Haiku Society of America Renku Awards
in Memorial of Bernard Lionel Einbond
~ ~ ~
HSA Renku Awards for 2014
Shokan Tadashi Kondo
judgeGrand Prize
Warmth of Rail
Tom Clausen, Ithaca, NY
Hilary Tann, Schuylerville, N
John Stevenson, Nassau, NY
Paul MacNeil, Onawa, ME
Yu Chang, Schenectady, NY~ ~ ~
Warmth of Rail
a summer kasenJo
damselfly—
the coziness sampled
from each chairTom
a turn of the lock
at the boathouseHilary
spotless crystal
and polished silver
on displayJohn
the movie billboard’s
ten-gallon hatPaul
moon-viewing
through the arms
of a Joshua treeYu
our state fair organist
chooses his stops HilaryHa
a ballet
of departing swallows
in the windTom
the Queen Mary offers
a “paranormal tour”John
is undying affection
enough to court
my sweetie?Paul
sent to the bedroom
to revise a love poemYu
their urge
to touch the screen
as they SkypeHilary
after the train has passed
the warmth of the railTom
a plume of smoke
that appears to be the moon’s
visible breathJohn
local news
touts a whiteoutTom
panic buying
based upon rumors
of kielbasa shortagesPaul
a gecko disappears
down the rabbit holeYu
reflections
of cherry blossoms
at the Vietnam MemorialHilary
putting off spring cleaning
permanentlyJohn
morning mist
so slow to pull away
from mountainsPaul
It’s a bird!
It’s a plane!Hilary
an airman
comes out of
the closetJohn
she dresses
to killYu
they start in bed
only to fall
to the floorTom
enso
in the sandboxYu
circumnavigating
through the longest day
of your bi-polar moodsJohn
I cope with the heat
while collecting swizzle sticksPaulan
E.T. fossil
from the Antarctic
core sampleHilary
islands of plastic
bobbing offshoreYu
hotel room photo
of the moonrise
between the twin towersTom
the giant harvester
fills truck after truckPaul
Kyu
her daughter-in-law
makes the phyllo dough
for mushroom strudelHilary
scent of pine
through the open doorYu
blinking lights
for both intersections
in the old mill townTom
hopes arising from
the vernal equinoxJohn
the last petals
around miniature apples
drop awayPaul
a rainbow kite
received as a giftHilary
~ ~ ~
Second Place
Straw Hair
Ron C. Moss, Tasmania, Australia
John Stevenson, Nassau, NY~ ~ ~
Straw Hair
an autumn kasenJo
twilight glow
a scarecrow’s straw hair
lifts in the breezeRon
the moon is gentle
on the ladiesJohn
crickets pinned
in the Victorian display case
by royal commandRon
luxury in detail
aboard the Cunard linerJohn
dominoes lean
in a cigar smoke haze
towards portRon
snowfall deepens
in the mirrorJohn
Ha
under the pillow
the tooth fairy
is short of changeRon
gas masks issued
to dough-boys over thereJohn
our first
hot buttered kiss
as the movie startsRon
she gives me credit
for pursuing herJohn
a tourist
plays the blues harp
down underRon
taking shelter
from the hailstonesJohn
we dare each other
to go skinny dipping
in the moonlit lakeRon
a rare computer user
who knows how to make oneJohn
the watchmaker
has more time now
for FacebookRon
it will be all Easter
this weekendJohn
apple blossoms
on the oil skin coat
of the droverRon
the whole family
smelt fishing in the creekJohn
how one thing
leads to another
in a local baryJohn
more protein powder
to get that pumpRon
the Hudson
widening on its way
to New YorkJohn
it takes a year to save
for your diamond ringRon
finishing
each other’s sentences
with exclamation marksJohn
the heat of sunburn
as we say goodnightRon
soaking in
a rare shower
during fire seasonJohn
the speaker stands tall
at the protest rallyRon
who was it
who was supposed to
inherit the earth?John
the rolling thunder
all the way to the moonRon
what the squirrels know
is where the acorns
are buriedJohn
golden leaves fall
on the miner’s graveRon
Kyu
a crayon map
showing the way from here
to here againJohn
the joy to be lost
without a GPSRon
in lucid dreams
I realize this is
my imaginationJohn
the frog that awoke
as a prince among menRon
castle folly
in the company
of blooming cherriesJohn
through haze I see her
both happy and freeRon
~ ~ ~
Honorable Mention
Yellowing Willow
Claire Chatelet, London, England
Eiko Yachimoto, Yokosuka City, Japan
Chris Drake, Hatoyama-cho, Japan (sabaki)~ ~ ~
Yellowing Willow
Jo
yellowing willow
along the canal towpath
a smattering of rosehipsClaire
a moonbeam woven shadow
stops, searches for a keyEiko
the time a deer cried
and I went right in
without knockingChris
a volute of steam rises
from a chipped teapotClaire
slice a daikon radish
into rings one inch thick
and boil till tenderEiko
in cold wind they hold hands,
surround the nuclear plantChris
Ha
a street artist
draws a portrait of Einstein
with colored chalkClaire
the age of innocence
buried for goodEiko
seeing the man
on a high wire sway
suddenly they kissChris
the cooing of turtle doves
somewhere in the pinesClaire
with a feather pen
on fine washi I scribble
letters of your nameEiko
seven ghost sightings
on the same block tonightChris
cool us, moon!
in this heat even anthills
turn into miragesClaire
dividing the tall grass
a rope like snakeEiko
the distinction
between war and peace
a convenient fictionChris
mourning Mandela
my rainbow child and IClaire
the patter of rain
lets up: open now
and fly, my blossoms!Eiko
chunks of ice from upstream
flash between green reedsChris
white clouds race
across the muddied lake
as swans build their nestClaire
seized by sad news, I see
the past coming aliveEiko
for John Carley
the new was a patina
obscuring the newerChris
sincerity comes first
wabi, sabi somedayEiko
between well and hearth
how many times must the clay pot
cross the threshold?Claire
poppies bloom in the remains
of an ancient stone circleChris
in the green storm
briefly leaving the trees
a summer butterflyEiko
love makes you see
signs everywhereClaire
her portrait
has his left eye
clearly largerChris
ignoring border walls
wedding bells ring outEiko
for one night
the moon flawless between
waxing and waningClaire
the debt collector finds
red leaves in the envelopeChris
Kyu
dripping dew
a bicycle heads up
a mountain roadEiko
engraved on a cattle trough
the year 1888Claire
a union organizer
came to this village
and found friendsChris
when making tofu
every detail is crucialEiko
what stirring
deeper than the deepest roots
for all blossomsClaire
a spring wind brings
the sound of distant wavesChris
~ ~ ~