Haiku Society of America Senryu Award
in Memorial of Gerald M. Brady
Judges Commentary for 2025
Judges: Marilyn Ashbaugh & Paul David Mena
~ First Place ~
recycled plastic now a buddha
Matthew Markworth, Miamisburg, OH
The shift from “recycled plastic” to “a buddha” is abrupt and striking, lending the senryu an element of surprise. There also is present an excellent example of zoka: the creativity that flows through nature and artificiality alike.
“recycled plastic”
Recycled plastic is a symbol of modern consumption and waste.
“now a buddha”
Now a buddha refers to transformation—perhaps literal, a statue, or metaphorical, a shift in meaning or purpose. The juxtaposition of a mass-produced, throwaway material with a symbol of enlightenment creates tension and humor. This leads to an implicit reflection on greenwashing, commodified spirituality, and our attempts to balance consumerism and mindfulness.
~ Second Place ~
family dinner
our heated discussion
on global warmingRowan Beckett Minor, Lakewood, OH
Family dinner is typically a time to share experiences of the day, lively conversation served alongside a nourishing meal. It can also be a time to lock horns over a controversial topic. Global warming is very much a contemporary and controversial subject, with both scientific and political overtones. Positions are often deeply entrenched and passionately defended. What was intended as cordial family time can easily devolve into a shouting match.
In terms of construction, this senryu cleverly pairs “heated discussion” and “global warming,” but also establishes the fact that such a scenario can be anything but comical. The observer has captured a serious moment through the lens of innovative language.
~ Third Place ~
trapped fly
from his sickbed he asks me
to open a windowAlan Peat, Biddulph, United Kingdom
The poem describes a simple, compassionate act: a man asks for a window to be opened, presumably for the fly. The emotional weight comes from its ordinariness. Much is left unsaid.
“trapped fly”
We feel the urgency and the tension between being trapped and released.
“from his sickbed”
introduces illness, confinement, helplessness.
“he asks me/ to open a window”
The movement is from external, the fly, to internal, the sickbed request, to potential release via the window. The final gesture suggests transition or even transcendence.
This senryu is human-centered, emotionally layered, and symbolically rich. The fleeting nature of life and the blurred line between the mundane (a fly) and the profound (a dying man) resonate deeply.
~ Honorable Mention ~
the last chemo appointment written in pencil
Edward Cody Huddleston, Baxley, GA
This poem skillfully illustrates the Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi, capturing the practical act of writing a date that can be erased. The author has accepted the ephemeral nature of life as well as the efforts to navigate a serious illness. Rather than succumbing to one’s fate, pragmatism suggests living one day at a time..
~ Honorable Mention ~
first steps
learning to stand up
for myselfSarah Lawhorne, Wakefield RI
This senryu unfolds its truth line by line. Are the “first steps” those of a child? Or an adult undergoing rehabilitation? Likewise, “learning to stand up” can be read literally or figuratively, and the reader must wait until the third line until the concept of “standing up for oneself” is revealed. In this light, the first line takes on a new relevance, one in which the author has begun to learn a valuable lesson, graciously sharing it with the reader.
~ Honorable Mention ~
oncology wing—
an empty chrysalis
on the windowsillNitu Yumnam, Ajman, UAE
This senryu is deeply poignant and skillfully restrained.
“oncology wing—”
In the emotionally charged space of an oncology wing, the poem is grounded in the human experiences of illness, waiting, and hope.
“an empty chrysalis”
An empty chrysalis suggests transformation: the butterfly has emerged and is gone. Emptiness speaks volumes here.
The contrast between clinical (oncology) and natural (chrysalis) elements allows multiple levels of resonance: the patient’s passing, leaving the body behind or recovery, emerging into a new life.
“on the windowsill”
On the windowsill evokes a threshold: between inside and outside, illness and nature, life and afterlife.
Emotionally powerful and open-ended, the senryu allows the reader room to feel and co-create.
~ ~ ~
About the Judges:
Marilyn Ashbaugh's haiku, haibun, haiga and tanka appear in journals and anthologies dedicated to these forms, including haikuKATHA, The Haibun Journal, #FemkuMag, hedgerow, The Heron's Nest, Modern Haiku, and The Red Moon Anthology of English-Language Haiku. Her awards include: Tejasvat Award (2023), Kiyoshi & Kiyoko Tokutomi Haiku Contest (2021, 2022); Akita International Haiku Contest (2019, 2020). Two haiku of hers were shortlisted for the Touchstone Award for Individual Poems. Ashbaugh served as haiku editor at Under the Basho (2023-2025). She resides in Edwardsburg, Michigan, and Gulf Stream, Florida.
Paul David Mena has been writing haiku and senryu for over 30 years. He is the author of the chapbooks Tenement Landscapes (1995), Trainsongs (1997), The Brewpub Chronicles (1999), and The Morning Becomes Azaleas (2019) and has had his poetry published in Brussels Sprout, The Heron’s Nest, Frogpond, Modern Haiku and numerous other journals over the years. He lives on Cape Cod in Massachusetts with his wife and dog and works as a Software Engineer at a prominent marine research facility.