The Shiki Monthly Kukai

March 2010 Kukai

Here are the results for the March 2010 Kukai, wherein our Kigo subject was Planting/Sowing and our Free Format subject was Cookies.

Congratulations to Tom Painting, winner of our Kigo section and to C.P. Harrison and Tom Painting, winners of our Free Format section!

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

(214 = 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.

March 2010 Results
Kigo Theme: Planting/Sowing	Free Format Theme: Cookies
First Place -- 30 Points spring planting another turn of earth Tom Painting (2,6,12) = 30 pts A pearl among ore pellets. A contender for Best of the New Millennium. I mean, I'm jealous. I like the simplicity of this haiku, as well as the double entendre in L3. Second Place -- 17 Points Planting roses— the young farmer hums an old love song Vasile Moldovan (0,4,9) = 17 pts 'the young farmer' nicely placed sets a mood in this haiku. The first of three wonderful haiku that deal with a glimpse of eternity. This one is a clear peek at eternity through tradition. Whose old love song is the farmer humming? Who planted that tune in the farmers young brain? Mother/father, grandfather/mother, great-grandmother/father? Very human. Very well done! wind takes the seeds I return the hat to the scarecrow Boris Nazansky (0,2,13) = 17 pts Third Place -- 16 Points planting rice — my fathers peer from my reflection Earl R. Keener (2,1,8) = 16 pts The third in this wonderful triad of haikus shows past and present nose to nose through the reflection in a rice paddy. How many times has this happened, how many times will this happen? Very well done! A gust of wind drops corn between the bones of a crow. mechaieh (1,4,5) = 16 pts Here, I'm caught in the warp of a juxtaposition of new life and life spent. Late spring and lingering winter is well married here. Fourth Place -- 15 Points old plowman the crooked furrows on his brow Roberta Beary (1,2,8) = 15 pts Not a common image in haiku, perhaps, but the surprise of L3 makes this one work. shadows gather in the long furrows planter’s moon Catherine J.S. Lee (1,2,8) = 15 pts A lovely image, seeing the moon, the shadows, and perhaps the seeds/seedlings all gathered in the furrows. loneliness... filling every furrow with this seed iokua (0,4,7) = 15 pts Fifth Place -- 14 Points a row of upturned backs — women planting Isabelle Prondzynski (1,3,5) = 14 pts A image that approximates that of emerging seedlings. Rather timeless. small clay pots on the window sill — the taste of basil Marylouise Knight (1,1,9) = 14 pts Though we do not write with the intention to rhyme in haiku, I liked the Line 2 and 3 'sil' endings. my son's fresh grave — I sow his saved seeds of forget-me-nots... Zhanna P. Rader (0,5,4) = 14 pts A touching picture of continuance in grief - son would be happy I think to know his sowing was still being done. plowing the earth where the barn used to be winter's end Stevie Strang (0,4,6) = 14 pts Sixth Place -- 12 Points spring breeze fastened to the curtain a few dandelion seeds Jacek M. (0,3,6) = 12 pts I like the choice of the word fastened in Line 2. Seventh Place -- 11 Points hands in the dirt she says she’s unavailable until fall Mike Montreuil (0,2,7) = 11 pts Eighth Place -- 10 Points cancer scan then home to sow pumpkin seeds Frances McCarthy (1,2,3) = 10 pts Hope, hope, hope; a haiku dripping with hope. Ninth Place -- 9 Points dragging a rake the gardener wipes her furrowed brow Elizabeth Warren (1,1,4) = 9 pts planting lesson the schoolboy chases girls with an earthworm Rafal Zabratynski (1,1,4) = 9 pts I like the lightness of this haiku; the theme of mischief overtakes that of planting, very senryuish, enjoyed the humour. 