting the dog out
letting the dog in
wrong dog

Helen Dalton

Honorable Mention

A gusting breeze
the comet wobbles
in my binoculars

D. Claire Gallagher

Honorable Mention

long walk home
kicking a stone
for company

Marianna Monaco

Honorable Mention

Christmas Day
the exchange
of custody

John Stevenson

Honorable Mention

honeymoon trip
he refuses to stop
for directions

John Stevenson

 

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1995

First Place

clicking off the late movie . . .
   the couch cushion
       reinflates

Michael Dylan Welch

Second Place

opening night . . .
missing the entrance
of the night blooming cereus

Connie Meester

Third Place

Forgetting his underwear
the one with so many
frequent flier miles

Donna Claire Gallagher

Honorable Mention

summer concert
fanning myself faster
during the scherzo

Donna Claire Gallagher

Honorable Mention

overmatched boxer
his eyes closed
before the fight

John Stevenson

Honorable Mention

yard sale:
she takes the baby crib
back into the house

Elizabeth St. Jacques

Honorable Mention

his toe
answers mine
a truce begin

Diane Tomszak

 

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1994

First Place

making sure
nothing grows
the rock gardener

David Carmel Gershator

Second Place

too quick to reply
cutting my tongue
on the envelope

John Stevenson

Third Place

Grandfather’s funeral
Cousin Kate, air kissing,
Spies a mirror, checks her makeup.

Lynda La Rocca

1st Honorable Mention

in a semi circle
retired sisters watch
“Wheel of Fortune”

Marilyn Taylor

2nd Honorable Mention

dissatisfied
with her Virgo horoscope
               she tries Pisces

Mark Arvid White

3rd Honorable Mention

first time
at the zoo my son
watches the people

Lawrence Rungren

4th Honorable Mention

antiquities room
the curator asks
“So what’s new?”

Jim Kacian

 

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1993

First Place

meeting her boyfriend
        our handshake
                out of synch

Tom Clausen

Second Place

from the Holy Land
he sends a postcard of cracks
two thousand hears old

Leatrice Lifshitz

Third Place

Polaroid of her lover
coming clearer
with time

Makiko

Honorable Mention

visitor’s day
buttons just right
her dress inside out

Peter Duppenthaler

Honorable Mention

Blueberries
we show each other
our tongues

Garry Gay

Honorable Mention

battered child
. . . kicking the swing
higher

Margaret Peacock

Honorable Mention

a pause in the lecture
all at once three students
cross their legs

Michael Dylan Welch

 

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1992

First Place

cropped grass
∏r2 =
the tethered goat

Christopher Herold

Second Place

whacking the bat
with a broom, she says
they attack people

Helen L Shaffer

Third Place

Clear about
everything
the window washer

Vincent Tripi

 

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1991

First Place

dining out
next to the window
her coat

Leatrice Lifshitz

Second Place

    late spring blossoms
the silhouette artist facing
                       another ponytail

Carol Montgomery

Third Place

balloon man
selling pins
for popping

Marlina Rinzen

 

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1990

First Place

On the same bus
    the same strangers
         as yesterday

John Thompson

Second Place

New neighbor
eyeing the worn path
between our houses

Michael Howell

Third Place

a man swept by
    in a wave rising, falling
         sees us see him drown

Michael Howell

Honorable Mention

fingering my tattoo
granddaughter asks
when she can have numbers

Lesley Einer

Honorable Mention

the words unspoken . . .
waiting for the toast
        to pop up

Kenneth Leibman

Honorable Mention

drilling deeper
my dentist talks me into
Amnesty International

LeRoy Gorman

Honorable Mention

Methodical husband:
On his list of chores, she finds
Her name

Anita Krumin

Honorable Mention

      running down
   FIGHT ILLITERACY
the gang’s red paint

LeRoy Gorman

Honorable Mention

drunken sailor
loses both shoes
tying one on

Brenda Duster

 

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1989

First Place

eating alone
my alphabet soup
speaks to me

Brenda S Duster

Second Place

lunch
with her lover’s wife
leftovers

Joe Nutt

Third Place

Hole in the ozone
my bald spot . . .
sunburned

Garry Gay

1st Honorable Mention

after kindling
his passion . . .
she lights his cigarette

Sheldon Young

2nd Honorable Mention

Nurse’s Station
above the heart monitors
a soap opera

David Elliot

3rd Honorable Mention

how desirable
in the thrift shop window
my old Mah Johng set

Dee Evetts

 

---

1988

First Prize

hopscotch
a one legged man
raises cane

Frederick Gasser

Runner Up

young lawyer
his briefs
in the snow

Charles D Nethaway, Jr.

Runner Up

in his mother’s house
he walks into the cobweb
she underlooked

Dee Evetts

Runner Up

Feel the warmth of
Basho’s frogpond
just xeroxed

Caroline G. Banks

Runner Up

behind shadow proof blinds
the calligrapher’s
word processor

Carol Mongomery

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