The Shiki Monthly Kukai

January 2011 Kukai

Here are the results for the January 2011 Kukai, wherein our Kigo subject was Dawn and our Free Format subject was Loss.

Congratulations to Svetlana Marisova, winner of our Kigo section and to Iokua, 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.

January 2011 Results
Kigo Theme: Dawn	Free Format Theme: Loss
First Place - 19 Points  first light ... out of the shadows a deer Svetlana Marisova (1,4,8) = 19 pts Second Place - 16 Points winter dawn . . . humming along with the furnace Cara Holman (1,3,7) = 16 pts **full of hope for a new day! Third Place – 15 Points dawn-- the weight of the coming rain David Grayson (0,3,9) = 15 pts **Glances at the future ("coming rain") in haiku are often frowned on, but "weight" keeps us in the moment. Fourth Place - 14 Points we talk in circles the earth's slow turn towards dawn Paul Hodder (1,3,5) = 14 pts **Been there, done that! I get a sense of talking well into the night, likely to settle a disagreement - hopefully before dawn. But that can seem like a very long time. Fifth Place - 13 Points dawn clouds the tiger's shape dissolves Giselle Maya (1,2,6) = 13 pts **The tiger, known for hunting at night, seems to be a perfect cloud shape for disappearing into the light of dawn. Besides, this is a different take on the theme, which makes it a pleasure to read. ** great imagination snow angels at dawn filling with light Bill Pauly (1,1,8) = 13 pts **Lovely image. dawn the huddled birds face east April Serock (0,2,9) = 13 pts Sixth Place - 12 Points edge of light my fishing pole across the handlebars Donna Bauerly (1,3,3) = 12 pts late for work dawn everywhere c pearce-worthington (1,2,5) = 12 pts Seventh Place - 11 Points dawn the smell of fresh brewed coffee Bill Hudson (0,4,3) = 11 pts **The moment the words are read, the aroma of coffee is unavoidable. Suddenly it is early morning and you anticipate that first cup. dawn unwrapping the horizon vishnu p kapoor (0,2,7) = 11 pts **There were several "big sky" haiku that I considered before settling on this one as the most direct. first light my little fears back in the box Roberta Beary (0,2,7) = 11 pts night shift-- the rhythm of your sleep just before dawn aom (tim) (0,2,7) = 11 pts **Says "homecoming" gently and powerfully. Eighth Place - 10 Points arctic dawn a brief band of light carmel lively westerman (1,3,1) = 10 pts matins - the first dawn shadows cast on the snow Cristina-Monica Moldoveanu (1,0,7) = 10 pts redder in the rising sun... the robin's breast Liz Rule (0,2,6) = 10 pts dawn pulling at the pond a dragonfly C.P.Harrison (0,2,6) = 10 pts rising tide the stars recede into the dawn Elaine Riddell (0,1,8) = 10 pts **I think the second "the" is superfluous. Otherwise lovely image. dawn a carrot at the foot of the snowman og_a (0,1,8) = 10 pts dawn a dagger of sunlight divides our table J Blain (0,1,8) = 10 pts early dawn- jellyfish umbrellas drift with the tide Carol Raisfeld (0,0,10) = 10 pts Ninth Place - 9 Points finally at dawn the widower falls asleep Leslie Montgomery (1,2,2) = 9 pts ** this one really got to me dawn blackbirds alight on the fountain's stone rim Tom Painting (1,1,4) = 9 pts **I love the coolness of this poem (I'll have to revisit it in the summer!), the hooligan feel of what the blackbirds are up to, and the parallels with our own morning activities. I love the whole scene these few words create in my mind, from the light on the stone, to the action that might soon be in the fountain, to the people soon to be milling around. This is a great example of showing not telling, and I also like that the author didn't bow to a certain structure or use any poetic devices. A very organic poem. Cool and refreshing! sleepless night - darkness in the window become a tree Israel López Balan (1,0,6) = 9 pts chill dawn butter melts on the fresh cornbread Allen (0,3,3) = 9 pts **Like the contrast of "chill" and the butter melting. dawn my mountain pose not quite at its peak Terri