February 2007 Kukai Dear Haiku Friends, Here are the results for the February 2007 Kukai, wherein our Kigo subject was "Crocus" and our Free Format subject was "Dreary". Congratulations to Carol Raisfeld, winner of our Kigo section and to Jacek Margolak, winner of our Free Format section! The haiku are listed in order of total points received from voters. The numbers reflect the number of voters who gave the haiku either three points, two points, or one point -- followed by the total points for all votes. Those who were given less than three points and who requested anonymity in such a case are so noted. In the listing below, after each poem the author is listed, and then a three digit code revealing how many 3-point, 2-point, and 1-point points were cast for this poem by the other participating poets. (214 = 12) would indicate that the poem above received two 3-point votes, one 2-point vote, and four 1-point votes. February 2007 Results Kigo Theme: Crocus Free Format Theme: Dreary First Place -- 29 pts crocus . . . the balloon-man returns to the park Carol Raisfeld (1,6,14) = 29 pts ** Like the oblique reference to the e.e. cummings poem. ** e. e. cummings territory. Perhaps it could have stopped at "returns." Second Place -- 22 pts first crocus I make a promise I can't keep Tom Painting (1,5,9) = 22 pts ** The special kind of ku that feels as though anybody could have written it, now that somebody has. Third Place -- 20 pts crocus in grandmother's hand spring again Dany Fisher (1,4,9) = 20 pts ** Nicely understated, even though "again" could be dispensed with. Fourth Place -- 18 pts budding crocus ~ the closed door of my daughter's bedroom Paul Hodder (1,2,11) = 18 pts ** A perennial spring theme, deftly handled. warm breeze a white crocus where the snowman was RaV (0,2,14) = 18 pts ** a fluid way to show the changing seasons. Fifth Place -- 17 pts first crocus . . . so hard to be original Francine Banwarth (0,4,9) = 17 pts Sixth Place -- 16 pts lonely crocus a hole in the snow just big enough -me- (1,5,3) = 16 pts Seventh Place -- 15 pts first crocus a new spring to my step Susan Constable (2,2,5) = 15 pts crocus buds — a neighbor's Christmas lights still flashing Dustin Neal (1,3,6) = 15 pts Eighth Place -- 14 pts first crocus... she leaks my secret ed markowski (2,1,6) = 14 pts sunny day... first crocus in the garden of a late neighbour Rita Odeh (1,1,9) = 14 pts this crocus like your friendship still surprises Beverley George (0,4,6) = 14 pts Ninth Place -- 13 pts my first crocus bobbing down the street in a child's hand Rose Marie Stutts, EdD (0,3,7) = 13 pts wild crocus my finger touches a saffron moon Ron Moss (0,4,5) = 13 pts onions sprouting in the pantry — outside, a crocus Barbara Snow (0,5,3) = 13 pts Tenth Place -- 12 pts first crocus — grandpa doesn't remember his password Israel López Balan (0,3,6) = 12 pts blue crocus . . . the scented letter returns unopened Kathy Lippard Cobb (0,2,8) = 12 pts crocus buds a new life stirring in her belly Karen Briggs (0,2,8) = 12 pts Eleventh Place -- 10 pts One single crocus Solitary survivor Of a lost garden Deirdre A. Godwin (1,2,3) = 10 pts our first crocus — the neighbor's child reaches to pick it Mary Lee McClure (1,2,3) = 10 pts Twelfth Place -- 9 pts crocus in the old snow glacier blue Beth Powell (2,0,3) = 9 pts first crocus what’s left of a snowdrift beside the fence DeVar (1,1,4) = 9 pts after her chemo... the first blade of a crocus Joshua O Wikoff (0,2,5) = 9 pts crocuses on the snow I am looking in your sky-blue eyes Piotr Mogri (0,3,3) = 9 pts ** nice! This seemed very spiritual. Thirteenth Place -- 8 pts frozen ground the crocus and i wait for spring Judi Honiker (0,3,2) = 8 pts first crocus after recess soggy mittens dot the playground Edward (0,2,4) = 8 pts red crocus she slowly removes her rubber gloves Petar Tchouhov (0,1,6) = 8 pts Fourteenth Place -- 7 pts a crocus field — the breeze plucks off one... blue butterfly Tom Maretic (0,2,3) = 7 pts yellow crocus the class of children burst into song kjs (0,1,5) = 7 pts crocus bed: outside the Buddhist Temple a street beggar -- ushi (0,1,5) = 7 pts mountain echo the crocus never come too soon Collin Barber (0,1,5) = 7 pts Fifteenth Place -- 6 pts first crocus — my neighbor's pet pig is missing ito (0,2,2) = 6 pts dew spills over the crocus lip a groundhog's shadow Pris Campbell (0,1,4) = 6 pts nursery crocus… the half-open hands of the napping baby Keiko