The Shiki Monthly Kukai

April 2010 Kukai

Here are the results for the April 2010 Kukai, wherein our Kigo subject was Emerging Animals and our Free Format subject was Time.

Congratulations to Tim Singleton, winner of our Kigo section and to Edward, winner of our Free Format section!

Those who were given less than three points and who requested anonymity in such a case are so noted.

(2,1,4 = 12) would indicate that the poem above received two 3-point votes, one 2-point vote, and four 1-point votes.

Voters comments are in italics below the respective poems.

April 2010 Results
Kigo Theme: Emerging Animals	Free Format Theme: Time
First Place — 33 Points dusk — the geese just darker than the sky aom (tim) (3,6,12) = 33 pts Graceful and evocative. A lovely observation. I've always liked grisaille. Second Place — 26 Points night watch opening the window to spring peepers Michele L. Harvey (3,4,9) = 26 pts Third Place — 20 Points cherry blossom — in my kitchen the first ants Gryta Wansdronk (1,6,5) = 20 pts Fourth Place — 18 Points early morning near the pond a toad on a toad Carol Raisfeld (0,6,6) = 18 pts Fifth Place — 16 Points night class — a bat drops from shadow into flight Laurene (1,4,5) = 16 pts I'd never thought of a baby bat's first flight! Thank you! Sixth Place — 15 Points finally from the folded and folded paper an origami crane Ellen Romano (1,4,4) = 15 pts I love the 'f' alliteration here; it resonates well with the repetition theme. Seventh Place — 13 Points red squirrel still scolding last year's enemies Kurt R. W. (2,0,7) = 13 pts That's a long story - told in a few words. Eighth Place — 12 Points windy summit a whistling marmot courts a mate Tom Painting (1,1,7) = 12 pts Nature wants to make its way. And makes me smile. Ninth Place — 11 Points night rain — frogs croaking louder Peter Kalivo (0,2,7) = 11 pts I like the plainness of this, and the statement as fact of what may be merely an impression. Tenth Place — 9 Points grain by grain the fire ant mound begins to grow Rose Marie Stutts (1,1,4) = 9 pts again the woodpecker second thoughts at twilight maxianne berger (0,2,5) = 9 pts out of the blue robins on their nests Earl Randal Keener (0,2,5) = 9 pts Eleventh Place — 8 Points Dew head over heels — the manuscript about flowers read by the ants Oprica Padeanu (1,2,1) = 8 pts first breath — a tadpole dreams of leaping Carole MacRury (1,1,3) = 8 pts a fawn's pose in daffodil light held for a breath Francine Banwarth (1,1,3) = 8 pts Too poetical for my taste, but there is a moment there. I love "daffodil light." a butterfly no, a blossom no, a butterfly! rob scott (0,2,4) = 8 pts in the snowmelt an earthworm stretching to full length Michael Baribeau (0,2,4) = 8 pts It would be stronger without "in the." winter rains have filled the pond again- ducklings Leslie Montgomery (0,1,6) = 8 pts This says spring without saying "spring." Twelfth Place — 7 Points just at our first kiss, a curious butterfly above us Adina Enachescu (1,0,4) = 7 pts between the rocks sparkling for a moment — a baby lizard Manuela Dragomirescu (1,0,4) = 7 pts long night come on out mouse we're alone Bill Kenney (0,1,5) = 7 pts I'm glad I'm not the only one who isn't "disturbed" by little critters in the house! house finch — first concert of the season Barbara Campitelli (0,1,5) = 7 pts out of the tulip a bumblebee pollinates the gardener Bill Pauly (0,1,5) = 7 pts bright morning hedgehog blinks away his winter sleep Frances McCarthy (0,0,7) = 7 pts Thirteenth Place — 6 Points so many fence posts and no Meadowlarks Donna Bauerly (1,1,1) = 6 pts Fourteenth Place — 5 Points termites — a fallen post across the path Faith Atieno (0,2,1) = 5 pts howling wolves — the moon from the frosted pond starts splinting kaiser (0,2,1) = 5 pts Nice, except shouldn't the “from” be ”on”? spring thaw a puppy’s paw print in relief Elizabeth Warren (0,1,3) = 5 pts All of my senses were stretched in this haiku. dawn bird song — sudden memory of last night's rain Shelley Krause (0,1,3) = 5 pts sudden squall the pavement slick with worms NHyde (0,0,5) = 5 pts Fifteenth Place — 4 Points breathe in breathe out dampness at the tip of a drab cocoon Barbara Snow (1,0,1) = 4 pts ouzel and I boulder hop up the creek to its meadow roots