L. French (0,2,5) = 9 pts Tenth Place - 8 Points streaks of first light across the barren ice an owl's silent glide Elinor Pihl Huggett (1,2,1) = 8 pts **The image reaches out and chills me with its cold and its silence. I am alone with the fleeting mute owl. enormous dawn . . . children on the hilltop opening their arms Michael McClintock (1,1,3) = 8 pts dawn looming from the shadows a tree Ted van Zutphen (1,1,3) = 8 pts dawn a whiff of hot coffee from the widow's balcony john tiong chunghoo (1,1,3) = 8 pts rising at dawn . . . a heron's reflection in the still pond Margaret Dornaus (0,3,2) = 8 pts **There are many heron/pond haiku, but I like the contrasts and ambiguities in this one. Who is rising: the poet? the heron? Maybe both . . . as well as the dawn light. Eleventh Place - 7 Points dawning - the cemetery's serenity Zhanna P. Rader (1,1,2) = 7 pts **clever contrast with a feeling of resolution and a spark of hope dawn . . . the apple branches that survived the storm Rita Odeh (0,2,3) = 7 pts dawn - the sound of a snow plough roiling my tea Kaiser Kahn (0,2,3) = 7 pts Wintry dawn-- sleeping under a car a stray dog R.K. Singh (0,1,5) = 7 pts dawn . . . flower beds quilted with snow Susan Constable (0,1,5) = 7 pts Twelfth Place - 6 Points dawn... perfect, the Earth is still on the orbit! Petru-Ioan Garda (0,2,2) = 6 pts dawn - another day without you natalia kuznetsova (0,1,4) = 6 pts halfway to dawn -- I finally realize I can't go back Melissa Allen (0,1,4) = 6 pts dawn at her place her magnetic heart on the icebox Lechaiku (0,1,4) = 6 pts summer dawn... a butterfly caught in its own glow Keith A. Simmonds (0,0,6) = 6 pts dawn, the puppy barks at what is left of the moon Bouwe Brouwer (0,0,6) = 6 pts dawn a skylark sings itself Dorota Pyra (0,0,6) = 6 pts Thirteenth Place - 5 Points saluting the dawn the Maasai chieftain lifts a cup of blood Kirsty Karkow (1,0,2) = 5 pts call of a muezzin entangles with my dream... crack of dawn Kala Ramesh (0,1,3) = 5 pts dawn the robins song is glowing Oddbjørn Aardalen (0,1,3) = 5 pts dawn waiting for her at Arrivals Marleen Hulst (0,1,3) = 5 pts dawn a gar severs night from day Earl r. Keener (0,1,3) = 5 pts **good imagination and very decisive Fourteenth Place - 4 Points gulf oil spill- everglades flamingos pinker than the dawn if (1,0,1) = 4 pts again this morning magpies fill the tree above the cat DeVar (1,0,1) = 4 pts ** I had to laugh when I read the last line. No doubt the magpies were laughing too. dawn- driving into the sunrise Barbara Campitelli (0,1,2) = 4 pts winter dawn... a cold cat and the man in the moon Li Ree (0,1,2) = 4 pts dawn-- it's all about the snow Ami (0,1,2) = 4 pts sun-up small bits of fluff stuck to fresh eggs Michele L. Harvey (0,0,4) = 4 pts Fifteenth Place - 3 Points white rabbit - at the beginning of the year beside me at dawn alex serban (1,0,0) = 3 pts Radiant dawn painting pastel veils across the sky. Robert C. (1,0,0) = 3 pts dawn..... a new day that will end Marili (0,1,1) = 3 pts frosty breath Milky Way disappears crack of dawn charlie smith (0,1,1) = 3 pts Beautiful pink dawn did not foretell disaster which claimed many lives. Jean Lewis (0,1,1) = 3 pts faint echo of a cock's crow-- dawn breeze Brian Etole (0,1,1) = 3 pts **This is so lovely and ethereal! I don't think you need the word dawn here, as it's implied by the cock's crow. Maybe add a season word to the breeze and you have a wonderful, classic, timeless haiku. Really nice. dawn... after the snowstorm crows regroup Diane Mayr (0,1,1) = 3 pts pale winter dawn two hearts begin to blush in the bus window dew Jon Espen Vassbotn (0,1,1) = 3 pts The old stairway takes another turn. New Year's dawn Beacon (0,1,1) = 3 pts dawn... cold nose on my toes under the down comforter Aalix Roake (0,0,3) = 3 pts sunrise casting a walleye spoon with everything I've got Alan S. Bridges (0,0,3) = 3 pts the crack of dawn I never get to see night owl Merrill Ann Gonzales (0,0,3) = 3 pts January dawn snowflakes scatter