6th Annual Poets' Choice Kukai Results
Kigo Poems
First Place – 48 Points
autumn
the sky grows bigger
by one leaf
April Serock
(3,11,17) = 48 Pts
An original perception. Ying / yang. The loss of one thing is a gain of something else.
Pure haiku.
Second Place – Thirty-three Points
early spring
all night the pond ice
shifts its weight
tom painting
(1,10,10) = 33 Pts
The image is of "in the beginning was the Word" - the very, very beginning of something momentous.
sand sculptures
a mermaid slips back
into the sea
Edward
(1,8,14) = 33 Pts
How effortless it seems! Great work!
widow's cottage —
every spider
has a name
Paul Hodder
(1,7,16) = 33 Pts
Sad without being sentimental. Wabi (or is it sabi?)
Haunting!
Third Place -- Twenty-seven Points
a field
of faceless pumpkins...
Autumn begins
ed markowski
(0,5,17) = 27 Pts
The word "faceless" turns on the energy field of this poem.
Nice alliteration, along with a kind of zen perception of what is not there... but is to come.
The first part is sad/lonely; then the second part evokes the feelings of excitement and anticipation of the season. On a deeper level, there's a kind of mystery to this poem: It's the beginning of the end. It has a distant reverb back to Basho's monkey mask haiku.
Fourth Place – Twenty-five Points
firefly
—the night
finds its way in
miriam chaikin
(2,4,11) = 25 Pts
A kind of an inverse, photographic negative of the usual patter of perception. Beautiful!
Well done!
Fifth Place – Twenty-four Points
spring night
the astronomer finds
a hole in his sock
Petar Tchouhov
(1,6,9) = 24 Pts
How many levels are there in this one? The shape of the hole? The astronomer making a discovery? A "tear" in space? The possibilities are as infinite as the sky.
Sixth Place – Twenty-three Points
ink brush
so many ways to draw
a plum blossom
Audrey Downey
(1,6,8) = 23 Pts
sandcastles...
her youngest daughter
calls me daddy
Colin Stewart Jones
(1,4,12) = 23 Pts
Touching beyond words.
Wonderfully portrays the feelings of tenderness, fragility, hope, expectations, the feeling of being at the beginning of something bigger than ourselves.
Seventh Place – Twenty-two Points
early spring
green at the heart
of an onion
j. cully
(2,5,6) = 22 Pts
I love this!
Sometimes nature is so secretive and sneaks up on us unawares, in places where we least expect.
Eighth Place – Twenty Points
attic window
a spider spreads his web
on the moon
Jacek M.
(1,3,11) = 20 Pts
Ninth Place – Eighteen Points
gathering thyme...
the thoughts that come
when I'm on my knees
Francine Banwarth
(2,1,10) = 18 Pts
When read over and over it seems to provoke an expansive perception of time and meaning by this brilliant combination of words.
Though perhaps not intentional, the use of the word "thyme" (time) was poignant.
Tenth Place – Seventeen Points
migrating birds —
the waving field
of narcissus
Israel Lopez Balan
(4,2,1) = 17 Pts
(please see footnote below)
first firefly
the electrician shuts
his toolbox
ed markowski
(1,4,6) = 17 Pts
A simple image with profound resonance.
Eleventh Place – Fifteen Points
awkwardly
I carve the turkey
in dad's place
Karen Briggs
(3,2,2) = 15 Pts
This expresses a nice paradoxical feeling of nothingness and everythingness.
Leaves a lump in the throat. I have experienced something similar with my grandfather's passing.
Twelfth Place – Twelve points
near dusk —
a tadpole surfacing
bursts the moon
P. O. Williams
(2,2,2) = 12 Pts
on the front porch
knitting beside grandmother
the spider
Bill Hudson
(1,2,5) = 12 Pts
mossy bank
the doe nuzzles
her swollen belly
Susan Constable
(1,2,5) = 12 Pts
I don't remember the topic for this one, but the image touched me so deeply at the time that even out of context, I still feel it.
footprints...
from sandcastle
to sandcastle
Jacek M.
(1,2,5) = 12 Pts
old farmhouse
the weaving loom filled
with spider silk
Melissa Spurr
(0,2,8) = 12 Pts
Thirteenth Place – Eleven Points
autumn breeze
a dragonfly skims sunlight
off the pond
Keiko Izawa
(0,2,7) = 11 Pts
autumn chill —
the church fills
with the smell of mothballs
Jacek M.
