family reunion
a jumble of shells
at low tide
rotted rafters
fog curdles around
the owl's call
Honourable Mention
Robert Spiess Memorial Haiku Award Competition for 2026
Judge's Commentary:
This one refused to let go of me. I kept returning to it so I could study how its three entities interacted. The fog and the owl's call help to make this haiku feel dreamy and infused with yugen, quiet grace and mystery. When fog curdles, it becomes very dense, transforming into liquid water droplets. Using "curdles" as a verb also seems to imply that something is going sour, adding some menace to the scene. This haiku is essentially about transformation. The solid rafters are rotting. The fog is turning into water droplets. There is also some intriguing synesthesia at work here as the visual fog curdles around the sound of an owl. Matter, shapes, and sounds are all undergoing transformation. In addition, this haiku is full of euphony created by the alliteration of "r" sounds and the consonance of "l" sounds. Plus, there are three words, "curdle," "owl," and "call," that interact in pleasing ways euphonically. And the words "curdles around" yielded a shadow word of "curls," also adding to the movement and shape of this haiku moment.
—Brad Bennett