what little light Mike Montreuil (0,0,3) = 3 pts that glance as he walked out the door-- the chill before dawn Seren Fargo (0,0,3) = 3 pts a text message illuminates a cat's yawn daybreak Lucas Stensland (0,0,3) = 3 pts **good combination of 3 openings and 2 illuminations early dawn the orange light from a snowplow truck Tore Sverredal (0,0,3) = 3 pts winter dawn – crimson sky behind the bare trees moT  (0,0,3) = 3 pts Sixteenth Place - 2 Points oyster skies for months then one April dawn aglow with pink and azure Ida Freilinger (0,1,0) = 2 pts Dawn haze a warbler begins Anonymous (0,1,0) = 2 pts New life begins each day In my daughter's eyes Dawn Mary E. Gray (0,1,0) = 2 pts darkness all around seeking the dawn where none exists James Sawers (0,0,2) = 2 pts winter dawn . . . sorting out my feelings Bill Kenney (0,0,2) = 2 pts dawn - red of the cockerel's comb John McDonald (0,0,2) = 2 pts **lovely dawn - skylark's roll releasing the day Manuela Dragomirescu (0,0,2) = 2 pts dawn chorus-- the rhythmic whistles of a weaver bird ~ Kevin Asava (0,0,2) = 2 pts **rhythmic makes me want to hear these whistles fishing trip my rowboat is filled with dawn's light Harvey Jenkins (0,0,2) = 2 pts winter wind -- dawn sparrows born for this --Peter Newton (0,0,2) = 2 pts Seventeenth Place -1  Point swirling mist candy-cotton clouds another pink dawn Tanja Cilia wintry dawn -- some more fully matured icicles Juhani Tikkanen unfolding dawn a spider checks out strands of pearls Barbara A Taylor  ** I like the way this is expressed. late dawn -- even a grey sunrise raises the sun ~ Isabelle Prondzynski dawns colors shimmering on the floor finger painting Ben Gieske dawn... emerging from the mist two roe deer Anonymous back home after the funeral silent dawn tito A. fragile dawn... early gulls pierce the stillness James Dobson  **very penetrating 8:08 a.m. and the curtain still closed. Sunlight might melt this poem. William M. Gottlieb disappearing behind a wall of sky dawn moon Angela Terry chilly dawn; dusting snow off the cap- the crow too ! manoj saranathan rising with the steamy dawn... a blue morpho Bruce H. Feingold  **A beautiful image, but without the inversion you only have the phrase " a blue morpho rising with the steamy dawn". Removing the distracting poetic device and adding a fragment to the phrase would give you the opportunity to make a lovely image even more meaningful. pale moon somewhere in the tree top the first chirping bird Boris Nazansky lemony yellow sky night escapes in pink and blue Christine Howard fresh snowfall a softer glow at dawn Ruth Powell snowmelt a flowering quince greets the dawn Anonymous before dawn, the glow of fresh snow on the railing Christopher Pickslay before dawn faint pink horizon baby cries James M. Thompson No points this time, sorry. form throughout the formless void - beautiful dawn ... Patricia Lidia dawn a voluminous rain plunders the street --gillena cox  dawn sun's eyelids closed Kalina Trendafilova sighting first light from her perch in a cypress bulbul chirps me awake miriam chaikin i sip my tea at dawn its leaves dark as those outside mechaieh flyover Night's lost stars embraced by the dawning Lorraine Margueritte Gasrel Black dawn a teacher finishes off shifts from her chair Anna Carene day begins with a symphony orchestra dawn chorus Jill at dawn in the spring the Happy Planet Index - Green Revolution STOPSY five friends on dawn beach float warm iridescent swells, swim pastel currents Sandra Friedlander  awaken by the flare dawn my room is bright red Ashi dawn sky - blood spills over the horizon Gautam Nadkarni dawn clicks. turtle hatchlings glides off the coast Ramesh Anand crack of dawn… behind the park ranger hut red rowan berries Svein Lie dawn-- in same sky but a memory at winter twilight Alegria Imperial two hearses so silent -- grey dawn and the rose Maxianne  ** "so silent" is unexpectant and is an excellent calling up of the cemetery scene. A lot of meaningful color. snow on snow in the