(0,1,9) = 11 Pts
Fourteenth Place – Ten Points
narcissus...
stars turning
to snow
Francine Banwarth
(3,0,1) = 10 Pts
autumn...
a spider takes over
the watering can
sheila Windsor
(1,1,5) = 10 Pts
Fifteenth Place – Nine Points
ikebana
just a lily
and a lily
max verhart
(2,0,3) = 9 Pts
into the water,
into itself:
narcissus
josh wikoff
(0,3,3) = 9 Pts
Fun allusion, brings a smile to everyone who knows the John Wills original.
moon in the lilies
she asks me
to stay the night
Francine Banwarth
(0,2,5) = 9 Pts
Sixteenth Place – Eight Points
new snow...
her footprints lead
to the narcissus
Susan Constable
(1,1,3) = 8 Pts
mind empty
a firefly
fills it
Francine Banwarth
(1,1,3) = 8 Pts
Seventeenth Place – Seven Points
moonlit field
the cows knee-deep
in comfrey
larisa
(0,2,3) = 7 Pts
turkey dinner
three generations
bickering
Beth Richards
(0,2,3) = 7 Pts
Eighteenth Place – Six Points
late november —
the turkey's shadow
suddenly shorter
Mary Davila
(1,0,3) = 6 Pts
What a delightful detail we our shown!
receding clouds
a spider mends
its net
polona
(0,2,2) = 6 Pts
lavender —
even the old stems
fragrant
jill
(0,2,2) = 6 Pts
early spring
her wrinkled fingers
sort seed packets
Yositaka
(0,1,4) = 6 Pts
Great contrast and connections between the new seeds and old hands.
Nineteenth Place – Five Points
tax day —
a bit of parsley
in his smile
josh wikoff
(0,1,3) = 5 Pts
heat wave
a child waters
the fire lily
Collin Barber
(0,1,3) = 5 Pts
Twentieth Place – Four Points
plum pudding
an old friend warms
a cold night
Jo McInerney
(0,1,2) = 4 Pts
A feel good poem where inner truth manifests itself.
Even just reading this haiku is warming, both physically and spiritually.
into winter —
the empty plum tree
and I
Paul Hodder
(0,0,4) = 4 Pts
Twenty-first Place – Three Points
nap time —
hand print turkeys
line the classroom window
tim
(0,1,1) = 3 Pts
turkey calls
the urge
to reply
Audrey Downey
(0,1,1) = 3 Pts
Twenty-second Place – Two Points
autumn morning
strutting behind his shadow
the old turkey
Rita Odeh
(0,1,0) = 2 Pts
late Autumn sun —
a turkey
tries to fly
Paul Hodder
(0,0,2) = 2 Pts
Twenty-third Place – One Point
the first snow...
dad and the butcher
talk turkey
Dejan Pavlinovic
(0,0,1) = 1 Pt
General Comments:
As far as I'm concerned, it's 44 winners out of 44. Best I could do was to select three that appealed to me very strongly (for quite subjective reasons, no doubt) and in three different ways.
It's easy to see why this selection of haiku earned a place among the top three this past year. A number of them are as good as haiku I've read in anthologies.
So hard to choose a few from these haiku riches.
What a wonderful group of haiku! It is so hard to decide the best!!
These haiku stay with me long, long after I've read them. Feel totally connected with the beautiful unfolding of Susan Constable’s “mossy bank”, love the surprise elements of “mossy bank” and Mr. Williams’ “near dusk”. Love the image of the child in Collin Barber’s “heat wave” and I love the beautiful images in each of these haiku.
On both sides of this month's Kukai, there were so many haiku I found worthy, I could only award one point to each, or else leave out some I wanted to vote for!
Footnote:
migrating birds —
the waving field
of narcissus
Israel Lopez Balan
Not to be confused with Kristen Deming’s fine haiku:
migrating birds--
fields of pampas grass
show the way
Kristen Deming
1st Mainichi Haiku Contest, Japan, 1997
Free Format Poems
First Place – 60 Points
old piano —
from every key
the same silence
Gosia Zamorska
(6,10,22) = 60 Pts
A rare senryu without people, although they are implied. Very subtle alliteration in "same silence." Plus a good fit for my sensibility of hearing-by-not-hearing.
This is the essence of wabi & sabi. Inverted, the poem would be about a new piano, each key making a different sound. It would conjure up images of the person playing the piano, and the people listening, dancing, and/or singing along. This poem depicts the absence of all of that. Has the owner died? Or has the piano fallen into disrepair? Increasing the sense of isolation is the mention of the keys as individual, instead of acting in harmony as a chord.
Second Place – Thirty-five Points
rejection letter
folding another
paper crane
Melissa Spurr
(2,6,17) = 35 Pts
An object of beauty from something saddening. It’s funny and poignant. So lighthearted!
