AWARDS: HSA Gary Gay Rengay Contest, 2023

Thirst
        Neena Singh and Billie Dee

morning mist
a dew drop slides down
the mango leaf

green papaya's bitter edge
monsoon heat

        night showers
        singing your name
        red hibiscus

        after the downpour
        chattering crows drown out
        the muezzin

sugarcane harvest
a whiff of afternoon toil

moonbow
the pregnant tabby laps
from an oxcart rut


Third Place (Judges: Marcyn Del Clements, Seren Fargo)

Comments:
Thirst has such delightful images, like a painting from Van Gogh.—MDC

Perfect title. Another ell-crafted rengay, with satisfying variation between the verses, while staying true to the theme. I don't know if the title was decided on before or after the rengay itself was written, but it is another perfect example of how important the title is. In this case, it reflects the commonality within the verses, but in an indirect, somewhat subtle fashion. No one verse actually mentioned "thirst." I also found great satisfaction in this rengay's employment of so many of the physical senses--from the "papaya's bitter edge" to "a whiff of afternoon toil." Wonderfully provocative. Polishing it off so well, it ends with the full and rich imagery of a pregnant tabby lapping from an oxcart rut. Superb.—SF

Frogpond 46.3, Autumn 2023