dawn light - chaste a new week Marylouise Knight fire engine's whine the draperies glowing at dawn Barbara Snow  **such brilliant sound and sight first hint of dawn a lost duckling disappears in a massive swirl Edward  **sad when one thinks of a new day dawning but not for this duckling dawn... loud gabble of few wet seamen Reza-Iran New Year's dawn- coffee aroma rises before I do Angelee january dawn - the mountain peaks red and orange Andrzej Dembonczyk  first dawn - an invisible bird sings above Anonymous  summer dawn... a zirconia glints in his dark lobe Jo McInerney pale dawn a dead sparrow freezes in melting snow Petar Tchouhov dawn dinner leftovers reheated for breakfast c t doebler dead sycamore tree huge black crow perched on top silhouette's of dawn Dorothy j. Kazmierzak Dark grey dawn, We awake to noise. Three black crows Trevor Camp  early morning light on the cusp of night and day my dog and I wake Deirdre Godwin first rim of light-- a chickadee stirs snow falling from pine jill cock crows at the balcony-- dawn chorus ~ Esther Obwamu  rhubarb dawn on Thistle Lane bikes, bats, big vans patio jibes at vespers Jim Sullivan grey skies flurries but still dawn gourdman  dull winter dawning memories of flowers bright a Rose is still in my heart dragonfly rose-fingered centuries a reason to get up Horst Ludwig New Year on a white horse - in dawn it becomes grey Radu Ignatescu dawn's purple haze-- farther away from the spring of my life Francine Banwarth dawn lights the track of coyote-- a hen house John Daleiden  last night's storm drip drip dripping misty dawn Stevie harvest day dawn driblets of jaggery stirred in the milk sanjukta sleepless night a melon sherbet dawn fills the window Hazel A. Witherspoon small sunbeams pierce through the mist at dawn... diamonds dance in dew Amicus General Comments - Kigo: **Again, this month there were so may poems I liked.  **My short list was longer than usual this month.  **Another good theme, with plenty of entries!  **I found it extremely difficult this time to vote. There were so many excellent haiku and no way to credit all those which deserve recognition.  **I had a very difficult time narrowing the choices down to these. There were several more I would have included if I had had more points!  **Many excellent haiku, if "dawn" in itself can count as a kigo.	First Place - 24 Points only moonlight in the little dog bed winter deepens Iokua (3,2,11) = 24 pts **Bittersweet and lovely. Good kigo too. Second Place - 19 Points a last touch - his ashes become the sea Carol Raisfeld (0,4,11) = 19 pts **Very evocative, yet avoiding sentimentality. I like the hint of double meaning with 'become' . . . a lovely thought. frozen river - she keeps silent about her past Dorota Pyra (0,4,11) = 19 pts ** 'frozen river' is evocative of the state of a long ago loss as in 'frozen in time'. **a very strong statement. No way to unfreeze this one. your words before you left... craters on the moon Polona (0,3,13) = 19 pts **There are many things that can make us feel lost and alone . . . including words. Although we don't know what his/her last words were, the juxtaposition with craters on the moon tells us all we need to know about this sense of loss for the one left behind. ** A very good jux. The desolate ambience of "craters on the moon" mirroring the emotional loss. Third Place – 16 Points empty sleeve flapping in the cold wind a soldier returns Jill (0,4,8) = 16 pts ** I also liked #s 29 and 94 **I like the way the poet makes us feel the loss without either mentioning the word, itself, or naming what's been lost. If there'd been punctuation at the end of L2, to avoid the possible pivot of L2, I'd have added another point to this one. Fourth Place - 15 Points just a little depression where you once lay Donna Bauerly (0,3,9) = 15 pts ** I like the double meaning of 'depression' in this one - as if time passing since the loss has lessened both the emotional impact and the dint in a physical surface. Fifth