Haiku Society of America Rengay Award
in Honor of Garry Gay
2026 Judges' Comments
Judged by
Bryan Rickert & C.X. Turner
Comments reflect the combined
impressions of both judges.
2026 First Place
Reflection
alpine lake
a single acorn
blurs its treeblue sun
my mother's eyescontrail
we move through
the what ifsbeak of breath
I don’t know how
to beginthe quiet rustle
of hours and wormscymbal splash
resurfacing
wet wingsKat Lehmann: 1,3,5
Stacy Nigliazzo: 2,4,6
Reflection rewards rereading in a way that few rengay do. Its associative linking moves effortlessly between the personal and the natural, with each verse leading naturally to the next without ever feeling forced. The progression is so seamless that the collaboration reads with the ease of a single poetic voice. Memorable images, such as “the quiet rustle of hours and worms”, continue to reveal fresh resonances, making Reflection a sequence whose quiet confidence and depth of association set it apart as our first-place winner.
2026 Second Place
Leather Pouch
spare button
on the inside lining
winter moona quarter glints
in the raven's beakbone handle knife
fresh snow piles up
against the doora screw loose
on the cabinet hinge
wind-driven sleetleather tobacco pouch
clouds heavy with rainmountain wind lifts
the thatched roof . . .
another pin on the map
Ron C. Moss 1,3,5
Paula Sears 2,4,6
Leather Pouch is a finely crafted rengay that hints at personal history through a sequence of carefully observed objects. A spare button, a quarter, a knife and the leather pouch itself become quiet points of connection, suggesting emotional depth without ever stating it outright. Each verse stands confidently on its own while contributing naturally to those around it, creating a sequence that flows with remarkable ease. Beautifully restrained and skilfully composed, Leather Pouch impressed us with its quiet confidence and craftsmanship.
2026 Third Place
Dark Amber
garden walk
aster to aster
silence to silenceunder mountain mint
the dreaming beemead moon
in transit
bitter brewno word
for meadow
waggle dancea swarm of stars
dusting the orchardsun through
the honey jar
morning Assam
Barbara Sabol 1, 3, 5
Dylan Stover 2, 4, 6
Dark Amber sustains its original subject with confidence from beginning to end. The thread of bees, honey and meadowland creates a cohesive atmosphere, while each verse remains satisfying in its own right. The linking is natural and assured, allowing the imagery to deepen without relying on obvious connections. Original in both subject and execution, the sequence demonstrates strong craftsmanship throughout, with the closing image of morning Assam providing a quietly satisfying conclusion.
2026 Honorable Mention 1
Again
winter wake
the pale groove left
by a wedding bandan ens? brush
lifts off the pagecoffee table rings
he starts to sound
like his dadwolf moon
curl of a woolly bearcouch nap
one hand closes
over anotheraudible click
the LP slows to a stop
Billie Dee 1,4
Lorraine A Padden 2,5
David Green 3,6
The quiet strength of Again lies in the way recurring circular images echo across the sequence. A wedding band, an ens?, coffee rings and the slowing turn of an LP reflect themes of repetition, memory and return without drawing attention to themselves. Each verse contributes naturally to an elegant overall structure, allowing subtle emotional connections to emerge gradually. Thoughtfully composed and quietly assured, it is a rengay that continues to reveal new echoes with each return.
2026 Honorable Mention 2
Deep Dive
rolling whitecaps
double Scotch
on the fisherman's breatha splash
stirs the sensesheat lightning
in the dark of the pond
a sinking shiplosing signal
beneath the surface
a pool frog croaksa string
of light silvered bubbleswhat began
with a breath
surface tension
Jeremy Haworth 1,3,5
R.C. Thomas 2,4,6
Deep Dive draws the reader through a sequence of encounters with water, moving naturally between breath, immersion and the shifting boundary between surface and depth. From “double Scotch on the fisherman’s breath” to the closing image of “surface tension”, recurring motifs create a satisfying sense of cohesion while each verse builds naturally upon the last. Rich sensory imagery and confident linking give the sequence both momentum and unity, bringing the poem full circle in a memorable conclusion.
2026 Honorable Mention 3
Sea Shanty
long twilight
the lighthouse beam
a cobalt bluescent of beach roses
drifting the dunesoars come to rest
the fisherman throws
a perfect netcatching sunset
the salt-sprayed windows
of a weathered shantythe drunken admiral
stumbling homemoonlit shore
a white clam shell
bubbling at the seam
Ron C. Moss 1,3,5
Paula Sears 2,4,6
From its opening lighthouse to its closing moonlit shore, Sea Shanty creates a vivid and convincing coastal landscape. Lighthouse, dunes, fisherman, weathered shanty and salt-sprayed windows combine to form a sequence with a strong sense of place, while each verse links naturally to the next and remains satisfying on its own. Rich in atmosphere and memorable imagery, it carries the reader through a cohesive and rewarding journey.
About the 2026 Rengay Awards Judges
Bryan Rickert, President of the Haiku Society of America (2023-2024), has been published in many fine journals. He was the Editor of Failed Haiku Journal of Senryu (2022-2024) and editor of The Living Senryu Anthology (2019- present) Bryan has two books: Fish Kite (Cyberwit Publishing) and Just Dust and Stone, co-written with Peter Jastermsky (Velvet Dusk Publishing). His work was selected for inclusion in A New Resonance, Volume 12. He was also the recipient of the Touchstone award for individual poems in 2023.
C.X. Turner is a UK-based poet, writer and social work manager. She co-edits Wales Haiku Journal and is the author of *evergreen: a collection of haiku, senryu and tanka, which was Touchstone longlisted. Her poetry and artwork have been published internationally in journals and anthologies, and her work has received several awards. She particularly enjoys the collaborative spirit of the haikai community. She can be found on Instagram at love.rpoetic.
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