Failed Haiku - A Journal of English Senryu, Vol. 10, Number 111, September 2025

Honoured to have the following work selected for this final issue of the journal. I'm beyond grateful to Mike Rehling for his generous support over the years, and to all of the editors and guest editors who have selected my work. Special thanks to Kelly Moyer for putting together this last issue - a labour of love for all concerned!

The Haiku Foundation, Haiku of the Day (formerly Per Diem), May 2025

Selected by Jim Kacian for the theme of "Haiku About Glaciers": May 3, 2025

calving glacier

i decide when

to let go

Failed Haiku 4.46, 2019

Failed Haiku - A Journal of English Senryu, Vol. 10, Number 110, July 2025

Thrilled to have the following collaborations and translations included in this issue:

German Translations and Images by Claudia Brefeld (senryu by me):

Köcherfliegen

das Abstreifen der Hülle

von dem, was war

ikterischer Himmel

das Baby, das es nicht

nach Hause schafft

Kyoka collaboration with Graham Bates:

shark teeth . . .

infinite regeneration

is just

the remedy for which

I have been looking!

(note: not long after we wrote this, human teeth were grown in a lab for the first time ever.)

 

Failed Haiku - A Journal of English Senryu, Vol. 10, Number 109, May 2025

Honoured to have the following haiga selected by Kelly Moyer, the new editor:

 

Failed Haiku - A Journal of English Senryu, Vol. 10, Number 108, March 2025

A thousand thanks to Mike Rehling, founding editor, who has published over 150 of my haiga since 2016. I'm beyond grateful to him for including the following work in his last issue as editor:

Failed Haiku - A Journal of English Senryu, Vol. 9, Number 106, January 2025

 

Failed Haiku - A Journal of English Senryu, Vol. 9, Number 104, November 2024

Thrilled to receive 2nd Place in the Ninth Annual Jane Reichhold Haiga Competition (mixed media category). My thanks to the judges, Mike Rehling and Kelly Sauvage Moyer!

Commentary:

Here, again, we have the image of a raven; yet, this time, its role as the harbinger of death stands at the forefront of this work by Debbie Strange. The quickening, a time when early fetal movements are typically felt during pregnancy, is not experienced in this case, indicating the possibility of miscarriage. The gravity of the loss suspected is only enhanced by the straightforward language utilized with the senryu to communicate the power of such an ethereal force. We found this to be an effective, not to mention chilling, creation on the part of the poet-artist.

(note: this is an original photo, superimposed with mono-printed feathers)

The following haiga and tanka art were also included in this issue:

 

Failed Haiku - A Journal of English Senryu, Vol. 9, Number 102, September 2024

Special thanks to Bryan Rickert for his generous support during his editorship. I wish him well as he moves on to other projects!

 

H. Gene Murtha Memorial Senryu Contest, 2024

Thrilled to receive an Honourable Mention in this year's contest. My thanks to the judges, Marilyn Ashbaugh and John Pappas.

solar eclipse

the times we choose

to look away

Honourable Mention

H. Gene Murtha Memorial Senryu Contest, 2024

Failed Haiku - A Journal of English Senryu, Vol. 9, Number 100, June 2024

death rattle

the dried gourd inside

your chest

zebrafish

the ocean awash

with barcodes

Failed Haiku - A Journal of English Senryu, Vol. 9, Number 99, April 2024

My thanks to editor Bryan Rickert for selecting the following haiga:

Failed Haiku - A Journal of English Senryu, Vol. 9, Number 98, February 2024

ice fishing

the catch and release

of breath

zombie fire

the pain that comes back

to life

 

Failed Haiku - A Journal of English Senryu, Vol. 9, Number 97, January 2024

My thanks to editor Allyson Whipple for selecting the following haiga for the cover of this issue:

Failed Haiku - A Journal of English Senryu, Vol. 8, Number 96, December 2023

My thanks to editor Bryan Rickert for selecting the following haiga:

 

Jane Reichhold Memorial Haiga Competition, 2023

Thrilled that the following haiga received an Honourable Mention in the traditional category from Judges Terri and Raymond French:

Judges' Commentary:

A lovely haiga, We liked the implied connection between the back-and-forth of migration and life's inevitable changes, often changing direction unexpectedly. The cranes flying in different directions, the swish in the center suggesting movement and the flowing font of the senryu all work together so well.

 

Failed Haiku - A Journal of English Senryu, Vol. 8, Issue 95, November 2023

My thanks to editor Hemapriya Chellappan for selecting the following split-sequence haiga:

Failed Haiku - A Journal of English Senryu, Vol. 8, Issue 94, October 2023

My thanks to editor Bryan Rickert for selecting the following haiga:

Failed Haiku - A Journal of English Senryu, Vol. 8, Issue 93, September 2023

My thanks to editor Hemapriya Chellappan for selecting the following haiga:

(note: this poem was longlisted for the 2023 Trailblazer Contest)

Failed Haiku - A Journal of English Senryu, Vol. 8, Issue 92, August 2023

My thanks to editor Bryan Rickert for selecting the following haiga: 

Failed Haiku - A Journal of English Senryu, Vol. 8, Issue 91, July 2023

My thanks to editor Hemapriya Chellappan for selecting the following senryu: 

family picnic

under the influence

of cherry blossoms

This issue also contains the results of the 2023 H. Gene Murtha Senryu Contest. My thanks to the judge, Mike Rehling for selecting the following work:

foetal/fatal the absence of almost-presence

Highly Commended