Izawa (0,1,4) = 6 pts in front of the dryer vent a sea of purple crocus Michiko (0,0,6) = 6 pts Sixteenth Place -- 5 pts another birthday — crocuses in my garden fade away again Dorota Pyra (1,1,0) = 5 pts foolhardy — early crocus braves the snow Geoff Sanderson (0,2,1) = 5 pts first crocus a starling and I have it to ourselves Bill Kenney (0,1,3) = 5 pts now at dawn the snowman becomes water — white crocuses Lech Szeglowski (0,1,3) = 5 pts starless night — a white crocus opens to the dawn Nancy Smith (0,0,5) = 5 pts Seventeenth Place -- 4 pts Crocus underfoot I step toward the door this time goodbye Harvey Jenkins (1,0,1) = 4 pts the clouds break crocuses fill with an inner light max verhart (1,0,1) = 4 pts this morning in spite of the winter a blue crocus Jasminka Predojevic (1,0,1) = 4 pts victory garden surrounding the crocus young dandelions Bill Hudson (0,1,2) = 4 pts morning twilight saffron waits within the crocus Mark Hollingsworth (0,1,2) = 4 pts snow on the crocuses sunshine oga (0,1,2) = 4 pts first crocus — the new kid waves goodbye Roberta Beary (0,1,2) = 4 pts white crocus in her old flower garden the first sign Magdalena Dale (0,1,2) = 4 pts a crocus by the back door — distant thunder Ami (0,1,2) = 4 pts spring equinox without fanfare — the crocus Jeannie Martin (0,0,4) = 4 pts Eighteenth Place -- 3 pts crack in the parched soil first crocus Sjs (0,1,1) = 3 pts first sunny day after weeks of storms yellow crocus Bridget Cougar (0,1,1) = 3 pts From the wet soil a bud appear — the first crocus miorita (0,1,1) = 3 pts in the charred ruins of an old farmhouse . . . white crocus flowers -- Richard Kay (0,1,1) = 3 pts first crocus — being watered by the neighbour's dog Pia Sousa (0,1,1) = 3 pts Purple crocus — vibrant in her sterile hospital room Leslie Montgomery (0,1,1) = 3 pts along the river two lines of light: croci in bloom Vasile Moldovan (0,1,1) = 3 pts Remembrance crocus granddad planted in his time — their burst of color Zhanna P. Rader (0,1,1) = 3 pts crocuses bloom — I stand up searching for familiar birdsongs Audrey Downey (0,0,3) = 3 pts Green crocus tips Still frozen pond I finger seed packets yositaka (0,0,3) = 3 pts First Place -- 44 pts dreary day — only a gravedigger whistling Jacek (4,8,16) = 44 pts ** Brings a smile, but there's real emotional complexity here. ** Happy and sad; I had to laugh. Well done! Second Place -- 26 pts dreary day . . . he tells me all of it again Francine Banwarth (3,1,15) = 26 pts ** One breath? More like one sigh. Third Place -- 19 pts dreary morning... the taste and texture of powdered eggs ed markowski (2,4,5) = 19 pts Fourth Place -- 17 pts dreary sunday two magpies squabble over a chip Polona (1,3,8) = 17 pts Fifth Place -- 13 pts dreary day another phone call offering condolences Bill Hudson (1,0,10) = 13 pts ** "another" says it all. thick fog the same old news Susan Constable (0,4,5) = 13 pts dreary morning — I pull on the same socks I wore yesterday DeVar (0,3,7) = 13 pts dreary faces — she plays the violin in the subway Jordi Climent (0,1,11) = 13 pts Sixth Place -- 12 pts dreary day — the rain gurgles in the gutters Angèle Lux (0,2,8) = 12 pts Seventh Place -- 11 pts dreary day ~ the secrets we keep Paul Hodder (1,2,4) = 11 pts dreary alcove between sips mother asks my weight Roberta Beary (1,0,8) = 11 pts Eighth Place -- 10 pts the buzz of florescent lights deep winter Michael Baribeau (1,2,3) = 10 pts dreary skies . . . migrating geese struggle to keep formation Marie Summers (0,2,6) = 10 pts Ninth Place -- 9 pts dreary winter morning again the wail of an ambulance brephoenix (1,1,4) = 9 pts dreary light — the withered bean plants cling to their poles max verhart (0,2,5) = 9 pts dreary day — a second coat of lip balm Collin Barber (0,1,7) = 9 pts dreary weather — the corner gargoyle's mouth drips rainwater Zhanna P. Rader (0,1,7) = 9 pts dreary day I search for colour in garden books Beth Powell (0,1,7) = 9 pts dreary high tea — a fly's long walk over the host's cake Ana Cadarin (0,1,7) = 9 pts Tenth Place -- 8 pts how dreary! these tiny bones never left the nest Joshua O Wikoff (1,2,1) = 8 pts ** This one hit me in the gut-so sad! ** Well said! dreary day — he draws a stringless kite on the room wall Rita Odeh (1,0,5) = 8 pts dreary night I look at the space where the stars were kjs (0,1,6) = 8 pts Eleventh Place -- 7 pts dreary weather no customers at the car wash Meredith Stern Cavalieri (0,2,3) = 