John Thompson (1,0,1) = 4 pts a romping dog pees on every tree in the park spring at last Garry Eaton (0,2,0) = 4 pts chasing squirrels blossoms shake another and another martin (0,2,0) = 4 pts darkening sky — a cluster of caterpillars on a swaying leaf Patrick Wafula (0,1,2) = 4 pts tired of crawling the caterpillar leaves the cocoon with wings Edward (0,1,2) = 4 pts Sunday morning the bunny sniffs the air — a lone daffodil Marylouise Knight (0,1,2) = 4 pts behind the barn blinded by sunlight kittens Amicus (0,1,2) = 4 pts horns emerge in our bucket of snails — baby song thrush andrea (0,1,2) = 4 pts car commuting I and a ladybird speeding Rafal Zabratynski (0,1,2) = 4 pts Valentine's dusk the smell of skunk LeRoy Gorman (0,0,4) = 4 pts Sixteenth Place — 3 Points croaking bullfrogs — another sleepless night Charles Mbindyo (0,1,1) = 3 pts ten years old his dad has him pull the calving rope first hard birth gourdman (0,1,1) = 3 pts upturned earth an echidna's night of ecstasy Barb Taylor (0,0,3) = 3 pts out from the pond a frog ...silently John McDonald (0,0,3) = 3 pts yellow butterflies and turtles sharing sun on the same log Terri L. French (0,0,3) = 3 pts silent pond first to emerge the frog Cara Holman (0,0,3) = 3 pts mom and the woodchuck both preoccupied with spring cleaning Diane Mayr (0,0,3) = 3 pts my father advising on tax savings — evening cicadas Kameshwar Rao (0,0,3) = 3 pts Seventeenth Place — 2 Points wild-life crossing a cat here, a monkey there going slow R.K. Singh (0,1,0) = 2 pts first hot day a noise a lake duck holler carol pearce-worthington (0,1,0) = 2 pts the puppy sniffs at a piece of pizzle and whines Ralf Bröker (0,1,0) = 2 pts rising sun — termites busy working on their damaged anthill Winslause Yamame (0,1,0) = 2 pts swelling creek — a butterflies rainbow on the opposite shore Jacek M (0,1,0) = 2 pts The idea of distance is well crafted in each line yet the two parts of the poem remain clearly delineated. a reindeer takes the train in blood and midnight sun victoria oswald (0,1,0) = 2 pts fewer tulips than yesterday motionless rabbit eyes me through the fence deanna tief (0,1,0) = 2 pts tree-frogs out of the imagination of the great tree Michael McClintock (0,0,2) = 2 pts From the tree ducklings emerge, fly, tumble and bounce Mother Wood Duck quacks Lorraine Margueritte Gasrel Black (0,0,2) = 2 pts sunny skies the molehill explodes into life Gautam Nadkarni (0,0,2) = 2 pts transit landing — a swarm of mosquitoes invades the plane Isabelle Prondzynski (0,0,2) = 2 pts breaking for a squirrel -------- missing the next generation Ben Gieske (0,0,2) = 2 pts Golden flecks glimmer Peering from portals of stone Coy koi, racoon waits Pat Lammers (0,0,2) = 2 pts box elder bugs crawl on worn wood — the sun's heat Canticle (0,0,2) = 2 pts bellow of the old bull frog echoing Beth Powell (0,0,2) = 2 pts leaving the ark baboons complain about the mud soji (0,0,2) = 2 pts april wind — a small white eggshell yellow puddle anonymous (0,0,2) = 2 pts a snake appears — the young asparagus is no longer attractive Tomislav (0,0,2) = 2 pts Eighteenth Place — 1 Point back yard chit-chat a clucking fowl leads the chicks to the water trough gillena cox damp and drowsy chicks scattered bits of shell slow tears on my face mechaieh the groundhog blinded by flash bulbs —toast and cocoa if withering maize — a cutworm peeps from a hole Emmanuel Mutati stagnant water — a chicken chasing a one-legged frog Musa Salim the black grouse outside the cabin window raises April fool doubt Erik Boye nest robber blue jay bursts from bush damage done anonymous a new skunk path from under the porch spring migration Catherine J.S. Lee a rabbit pants in the shade... deepening drought Keith A. Simmonds tyger tyger from the woods a different tigress for each stripe anonymous Reads raw due to the omission of the rhyming word bright, painful like a shattered idealization. with a zing of wings the returning hummingbird demands fresh syrup Deirdre Godwin cloudy — only the cacophony of Canada geese Carolyn Coit Dancy mother thrasher's eyes searching out safe nesting place — rose arbor it is John Hubbard summer sun just outside his door the sand crab freezes C.P. Harrison the dawn chorus calls from the riverside — bullfrogs Barrack Elungata spring fling two frogs croak in unison Meredith Stern Cavalieri chasing after a vanishing firefly into a ricefield Stella my cry on a hedgehog's spines across our lawn Dejan Pavlinovic still some snow on the north side of the fence gophers on the road DeVar cul-de-sac street — gopher snakes slither down from a grassy hillock ito pulling weeds a lizard sheds his tail spring chill Stevie Strang in the glacier cave drip ... drop ... echoes of time Li Ree sound; two oystercatchers in og_a No points this time, sorry. Red evening sun. On the county road squashed flat clearly the first skunk. Horst Ludwig Rabbit chomps clover Wary eye to the road Spring sighting Mary E. Gray they lived happily... two furry bodies on the roadside Ghost Cat muddy soil — a wriggling earthworm on the hen's beak Anne Mbula fiery lion's mane rose sun color slaughtered lambs sacrificial gain Keith Moser cool mountain stream rainbow trout breaks the surface... good bye poor mayfly Tom Conally a dazzling morning — I brake just in time for a dashing rabbit anonymous a possum shows up — my loud "scram! go-go-go!" doesn't impress him anonymous he slithers away — leaving a slough in the grasss James Dobson a rock moved from under the shed — groundhog hole Merrill Ann Gonzales spring cleaning scorpion on the window screen Bill Hudson who on earth needs all these animals — mosquitoes, people Juhani Tikkanen no frost on the windshield — first skunk John Soules Two bright eyes in the river bank. Which animal? Trevor Camp moving by torchlight silently up the forest track — kiwi-spotting Elaine Riddell waked up early near the snow patch amazed hedgehog Radu Ignatescu marmots from deep holes bask in another Spring's sun aware of wolves old pajamas Molehills on the field of trefoil — the angry peasant Miorita mayday- a mole pops up has a sniff at the view Jon Espen Vassbotn up from his den hungry and grumpy boy or bear? Ruth Powell General Comments: Lots of good ones this time.	First Place — 25 Points railroad crossing their goodnight kiss one hundred boxcars long Edward (2,3,13) = 25 pts My memory of a kiss as high as the Empire State Building. This is delightful. 'one hundred boxcars long', nice emphasis. Second Place — 20 Points still no word... a piece of sky left by the clouds Rob Scott (1,6,5) = 20 pts Third Place — 18 Points whistling across fields the boy your father was carol pearce-worthington (0,4,10) = 18 pts Fourth Place — 16 Points shadows slipping down the mountain's face — another day Terri L. French (0,5,6) = 16 pts Fifth Place — 15 Points the long pause after you said cancer Stevie Strang (0,2,11) = 15 pts Sixth Place — 14 Points only five stops and forty-five years from home kami haiku (0,3,8) = 14 pts A graceful entry. Seventh Place — 13 Points graveyard shift — the coke machine keeps the change DeVar (1,1,8) = 13 pts You could have the event at a different time, but how different the effect would be. a sundial hidden by weeds house for sale Carole MacRury (0,2,9) = 13 pts Eighth Place — 12 Points prayer candle shadows pass through each other martin (1,1,7) = 12 pts From the visual to the visionary, and it's made to look effortless. For me, the best of the month in either category. But, to be honest, the connection to the assigned topic seems rather tenuous. Ninth Place — 11 Points Broken hourglass — the time bursting in a thousand bits Vasile Moldovan (2,1,3) = 11 pts supper on the stove I watch the sun slide down the pine Diane Mayr (0,3,5) = 11 pts slip of the knife the time before the cut starts bleeding polona (0,1,9) = 11 pts Ooo, I can feel it! Tenth Place — 10 Points for a second he strokes the back of the dragonfly Anne Curran (0,3,4) = 10 pts my notebook — I sit with eyes closed to see yesterday Marylouise Knight (0,1,8) = 10 pts Eleventh Place — 8 Points surf-tossed bottle years ago, the words I should have written Michele L. Harvey (1,1,3) = 8 pts I like the hankering for a past time absorbed into the mood of the theme. missing button another winter gone Bill Kenney (1,1,3) = 8 pts home video the voice of my mother belongs to the young girl Boris Nazansky (1,1,3) = 8 pts slow dance . . . the scent of wallflowers Francine Banwarth (1,0,5) = 8 pts shoe rack move boots back