Place - 14 Points distant explosion- the quick click of her knitting needles Rita Odeh (0,3,8) = 14 pts Sixth Place - 13 Points yahrzeit candle the gentle pull of the flame David Grayson (1,3,4) = 13 pts **I was unfamiliar with yahrzeit, but now I've looked it up, it feels perfect here. The gentle pull affects not only the flame, but the emotions of the poet and this reader. out walking the leash og_a (1,3,4) = 13 pts **no mistaking this even with these few words hands open and close Johannes S. H. Bjerg (0,5,3) = 13 pts Seventh Place - 11 Points one by one the roofs lose their colour -- summer sunset Isabelle Prondzynski (1,2,4) = 11 pts and still we listen for your footsteps . . . second winter Susan Constable (1,1,6) = 11 pts raindrops merging with tears - the loss of my son Zhanna P. Rader (0,4,3) = 11 pts **There is no pain greater than losing a child…I’m sorry for your loss. Eighth Place - 10 Points a black grape rolls beneath the kitchen stove... the kitten's paw Kirsty Karkow (1,1,5) = 10 pts **I found #19 to be a refreshing break from all the dreary entries, and it's such a great image. I want to cheer the little guy on. Ninth Place - 9 Points all these flowers the things I should have said Paul Hodder (0,3,3) = 9 pts **" Regret" very well described. loss of a life one memory at a time Bill Hudson (0,1,7) = 9 pts **Yes, Alzheimer’s takes its toll so slowly that it takes a while to wake up to what is really happening. still birth... she never sees that first smile James Dobson (0,1,7) = 9 pts winter night his diary's blank pages Petar Tchouhov (0,1,7) = 9 pts Tenth Place - 8 Points white drifts . . . the snowman-maker writes from Kabul Michael McClintock (1,1,3) = 8 pts as he is dying the breathtaking view from his window Stevie (1,1,3) = 8 pts afterwards... a shopping list becomes proof you were Jo McInerney (0,2,4) = 8 pts too late for apologies graveside Allen McGill (0,1,6) = 8 pts Eleventh Place - 7 Points silent vigil ... i ache for the shudder of your loins Svetlana Marisova (2,0,1) = 7 pts gaps between the hockey player's teeth-- another loss DeVar (0,3,1) = 7 pts **this one made me smile with all my teeth! the morning after searching for my socks Ben Gieske (0,2,3) = 7 pts long night the smell of home in the waiting room tito A. (0,1,5) = 7 pts Twelfth Place - 6 Points small heap of dust in the silent chapel I remove my hat Maxianne (1,1,1) = 6 pts after the funeral she brings home an Easter lily Terri L. French (1,0,3) = 6 pts **I'm completely won over by the resonant simplicity of this. morning fog - in the empty bedroom the cold slippers Gautam Nadkarni (0,0,6) = 6 pts ** I also liked this one falling cherry petals - the black hearse leaving a little lighter Lech Szeglowski (0,0,6) = 6 pts **I like the imagery that is created here. Thirteenth Place - 5 Points deleting her name from my Contacts list gourdman (1,0,2) = 5 pts late night rain across from your empty armchair I try to read April Serock (0,1,3) = 5 pts puppy sniffs the basket where the old dog lay. Aalix Roake (0,1,3) = 5 pts **touching late autumn - shadows separate on forest ground Cristina-Monica Moldoveanu (0,1,3) = 5 pts the chickadee still crying for his mate fallen petals Barbara Snow (0,1,3) = 5 pts i throw snowballs at your ghost missing you mechaieh (0,1,3) = 5 pts **I think this would be better without the last line. Maybe as a oneliner: "Throwing snowballs at your ghost". car keys in hand I travel room to room to find my glasses Harvey Jenkins (0,1,3) = 5 pts death at Christmas-- what to do with the gifts Christopher Pickslay (0,1,3) = 5 pts discussing viable pregnancy - again C.P.Harrison (0,1,3) = 5 pts **a whole story in 4 words ice skims the pond only the broken-winged duck remains Lynda True (0,0,5) = 5 pts starting the year with a full box of sympathy cards Francine Banwarth (0,0,5) = 5 pts **I only wish I had more points to give out. This one is sad in what it doesn't say Fourteenth Place - 4 Points loss- heavier than the coffin draped with