7 pts so dreary but listen! a bird sings miriam chaikin (0,2,3) = 7 pts dreary night I google her name for a hit Tom Painting (0,1,5) = 7 pts ** So modern, yet so common a moment! dreary day — their fight in the morning still with them at dinner Leslie Montgomery (0,1,5) = 7 pts dreary morning the imprint on her pillow already cool RaV (0,1,5) = 7 pts Twelfth Place -- 6 pts Look! A hummingbird Sipping spring from the feeder Dreary thoughts are gone Deirdre A. Godwin (1,1,1) = 6 pts dreary thoughts hot humid night in bed trying to sleep Michael Flack (1,1,1) = 6 pts dreary day the meter man fumbles for his flashlight Earl Keener (1,0,3) = 6 pts dreary day — an egret spreads its wings to land Ami (1,0,3) = 6 pts three nuns, almost invisible... dreary dreary day Pris Campbell (0,2,2) = 6 pts dreary forecast — stretched to the limit a worm George Hawkins (0,1,4) = 6 pts dreary day — the empty coffee cup still smells Israel López Balan (0,1,4) = 6 pts Thirteenth Place -- 5 pts Dreary clouds my only blanket shrunk with the last rain. Harvey Jenkins (1,0,2) = 5 pts return after years stairs of the old house run to nowhere Dorota Pyra (1,0,2) = 5 pts damp wool smell in from the drizzle fireplace cold Ruth Powell (0,2,1) = 5 pts dreary morning the cat peers out thru runnels of rain susan delphine delaney (0,2,1) = 5 pts dreary all those ads for Viagra in my email Sue Stanford (0,2,1) = 5 pts dismal month — now the shiki kukai wants a dreary haiku Jim Swift (0,1,3) = 5 pts ** What a perfect irony! February dawn — dreary, bare branches moving in a cold wind P.O. Williams (0,1,3) = 5 pts chair by the window a lamp on for reading in afternoon light Charles Hansmann (0,0,5) = 5 pts winter's long goodbye — the dreariness of freezing rain Mike Montreuil (0,0,5) = 5 pts dreary day — icicles melting drip, drip, drip Tristan Coleridge (0,0,5) = 5 pts Fourteenth Place -- 4 pts dreary sky… in kannon’s open arms a still pigeon Keiko Izawa (1,0,1) = 4 pts constant drizzle at noon sparrows and wind chimes still silent Edward (1,0,1) = 4 pts life so colourful and joyous what is dreary Pia Sosua (1,0,1) = 4 pts dreary morning — the old women sings her last hymn Dustin Neal (0,2,0) = 4 pts dreary day another planeload of bodies home from the war Karen Briggs (0,1,2) = 4 pts ** Oh, yes... dreary park at the statue of Venus two snails making love Ginka Biliarska (0,1,2) = 4 pts dreary day the snow fox’s shadow grows fainter martin (0,1,2) = 4 pts Between this and that shadow and dust dreary road Ashi (0,0,4) = 4 pts this winter a fresh new meaning for dreary Mary Lee McClure (0,0,4) = 4 pts Fifteenth Place -- 3 pts dreary sky — birds in the tree form a leafy pattern ito (1,0,0) = 3 pts dreary morn unclear thoughts too cold to think Dr. Wm Fraenkel (0,1,1) = 3 pts blackish snow shrinks off beer cans and wrappers dreary clouds gourdman (0,1,1) = 3 pts dreary my husbands disposition after doing the taxes carmel lively westerman (0,1,1) = 3 pts fourth of July unpacking the muddy tent Barbara Snow (0,1,1) = 3 pts on the highway only the car's looming shadow — Death Valley Lech Szeglowski (0,1,1) = 3 pts midnight dreary — clocks strike twelve for hours Anil Engin (0,0,3) = 3 pts dark and dreary . . . the filthy child draws a sunny day Kathy Lippard Cobb (0,0,3) = 3 pts dreary afternoon — turkeys wandering in a village playground Tom Maretic (0,0,3) = 3 pts dreary street tinfoiled windows blind to spring Terry Ingram (0,0,3) = 3 pts another day gray skies gray walls gray desk colorless life DJ (0,0,3) = 3 pts dreary sky — from the yellow foliage rain of light Corneliu Traian Atanasiu (0,0,3) = 3 pts dreary afternoon yesterday's snow without a sparkle Sandra Nickel (0,0,3) = 3 pts dreary night cloud shadows swallow the moon soji (0,0,3) = 3 pts dreary summer day the ice cream van's jingle in the distance Lynne Rees (0,0,3) = 3 pts candle-lit skin — she laughs at how dreary her day was aom (tim) (0,0,3) = 3 pts Thank you all for participating in the Shiki Monthly Kukai. We will open the March kukai to submissions on Monday, March 5th. See you then! With much appreciation, Robert and Jennie, co-secretaries Gary Warner, web host Participate in the Shiki Monthly Kukai by choosing a link below How it Works Most Recent Results Current Kukai Topics Kukai Archives An explanation of how the kukai functions. The results of our most recent month! Click here to learn about THIS month's kukai. Previous month's results.