4H teens show each other how to sow wild oats Brenda J. Gannam (1,0,6) = 9 pts Tenth Place -- 8 Points senior housing always an empty spot in the lettuce row Michele L. Harvey (1,1,3) = 8 pts spring planting the fog rolls over the pet’s grave martin (0,2,4) = 8 pts in unplowed fields soldiers planting land mines... spring sunshine natalia kuznetsova (0,1,6) = 8 pts Eleventh Place -- 7 Points seeding time the John Deere trailed by ribbons of gulls andrea (0,0,7) = 7 pts Twelfth Place -- 6 Points ancient harrow behind yoked oxen —muddy rubber boots if (1,1,1) = 6 pts turning earth ~ my mother shows my daughter how to sow Paul Hodder (0,2,2) = 6 pts skimming seed catalogs he tills the soil again ...from his armchair A Dharma Bum (0,2,2) = 6 pts reversible coat memories of dad plowing the earth brown again Angele Lux (0,2,2) = 6 pts 11th floor she transplants a snowdrop to a plastic pot polona (0,1,4) = 6 pts Bringing nature indoors very appealing. humid morning — egrets flying over stooping farmers Patrick Wafula (0,1,4) = 6 pts Another haiku tying people to land but the added image of the egrets in flight, something anyone might envy while working on a humid morning, rather than becoming a distraction made the observation palpable. spring planting the growing pain in my back Mary Davila (0,0,6) = 6 pts Thirteenth Place -- 5 Points reflect on yesterday harvest for today plant for tomorrow eric (1,1,0) = 5 pts warm winds scatter seed from the poppies hospice home Garry Eaton (1,0,2) = 5 pts Warm and winds are beautiful introductory catch words which pivot well with Lines 2 and 3. I like the juxtaposition of seed scattering in the hope of new life and the hospice were the seeds of life lived are there in contained. jasmine breeze — she tried to raise me a southern lady Nancy Smith (1,0,2) = 5 pts sowing a seed in warm soil . . . the lightness of rain Ron Moss (0,1,3) = 5 pts Hope and the mood of lightness are well put together for the sowing of these seeds. It makes a very personal and touching statement. Her fingers push the roots into the earth — touch-me-not R.K. Singh (0,1,3) = 5 pts under warm covers seeds of a haiku sprouting Barbara Campitelli (0,1,3) = 5 pts Many of us must identify with the splendid images in this haiku( albeit using a metaphor). I know I do! drought — millet and hope are sown again James Dobson. (0,1,3) = 5 pts freshly seeded grass under the blossoming plum a flock of starlings Susan Constable (0,1,3) = 5 pts Fourteenth Place -- 4 Points my mum weeds in my new patch Ralf Brφker (1,0,1) = 4 pts I plant the avocado seed thinking of guacamole Meredith Cavalieri (1,0,1) = 4 pts and now, at ease he looks up from his plow and sees the geese Jon Espen Vassbotn (0,2,0) = 4 pts ritual cleansing throwing out all the seeds we planned to plant last spring soji (0,1,2) = 4 pts the child and a milk carton of dirt waiting... C.P. Harrison (0,1,2) = 4 pts This is a sentence, it's all tell and no show, still I found it deeply appealing and true. sowing seeds from last year's harvest one by one Beth Powell (0,1,2) = 4 pts blistered hands — the farmer still holding ox-plough handles Enoch Johana (0,1,2) = 4 pts planting corn before the storm arrives cloud of crows Ben Gieske (0,0,4) = 4 pts The cloud of crows instead of just ominous clouds heightens the anticipation of the storm here. dry heat the field and the farmer's brow both furrowed Terri L. French (0,0,4) = 4 pts one sunflower seed in my hand — all or nothing Dorota Pyra (0,0,4) = 4 pts windowsill sunlight — the bowed emergence of seedlings aom (tim) (0,0,4) = 4 pts alone now thirty peas is all she plants Barbara Snow (0,0,4) = 4 pts Fifteenth Place -- 3 Points school playground a Victory Garden for all the Daddys Carolyn Coit Dancy (1,0,0) = 3 pts buds about to burst brilliant beauty bounds before the bounty corri johanson (0,1,1) = 3 pts my ground still too frozen to receive the seed Merrill Ann Gonzales (0,1,1) = 3 pts while I breakfasted, my barren field was sown with meadowlarks Michael McClintock (0,1,1) = 3 pts rites of spring — the fragrance of new-turned earth Ellen Compton (0,1,1) = 3 pts frost warning empty seed bags cover the seedlings Alan S. Bridges (0,1,1) = 3 pts past their graves hills beyond hills farmers planting corn carol pearce-worthington (0,1,1) = 3 pts The second of the eternity haiku trio. Here we get an epochal view of eternity. The first 2 lines pull me out of sorrow so new I barely grasp it before the last line throws me back in time to mankind's earliest efforts to tame the earth through planting crops. Then I come back to the present and know that all those probably farmers who walk away from the graveside, walk into the future. To plant until they too are planted. (sorry!) Very well done! first garden my grandson digs a deep hole for his pumpkin seed Harvey Jenkins (0,1,1) = 3 pts first planting along with tea roses a sprouted onion Laurene (0,1,1) = 3 pts lovely morning forget-me-not seeds can wait for one day jennie townsend (0,1,1) = 3 pts full worm moon — a handful of earth the gardener squeezed Diane Mayr (0,0,3) = 3 pts Field sowed — the snow of lambs spreading out Miorita (0,0,3) = 3 pts the smell of turned earth — tomato seedlings lean toward the light DeVar (0,0,3) = 3 pts 'lean to...' I liked that phrase, very vivid, without motion; germination, well expressed. Sixteenth Place -- 2 Points sowing the seeds — looking forward to ripe tomatoes and my newborn baby. Daniela Bullas (0,1,0) = 2 pts after long winter picking through seed catalogs, finally planting! Bridget Cougar (0,1,0) = 2 pts March evening — a tired farmer shouldering a soiled hoe Vivian Adhiambo (0,1,0) = 2 pts planting seedlings — my shoe gets stuck in wet cotton soil James Bundi (0,1,0) = 2 pts planting day — a student carries a spade to school William Odongo (0,1,0) = 2 pts hands turn the garden soil earthworms wake peter h. pache (0,0,2) = 2 pts her arthritic fingers trying to scatter carrot seeds Donna Bauerly (0,0,2) = 2 pts the freshly plowed patch a section of newspaper carried by the wind gillena cox (0,0,2) = 2 pts Mother's Day — I'm planting on her grave hydrangeas Kaiser (0,0,2) = 2 pts high hopes grandpa plants the sweet corn grandson holds the worm can Edward (0,0,2) = 2 pts March rain — the farmer's oxen on a yoke Faith Achieng (0,0,2) = 2 pts trampled seedlings — two farmers fiercely quarreling Isaac Ndirangu (0,0,2) = 2 pts newly tilled earth sprouting paw prints overnight neighborhood cats Elaine Riddell (0,0,2) = 2 pts wildflower mix — stars, sticks, saucers and spheres sift through my sowing hand John Thompson (0,0,2) = 2 pts Seventeenth Place -- 1 Point sewing winter socks cold season coming to an end sowing spring plantings dragonfly Adolescent bulbs Straining against melting snow Anticipating Pat Lammers hanging on the porch upside down tomatoes yum-yum betty kaplan new tomato plants in kitchen window above snowy yard Jim Applegate moist rainfall... a young farmer planting his first crop Keith A. Simmonds a spring planting young fingers work the dirt to fertility Anne Curran frost crystals sprout in new-plowed furrows returning cold Janice Hornburg tobacco sets wilt in red-clay furrows another cloudless day Kilah C. Abernathy, Lowrey, King, plowing, planting, cultivating — harvesting rights for all John Hubbard knees dark with dirt — in my mind a picture of last year's garden Shelley Krause black birds swooping into the furrows cut by the plow Rose Marie Stutts a lotus seed soaking summertime fragrance in the air Stella nose to nose with the first green seedling trays Ann K. Schwader chilly morning — grandma plants the seed at an acute angle Franciscah Katethya turning the earth in the flower garden we bury our cat Francine Banwarth No points this time, sorry. In spring he sowed seeds, tended carefully they grew, blossomed into love. Jean Lewis the scent of newly-turned earth o - my heart! miriam chaikin without water there's no point in sowing Barbara A Taylor a single tulip sown among the heather — squirrel's forgotten cache Cara Holman tulip bulbs maybe the rabbit's Easter meal Carlos Gesmundo new rubber boots helping Grandma plant blue bells at Nana's grave maxianne berger her stored seeds — she would never see the plants even if they are sown vishnu p kapoor window dark