his country's flag Leslie Montgomery (1,0,1) = 4 pts dusting his room the graduation photo doesn't chat Ruth Powell (0,2,0) = 4 pts the empty chair: a flood of memories for Mother's Day Keith A. Simmonds (0,1,2) = 4 pts mourning card he plucks grey hairs from his eyebrows Ted van Zutphen (0,1,2) = 4 pts **The honesty of the image or its unabashed presentation got for it this vote. the dream we shared only you awake Lucas Stensland (0,1,2) = 4 pts donor forms while his body is still warm if (0,0,4) = 4 pts **a chilling reality from the second pew he watches his mother remarry Diane Mayr (0,0,4) = 4 pts **This evokes a definite picture, preferably of a young child. frozen pond a fancy jersey glove under the surface Tore Sverredal (0,0,4) = 4 pts war vet worn each day his untold story Peter Newton (0,0,4) = 4 pts poppy day - a kid counting the names on the plaque Kaiser Kahn (0,0,4) = 4 pts **A kid counting the names makes this even more poignant. Fifteenth Place - 3 Points loss of you loss of us loss, my love James Sawers (1,0,0) = 3 pts footprints in snow the river runs black Jon Espen Vassbotn (1,0,0) = 3 pts loss of faith a boy's sullen eyes more gray than blue Anna Carene (0,1,1) = 3 pts **I particularly like the color choices in this one. Gray is a very tired color as compared with the vivid color blue. Such a loss is like a step toward a slow death. hospice visit vase full of flowers empty bed charlie smith (0,1,1) = 3 pts pouring rain the filthy doll shivers in the open dust-bin Oddbjørn Aardalen (0,1,1) = 3 pts deep cold - my lost cat will have to find himself Melissa Allen (0,1,1) = 3 pts spring in central park an old afghan longing home to nothing Li Ree (0,1,1) = 3 pts water's end his ashes cast on retreating waves Tom Painting (0,0,3) = 3 pts once upon a time.... vishnu p kapoor (0,0,3) = 3 pts ** makes you want to hear the rest of the story orange blossoms - one name lost to another Michele L. Harvey (0,0,3) = 3 pts Sixteenth Place - 2 Points all cats at a loss - fey tweet and flutter by chick fallen from the nest Stopsy (0,1,0) = 2 pts Your gift of roses withered as my spirit died at the loss of you. Jean Lewis (0,1,0) = 2 pts Late night thoughts suddenly attack in memory - my mother Ashi (0,1,0) = 2 pts In her hour of loss Sarah gently whispered her wedding vows. Robert C. Howard (0,1,0) = 2 pts broken leaves scattered across the snow says it all Marylouise Knight (0,1,0) = 2 pts barren floor bits of tinsel cling to JPMorgan Chase's letter tf (0,1,0) = 2 pts she looks at the picture and weeps-- lost baby Brian Etole (0,1,0) = 2 pts a slab of snow slides from the roof-- nobody home Ami (0,1,0) = 2 pts first rooster crow relief at finding his side empty J Blain (0,1,0) = 2 pts **a loss with a twist Lost in mirror models in lingerie: winter rain R.K. Singh (0,0,2) = 2 pts wooden shutters rattled by winter winds - what have i lost Giselle Maya (0,0,2) = 2 pts hand sown seeds - all over again a late monsoon Anonymous (0,0,2) = 2 pts ** I also liked this one anniversary - your photograph greasy with my prints dsnake1 (0,0,2) = 2 pts missing key-- she walks slowly in the thick grass Synaidah Kalahi (0,0,2) = 2 pts lost in the dark... how deep is the way to find myself Liz Rule (0,0,2) = 2 pts brown winter garden then lived with blossoming life now a winter death dragonfly (0,0,2) = 2 pts last of the year-- lost in fog on the road ahead Bill Pauly (0,0,2) = 2 pts home team loss- an empty coke can kicked all the way back home sanjukta (0,0,2) = 2 pts Back from holidays- lunch time meeting with bosses plant shutting down now Hazel A. Witherspoon (0,0,2) = 2 pts **This happened to me once. Seventeenth Place - 1  Point empty house after funeral his clothes still in laundry basket Tanja Cilia snowman's grief watching snowflakes disappear one by one Kalina Trendafilova  **I like the freshness of thought in it **good personification of a snowman away on business the sun dips behind the obstruction Alan S. Bridges a friend dies- brilliant