bring sandals forward miriam chaikin (0,3,2) = 8 pts how long this wave travels Ralf Bröker (0,2,4) = 8 pts wall clock — though its hands have stopped my beard keeps growing Walter Franceschi (0,2,4) = 8 pts almost two weeks sooner than last year — dogwood blossoms Shelley Krause (0,2,4) = 8 pts Twelfth Place — 7 Points slow afternoon a sunbeam lingers on the inkstone Catherine J.S. Lee (1,0,4) = 7 pts A beauty. Every word is just right. And the picture is lovely. "inkstone" always strikes me as affected, but the quiet simplicity of this overcomes my prejudice. I like a picture painted; striking the balance of light and shadows the moment in this haiku. overcast... and all at once the downpour starts Gautam Nadkarni (0,3,1) = 7 pts Easter morning the broken watch chimes in the cupboard Earl Randal Keener (0,2,3) = 7 pts the time it takes to make up my mind — spotted banana Susan Constable (0,0,7) = 7 pts Thirteenth Place — 6 Points lovers for a day already we have memories and a past Michael McClintock (0,1,4) = 6 pts on the porch lingering milk moon NHyde (0,1,4) = 6 pts old fountain pen — fresh ink connects mother and son John Hubbard (0,1,4) = 6 pts first spring without your father dripping icicles Erik Boye (0,0,6) = 6 pts moonless night — the traffic light turns green again Israel Lopez Balan (0,0,6) = 6 pts Fourteenth Place — 5 Points sun shadows . . . a nurse closes the blinds at dusk Carol Raisfeld (0,1,3) = 5 pts meadow . . . the time our footprints leave in the dew Bill Pauly (0,1,3) = 5 pts but today the grass is pink cherry petals Carlos Gesmundo (0,1,3) = 5 pts trumpet vine she times the fall of a blossom Tom Painting (0,0,5) = 5 pts window moon the doctor murmurs not long now Roberta Beary (0,0,5) = 5 pts Fifteenth Place — 4 Points Friday night waiting for the phone to ring Cara Holman (0,1,2) = 4 pts ...and after light-years: this sunlight splashing on the ground John McDonald (0,1,2) = 4 pts days expire along the hospital window a raging fly Gryta Wansdronk (0,1,2) = 4 pts This seems to me a brilliant juxtaposition. It reminds me of Dylan Thomas's "Go not gently into that good night." starlight — her letters from so long ago Paul Hodder (0,1,2) = 4 pts Sixteenth Place — 3 Points Oh, cherry blossom time cannot make me forget your fragrance Manuela Dragomirescu (1,0,0) = 3 pts first light.. the semblance of your smile Terra Martin (0,1,1) = 3 pts Chirp, buzz, whoosh, tinkle Warm, bright, loamy perfumed air Crank up the mower Pat Lammers (0,1,1) = 3 pts late for work — dissipating warmth from your side of the bed aom (tim) (0,1,1) = 3 pts clock tower midnight both hands point at moon glow Garry Eaton (0,0,3) = 3 pts daffodils in bloom — the time with you only a memory Barbara Campitelli (0,0,3) = 3 pts school year my children's clothes always getting smaller Meredith Stern Cavalieri (0,0,3) = 3 pts Daylight Savings Time the cuckoo calls an hour too early ito (0,0,3) = 3 pts Seventeenth Place — 2 Points sunrise water hens softly lapping water mark lonergan (0,1,0) = 2 pts this time high on my wish list acceptance Barbara A Taylor (0,1,0) = 2 pts rummaging through my drawer — Mom's obituary already twelve years old Leslie Montgomery (0,1,0) = 2 pts shreds of fog push through the pines lambing time Barbara Snow (0,0,2) = 2 pts the fire now all but ashes oh! the weary years maxianne berger (0,0,2) = 2 pts outside the mall; two little girls looking at each other og_a (0,0,2) = 2 pts springtime this time more spring & less cleaning Elsa Colligan (0,0,2) = 2 pts processional — father-of-the-bride squeezes her hand Carolyn Coit Dancy (0,0,2) = 2 pts global warming water from before time was important Laurene (0,0,2) = 2 pts she's late the churchbells play que sera sera Jon Espen Vassbotn (0,0,2) = 2 pts "only time will tell" how many time in life have we spoken these words which resonates so well in this haiku. Eighteenth Place — 1 Point haiku only a moment etched in memory Mary E. Gray spring quick morning love Sand Rector deja vu I pick up a goose egg from my front lawn anonymous the sunset melting — into the tide of time ----------- moonrise Ben Gieske wisps above the candles — the darker colors of dusk jennie townsend unable to read music or keep time, the meadowlark still sings