chiseled gray marble
my grandfather's
birthdate wrong

Cindy
(4th place)

Although it’s a sad setting, and an unfortunate oversight is the impetus for the poem, I like this one a lot. The initial line really grabbed my attention—the sight and feel, even the smell, of marble is so distinctive. —BR

the lost shoe
twists
through the rapids

cola
in a clear purple glass
ruby

Heather Aymer (3)

I like this haiku because it shows how a person can take something like cola which is very ordinary and just put it into another container and it gets transformed into a mysterious rudy drink. —SM

cobweb
in the window of the
busy restaurant

Heather Aymer (2)

he speaks with
great urgency
to her mirrored sunglasses

Bob Reed
(2nd place)

When I read this haiku I picture someone waving their hands around and speaking very passionately about something while the woman in the sunglasses just stands there nonchalantly. Perhaps the person is getting a speeding ticket and they are desperately trying to plead their case but the officer in the sunglasses is unmoved. —SM

we pause at the pond…
baby ducks dipping
deep into tranquil waters

or

we pause at the pond
baby ducks dipping
into tranquil water

Bob Reed

warm rain
and enamored with a slug
childhood

squishing spiders
in the hogan
summer camp

or

squishing a spider
in the hogan
summer camp

Heather Aymer (2)

under the car
the cat sleeps
in the shade

Shelley Mauer
(3rd place)

I wish I could write haiku like this one—brief, direct, balanced, and with a simplicity of language and image that’s truly engaging. I see the cat lying on its side; not a care in the world. It’s not a dog’s life after all. It’s a cat’s. —BR

duck octuplets
are proper for couplets
mother goose standing guard

alone
after yoga practice
the train rumbles by

or

after yoga practice
the train's rumble
softens

Shelley Mauer

waiting . . .
the cup of tea
no longer warm

Shelley Mauer (2)

green dragonfly
alighting on the clothesline
summer

Heather Aymer

a report card
to show off
finally

or

the bus ride home
a report card to show off
finally

Bob Reed (3)

wind on the piano
twittling out some jazz

or

empty house
wind on the piano
twittling out some jazz

Heather Aymer

summer
grandma walks mindless
down the country road

Heather Aymer
(1st place)

sweat beads rise
as we seek shade
morning walk

Bob Reed (2)

in the kitchen
the arthritic hands knead the bread
my mother

or

my mother
kneads the dough
her arthritic hands

Shelley Mauer

I like this haiku a lot because it is about my mother. My mother has painful arthritis but it never stops her from doing the things that she loves. —SM

she had to save
that doll . . .
and the others

Bob Reed

sprinkler rises and falls
watered children laughing

or

sprinkler spray
rises and falls
watered children laughing

Bob Reed