platinum on ink is the long-night moon Ida Freilinger off to a bad start unable to balance debit and credit Barbara A Taylor In a nutshell the Universe repeats all gains and losses Lorraine Margueritte Gasrel Black bloodless tongue her throat has released it's last meow Emma Pageot at the grave a lone figure in black winter twilight natalia kuznetsova loss of a down - how do I make up for lost time Mike Montreuil my faded wild rose blooming behind closed eyes Svein Lie all souls day the child's grave shimmers like new john tiong chunghoo he sits in her chair... the kettle whistles louder his toast grows cold Edward quick search-- a lost marble in the grass glitters Ceciliah Wambui mama's last friend a shaggy black dog gone now jill no longer friends her handwriting on a sticky note c pearce-worthington the road behind me the branch springs back when I pluck the fruit Earl R. Keener reclaimed land gulls hover above the town hall Bouwe Brouwer hot tea in the street - snowflakes melted in many flavours Radu Ignatescu No points this time, sorry. rising moon - the sound of the water on the gravel hides my thought Patricia Lidia heart-wrenching sobs- yellow flowers in a funeral wreath gillena cox same height, same walk knowing what i'll find i yet hurry to see the face miriam chaikin **I often want to see the faces of those when only seeing them from behind. cold hands sorry for your loss graveside condolence Anonymous this survivor who's buried a daughter now news of her son Merrill Ann Gonzales deep cold - the first stars just barely visible Cara Holman old moon another friend has died Bill Kenney loss of her weight -- thinned snow cloud disappears Juhani Tikkanen dropping off. turtle hatchlings of the existence Ramesh Anand him I lost once comes back a new smile a changed country Alegria Classifieds - I lost a friend, declare it null Petru-Ioan Garda moving to Italy- all these memories off to Goodwill Barbara Campitelli grandfathers' rockers and tombstones in Winter—good golly, Miss Molly rocker feller even in death a quasar's bright light the heart of the way Margaret Dornaus impaired he wanders forgotten streets - the signposts missing Elaine Riddell **this has more than one meaning of loss This poem on the page, that flattened squirrel are similar, aren't they, vulture? William M. Gottlieb stumbling feet- blood oozes from her left toe Kevin Asava in darkness the chimes ring four times alone...yet still together Tony Nasuta  first date-- his shaggy hair leaves me speechless  Esther Obwamu Thinning hair racing towards old age raging river. Trevor Camp should have been silver but that your husband turned lead I am sorry, friend Deirdre Godwin the Moon's cheek over the Sun - all upside down Manuela Dragomirescu Belleau Wood memorial with stiff flowers full of hope even now Jim Sullivan Violet hour. Father used to admire the slow snowflakes' dance. Horst Ludwig Shivering your soul surrounds me, my breath vapor bids goodbye Christine Howard in a cozy cradle three hungry robinettes in a nest for four Elinor Pihl Huggett letter home- the years that could have been Anonymous evening mist. somewhere in the dark shadows he is waiting John Daleiden third generation divorce pinching my great grandchild's face Anonymous fall classic - from his death bed the last swing Bruce H. Feingold Unread books making up for time Beacon old cypresses leading me to your grave – oh, memories! moT General Comments: **Even though this is the free format/senryu section, I like to see haiku (nature poems) with implied loss. I prefer these and generally find them more effective than flat out statements of loss and grief.  **... if this were but an anthology or a collection of exquisite haiku, I wouldn't have had to suffer through my voting process but ...  **Moved to comment: so many good ones, it was hard to choose. Some so heart wrenching that one feels guilty choosing something over them – but there you are.

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.