Canticle three hour service — a heavy downpour meets our final hymn Isabelle Prondzynski Hours spent together hurtling past like minutes intoxicating J Abruzi she watches him leave gloom after sweetness of stolen time Frances McCarthy Three seconds behind car ahead. Peace of mind. Trevor Camp living by the tide and the rise and set of sun — beachside camping Elaine Riddell on the abattoir roof spring rain anonymous poplar's shadow daily measuring the time — the cocks, in the night Radu Ignatescu skype line stays open-ended with sister's passing away Stella poking his yesterday's fly a little finger Dejan Pavlinovic We really are children standing before the vastness of universe and unanswered questions, this haiku is our metaphor. time out — adirondack chair in the garden anonymous a moment you need to read this haiku moment Rafal Zabratynski No points this time, sorry. in each swatch terrestrial presence — nude waves R.K. Singh pruned and constrained the bougainvillea bush blooms just before Easter gillena cox at long last love — in the autumn of my years spring blossoms if how slowly flows, how swiftly flies... tic-tac, tic-tac Ghost Cat qualifying time lapse around the universe spatial pantomime Keith Moser procrastination serves a tardy master... sorry this is late Tom Conally Stealing Heaven’s light Nature’s gentle touch in sync Sentient timepiece Lorraine Margueritte Gasrel Black the twilight zone — my old man spends his time listening to crickets Kaiser hot April week cherry buds break at dawn show color by dusk gourdman midnight — an instance between past and future... timelessness above natalia kuznetsova three months since you're gone — vainly, the spring's lush blossoms calling you back... anonymous mid-term exams the semester drags on anonymous waste of time — all those wintry snows now melted away Juhani Tikkanen arrow of time lived only forward a paradox? anonymous old beauty queen struggling with her make-up: time the nemesis Keith A. Simmonds the clock loosing its moment to a breeze — dandelion anonymous gently she blows dandelion seeds — one o'clock, two ... James Dobson hummingbird hurry the belled nectar is timed Donna Bauerly Triduum pilgrimage. Maybe it's the last time for us together. Horst Ludwig forsythia blossoms fading with spring — time for pruning Merrill Ann Gonzales our flag comes slowly down day is done Rose Marie Stutts sixty-five this year — thoughts of retirement still over the hill John Soules idle summer time steamy cast-mosaic floor in Turkish bath oana posnaies spring dawn the sun now lights my way Michael Baribeau sakura in bloom just the right time to fall in love Kalina another cycle blossom, leaf, abscission, bare one year of a tree Deirdre Godwin spring forward — the daylight much more persistent C.P. Harrison April holidays — six boys lift their only dog over the fence Caleb David Mutua minute of silence... my little parrot sleeps on a perch Jacek M as long as it takes the frog hole-in-one rurik a spider spinning time, fat flies buzzing Beth Powell withdrawing some time I've saved... "AM or PM, Sir?" soji On the photo a rugged face smiles… Is my mother? Miorita a child trying to catch the hands of the clock moving days gone by Ellen Romano only seconds for a tiny spider — annoyed tabby cat Kurt R. W. quick as it hits in the endless war snow melts LeRoy Gorman chimes the hour of evensong she hurries by Ruth Powell the mosquito buzzes till the first cicada’s song - o my sleeplessness! Tomislav General Comments: Wonderful what great haiku this monthly contest can produce! This was a real delight to read. This one was so difficult, with 12 poems on my short list. Such a delightful topic...so many ways to measure time! This was probably the hardest vote I remember casting. I read and re-read many exceptional haiku --probably about 20--that deserved points, and maybe 5-7 that deserved more votes than I could give them. Bravo! to the fine work here that encapsulated the essence of time in true, authentic haiku fashion.

Thank you for participating in the April 2010 Kukai! We will announce the May Call for Submissions on Sunday, May 2, 2010. See you then!

With much appreciation,

Robert and George

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.