with soot treetop greenery shading seedlings underfoot Keith early March a few grass seeds fallen snugly into acorn holes anonymous farm — furrows, flooded with sweat og_a plowing a bluetooth rides along on the tractor. anonymous spring plowing colt watches tractor Goblet This year, too, my seedlings, near the window, won't make it. Horst Ludwig the old farmer's dream: a dove sowing golden seeds in his deep hammock Svend A. Doggfall the dark of the moon a time for spells and planting old ways still observed Deirdre Godwin Early March, reseed the front lawn. Goldfinches feed. Trevor Camp long rains — I dig maize seed holes with a machete Anne Wairimu mid term break — a little child plants a tree in a manured field Angeline Muthoki calm morning — a sweating man prepares his garden for planting Kevin Asava ouch my back — an old woman prepares her garden for planting Adan Isaac heavy downpour — grandma holds a stick as she plants groundnuts Duncan Omoto chilly morning — step by step he plants his maize seedlings Rodgers Nzomo hot afternoon — gumboots make their move as he sows his seed Scholastica Mumbe Snow glistens and gleams a powdered sugar marvel undisturbed by man Heidi Oncidiums slumber, their seeds beneath the earth Awaken...and grow again. Mark Lonergan wind-twisted hair, seeding the garden weeds jeanette blain Sowing sunflower — the seed will be guided after the sun too? Petru-Ioan Garda	First Place -- 28 Points summer picnic — the last of the cookie crumbs walk by C.P. Harrison (2,8,6) = 28 pts I was tempted to give this one all of my votes! Great imagery. home alone my finger circles the cookie tin Tom Painting (1,7,11) = 28 pts Simple, yet elegant. Oh, the temptation when there's no one to notice! Second Place -- 18 Points winter romance — crumbs at the bottom of a cookie jar polona (1,2,11) = 18 pts To me, this is a gem of a haiku - it tells a whole, lovely story in ten words. Third Place -- 17 Points morning bake shop the last cookies sold for a smile Michele Harvey (1,3,8) = 17 pts I very rarely choose to award 3 points to a haiku because there are so many that deserve recognition. This kukai I will have to ask forgiveness from the other haiku that deserve a point from me because I find this haiku to be very well crafted and evocative of scenes from my childhood. It's a hit with me! Fourth Place -- 16 Points Mom's recipe each cookie touching the next Beth Powell (2,2,6) = 16 pts morning moon a plate of sugar cookies cooling Francine Banwarth (0,3,10) = 16 pts Fifth Place -- 15 Points shortbread my taste buds listen to bagpipes Ralf Brφker (0,5,5) = 15 pts Sixth Place -- 14 Points memorial plans — we search her recipe box for shortbread cookies Susan Constable (1,2,7) = 14 pts Seventh Place -- 13 Points ginger snaps she pretends not to know what he did Earl R. Keener (1,3,4) = 13 pts The choice of cookie brings the phrase to life with multiple interpretations. Eighth Place -- 12 Points making grandma's cookies — wondering what a "smidgen" is Terri L. French (2,1,4) = 12 pts I liked the humour in this one. school party ... a gingerbread man loses his head Carol Raisfeld (0,0,12) = 12 pts Ninth Place -- 9 Points before sunrise carrot cookies on the porch mechaieh (2,1,1) = 9 pts enough cookies for two girls, five dolls, a puppy and the thieving jay Bridget Cougar (1,2,2) = 9 pts still talking he takes the last cookie Paul Hodder (1,1,4) = 9 pts Tenth Place -- 8 Points East River Park the smell of the coal barge in the cookies martin (1,1,3) = 8 pts spring rain one batch of cookies follows another jennie townsend (1,1,3) = 8 pts beach house cookies with honey scented milk — ocean moonrise Ron Moss (0,2,4) = 8 pts midnight I can hear my son emptying the cookie jar Mike Montreuil (0,2,4) = 8 pts only crumbs on the kitchen top — the dog wags its tail sil_dev (0,2,4) = 8 pts Christmas tea — he whispers the recipe for bourbon balls Ellen Compton (0,1,6) = 8 pts My favourite this month. The scene is so vivid --and I love the fact that he "whispers"! Good kigo too. A memorable haiku. I wish I had more points--I think this is fabulous. field trip — breaking the last of a cookie in thirds aom (tim) (0,1,6) = 8 pts on a cookie sheet still warm from the oven only crumbs frederick c gier (0,1,6) = 8 pts Eleventh Place -- 7 Points cayenne sprinkled on the gingerbread man... my redhead Alan S. Bridges (1,1,2) = 7 pts careful construction first the floor and walls and roof then the licorice Deirdre Godwin (1,0,4) = 7 pts March madness sorting the shipment of Girl Scout cookies soji (0,2,3) = 7 pts my old neighbour- her friends are old her cookies too Gryta Wansdronk (0,2,3) = 7 pts This tickles my funny bone. It is so matter-of-fact it's comical. Love it! Twelfth Place -- 6 Points she answers the door a telltale smudge of batter on her nose Meredith Cavalieri (1,1,1) = 6 pts my desk drawer — a whiff of maple leaf cookies Marylouise Knight (0,2,2) = 6 pts I liked the appeal of aroma. Just imagine the co workers being extra friendly on that day. in loneliness... just one more piece of cake Lech Szeglowski (0,1,4) = 6 pts chocolate chips the cookie dough gets half Ann K. Schwader (0,0,6) = 6 pts Reading through the rove of 'o's in this is appealing. Thirteenth Place -- 5 Points my sister's child shares her cookie with my disk drive Rose Marie Stutts (1,0,2) = 5 pts Aesop's fable — one girl hugs her gingerbread man andrea (0,1,3) = 5 pts lingering warmth the snowman now headless on the cookie rack Angele Lux (0,1,3) = 5 pts making memories grandchildrens' thumbprints baked in the cookies Frances McCarthy (0,0,5) = 5 pts sprinkling sugar on the shamrock cookies . . . rainy afternoon Catherine J.S. Lee (0,0,5) = 5 pts Near St Patrick's day, I appreciated the timeliness of this haiku. suspicious silence a track of chocolate cookies leads to the toddler Rafal Zabratynski (0,0,5) = 5 pts Fourteenth Place -- 4 Points delicious cookies — the toll is paid by my waistline James Dobson (1,0,1) = 4 pts baking cookies for our troops abroad — in my son's memory... Zhanna P. Rader (0,1,2) = 4 pts This one made me feel a bit sad. my seat by the galley... warm cookies destined for business class Scott Mason (0,0,4) = 4 pts three safari ants pulling a biscuit crumb — March rain Isaac Ndirangu (0,0,4) = 4 pts Fifteenth Place -- 3 Points picking up crumbs along the new path leads the way Merrill Ann Gonzales (1,0,0) = 3 pts Gingerbread pantry Molasses flavored dreams Grandma’s house in summer Pat Lammers (0,1,1) = 3 pts part of his daily life — the holy and the wicked wafers Daniela Bullas (0,1,1) = 3 pts breakfast — remains of cookie crumbles on the plate Hussein Haji (0,1,1) = 3 pts prediabetic — chocolate chip eyes follow my every move Nancy Smith (0,1,1) = 3 pts potluck cookies our hostess whispers "they're pretty strong" iokua (0,0,3) = 3 pts magpies squabbling under the teeter-totter an Oreo maxianne berger (0,0,3) = 3 pts dieter lost in the cookie cookbook Diane Mayr (0,0,3) = 3 pts after-school treat the scent of snickerdoodles In the oven Carolyn Coit Dancy (0,0,3) = 3 pts birthday party — she puts some more cream on her biscuits Duncan Omoto (0,0,3) = 3 pts Sixteenth Place -- 2 Points stale cookies tossed — skidding claws, plunging wings Kurt R. W (0,1,0) = 2 pts still married with grandchildren fortune cookie fortune Stevie Strang (0,1,0) = 2 pts bonding in the kitchen Monster Cookies betty kaplan (0,0,2) = 2 pts tea time — these ginger snaps have lost their snap Barbara Campitelli (0,0,2) = 2 pts garden party with hilarious voices... grandma's cookies Keith A. Simmonds (0,0,2) = 2 pts cowboy & Indians peace pow-wow freshly-baked cookies Ben Gieske (0,0,2) = 2 pts empty cookie box hidden in the rubbish bin another failed diet Janice Hornburg (0,0,2) = 2 pts Easter Sunday the daffodil lips pucker up ready to kiss anonymous (0,0,2) = 2 pts homealone rain — a handful of crumbs in the cookie jar anonymous (0,0,2) = 2 pts Hansel und Gretel walk straight through the woods knowing quality cookies Horst