First Place

cockroach…once more i beg forgiveness

Philip Whitley

We hate killing bugs of any kind, so just on that level alone it resonates with us. Taking it a step further, we also see this as metaphor for domestic violence. The perpetrator is the cockroach and the other person is apologizing for a mistake that is either real or just perceived by the other person, hoping it will stop them from whatever they’re about to do, which feels inevitable because it’s in their nature. We like how this senryu can be flipped around so that it’s not only the cockroach that could be stepped on, but a person too. For this reason, it was our top choice.

Second Place

and again
the white horse wins –
merry-go-round

Joanne van Helvoort

This senryu, though seems simple, is loaded. The visual of merry-go-round fills the reader with a child-like joy. The first two lines show us that in their innocence, the children are racing each other on their horses but only a particular horse wins. Is winning of a particular horse even possible in the merry-go-round? This is where this cleverly crafted senryu takes us to a different path. Line 2 with “the white horse wins” makes us realize that this poem can actually be about the white privilege or the rich privilege. We all know how it works and how some people in power rig the whole system. It’s a vicious circle – common people work hard and strive for success, but it’s only the people in power who control the reins and reap the benefits

Third Place

first bite
your move now
Adam

Aka Moone

We love the humor in this one! The allusion to Adam and Eve and then a dare on top of it makes of think of the childhood game “truth or dare.” Using the Garden of Eden as a background, perfectly illustrates how fun it can be – do you tell the truth or take the dare? Was it in fact a dare all those years ago? It’s a fun thought, making this playful senryu one of our favorites.

Honorable Mentions
(in no particular order)

old flames
at the class reunion
not one match

Ron Russell


them
not me
the obituaries

Fred Andrle


a cheerio
in the pill box
fool me once

Ron Scully


eye of the storm
not even the wind
wants me

Stefanie Bucifal


phone call
the length of
a bottle of wine

David Grayson


middle school
even our breast sizes
have letter grades

Antoinette Cheung

a constellation
on her breast . . .
freckle envy

Julie Bloss Kelsey


my neighbors’ noises
all night long –
way to go crickets

Cristina Angelescu


nesting dolls…
how history
repeats itself

Laurie Greer


chrysanthemums trying on my wife’s kimono

Jacob Blumner


tent poles
testing the strength
of our marriage

Rich Schilling


childless
cracks forming
in the heirlooms

Carly Siegel Thorp

cash flow
the hole in my pocket
bigger than I thought

Richard Grahn


national debt!
and you’re worried
about my credit cards?

Richard Grahn


deepest breath ever leaving the psych wing

Geoff Pope


carrying the coffin –
the undertaker says
i’m a natural

Stephen Toft


sand shifting pronouns

Jacquie Pearce


first cut—
the watermelon seller bites
into his profit

Kala Ramesh


hermit crab
where to begin
downsizing

June Rose Dowis

hand-crocheted afghan. . .
too late to tell her
I don’t like maroon

Billie Dee


Smirnoff vodka
all my demons
in high spirits

Cezar-Florin Ciobica

Judges – Vandana Parashar and Susan Burch