Ludwig (0,0,2) = 2 pts crunch time — strategies discussed over a jar of cookies sanjuktaa (0,0,2) = 2 pts New Year's resolution giving way to temptation - Girl Scout cookies A Dharma Bum (0,0,2) = 2 pts junk mail I offer the carrier Oreo cookies Barbara Snow (0,0,2) = 2 pts deep recession — she burns the batch of financiers Brenda J. Gannam (0,0,2) = 2 pts Seventeenth Place -- 1 Point shaking hands in the cookie jar old Gypsy lyre Garry Eaton boiled too hard... the toffee on the cookie breaks a tooth Barbara A Taylor Christmas market — we buy an assortment of cookies from the pretty stand girl Walter Franceschi walking in my sleep: with brown sugar in my hair and grandma's oatcakes Svend A. Doggfall grandma hiding new-baked cookies — grandpa averts his eyes Juhani Tikkanen in the middle of the lecture dreaming about apple pie Jacek M. Kudos my grand child ask for my cookie recipe anonymous 3D effect popcorn rain in cinema Goblet perfect ginger snaps grandma's measuring cup and spoons her gnarly left hand Edward cookies give way to daffodils — Spring! John Hubbard hot evening — a child enjoys ginger biscuits under a tree Franciscah Katethya raindrops — a black hen feeds on a piece of biscuit Scholasticah Mumbe washing crockery — a cockroach trapped in a glass with biscuit crumbs Stephen Macharia story telling around the hearth — munching biscuits Elkana Mogaka home from school the smell of new-baked cookies meets me at the gate Elaine Riddell all day rain — cooling Anzacs flood the house rob scott time for tea ginger.... snap to it MM birthday thirty-six, a single box of girl-scout cookies jeanette blain Bars on the windows — lying down and eating cookies Petru-Ioan Garda No points this time, sorry. dipping oreos sport without any venue always an event dragonfly very finicky an ideal crisp chip cookie found, can be tricky corri johanson Girl Scouts Cookies Calories It's a good cause Mary E. Gray Chocolate cookies, loved by commoner or king, smile now and indulge. Jean Lewis flaking white paint wasps in the old well grandma’s jam cookies if Martyr's Day — forty eight-shaped honey cakes under icons Kaiser box of grandma’s cookies only one left now warm fire Jim Applegate Making lemon tea and warm buttery toast — birds singing outside R.K.SINGH spring days are here . . . the neighbor gives a cookie to my wandering dog Michael McClintock Grammy — the only one who can make cookies like Grammy's anonymous chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven — the taste of comfort Cara Holman just like an oreo our wafer outsides with sweet soft centers Jeanne Fiedler Grandma's cookies heavier than her Pound Cake Donna Bauerly cookie crumbs a crumbled napkin the empty table gillena cox carnival comes and goes, malasada fever lives Stella a monkey appears from the shade of a tree... our biscuits! Isabelle Prondzynski undivided sky circular horizon eats swallows flying by Keith Grease, slip. fall, more broken biscuits. Blue Jays eat. Trevor Camp Sun over the field — a magpie pecking some biscuits Miorita hot afternoon — a monkey snatches a piece of biscuit from my hand Angeline Muthoki a packet of biscuits — she goes for it as a present Esther Obwamu arrival of sponsors — students compete to win the biscuits Celestine Otieno dark clouds — a little boy stoops to pick up crunched biscuits Antony Mwangi hot tea — every dip to soften reduces the biscuit James Bundi we laugh at our toothless grandma munching biscuits — birthday party Faith Achieng brownies delectable shortbread favorites angel hearts heavenly eric small morsels of joy a chocolaty wonderland bursts into life Heidi a bit of cream in the cold raw milk — warm chocolate chips DeVar Christmas cookies my job: the sprinkles grandma's tired smile John Thompson

Thank you for participating in the March 2010 Kukai! We will announce the April Call for Submissions on Sunday, April 4, 2010. See you then!

With much appreciation,

Robert and George

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