This shows a way to "accept rejection" and turn a "no" into a "yes" - playfully, peacefully, gracefully.
Third Place – Thirty-three Points
drought year —
only the shape of water
on the stones
Devika
(2,8,11) = 33 Pts
Pure haiku. Of all 88 poems, this one was my favorite. It is about what is absent, and I enjoy the elemental images, the shapes, and the textures.
Fourth Place – Thirty Points
night sky
the rusted tin roof
leaking moonlight
Melissa Spurr
(3,5,11) = 30 Pts
A beauty, no doubt!
afternoon tea
dusk settling softly
into corners
Frances McCarthy
(0,7,16) = 30 Pts
I think this is a perfect haiku, the words echoing the feeling of a winter afternoon.
Such a gentle haiku. I love the use of the word "softly" here.
Ah, this one is so delicate and subtle.
Fifth Place – Twenty-nine Points
crushed
between two nights —
winter day
Dejan Pavlinovic
(2,5,13) = 29 Pts
There is something very poignant about this.
Sixth Place – Twenty-five Points
winter day —
the paperboy one house
ahead of dusk
Irene Golas
(2,3,13) = 25 Pts
This haiku has a nostalgic feel, as one so seldom see paper boys anymore.
This is a delight of the imagination.
Seventh Place – Nineteen Points
rusted pickup
on the edge of town —
prairie wind
Beth Powell
(2,1,11) = 19 Pts
Wonderfully evocative - in a few words you can imagine cold prairie winter winds, and the life of a farm pick-up truck.
Eighth Place – Eighteen Points
just when
I'd almost forgotten
wild roses
Ann K. Schwader
(1,3,9) = 18 Pts
Ninth Place – Seventeen Points
full moon
the call girl calls me
angel
Petar Tchouhov
(0,3,11) = 17 Pts
Funny, yet touching in a way. The poet, rooted in earth (it's hard to get earthier than a call girl), with his head in sky (moon). Becomes an angel.
Tenth Place – Fifteen Points
winter beach
my rough hands choose
the smoother stones
Jan O'Loughlin
(1,1,10) = 15 Pts
Most poignant!
bullet holes
rust bleeds down
the old sign
Neil Muscott
(1,0,12) = 15 Pts
birth certificate:
the name of the father
he never knew
Catherine J.S. Lee
(0,3,9) = 15 Pts
…and the many interpretations.
Eleventh Place – Fourteen Points
our marriage
falling apart
he patches the roof
Carolyn Coit Dancy
(2,3,2) = 14 Pts
I could have written this one!
Twelfth Place – Thirteen points
harp song
rain crosses
a pond
Sherry Weaver Smith
(1,4,2) = 13 Pts
Beautifully aural and visual...gives me a pleasant shiver.
Thirteenth Place – Twelve Points
evening
a mockingbird returns
the song of my flute
Rose Marie Stutts
(0,3,6) = 12 Pts
where the barn's tin roof
rusted through
Mars
ed markowski
(0,1,10) = 12 Pts
Fourteenth Place – Eleven Points
will writing...
a lawn mower
strikes a rock
Alice Frampton
(1,2,4) = 11 Pts
family dog
the weight of the stones
upon his grave
Melissa Spurr
(0,4,3) = 11 Pts
This one has stuck in my mind. I have buried many a beloved pet, the weight on the heart mirrors the stones weight on the grave.
yard sale —
the faded diploma
of a country doc
Carmen Sterba
(0,2,7) = 11 Pts
Fifteenth Place – Ten Points
new sunroom
the dog
claims his spot
Frances McCarthy
(0,2,6) = 10 Pts
This brought back fond memories.
Sixteenth Place – Nine Points
endless night —
between the stepping stones
the other half of the moon
Elena Naskova
(0,2,5) = 9 Pts
Often the best haiku/senryu captures a common experience that lies just under the conscious. It's like pulling up a plant to see the roots we know are there. This is one of those poems.
civil war marker
a tour bus
re-loads
Roberta Beary
(0,0,9) = 9 Pts
Seventeenth Place – Eight Points
on the fridge
the to-do list
you left me
Roberta Beary
(1,0,5) = 8 Pts
This one is biting, without being obvious. No words tell the seething beneath, but still we can feel it.
play therapy
the jump rope
in knots
tom painting
(0,2,4) = 8 Pts
gardenias ...
a summer dance
so long ago
Nancy Nitrio
(0,1,6) = 8 Pts
Eighteenth Place – Seven Points
spring thunder
I promise not to tell
her mother
Bill Kenney
(1,0,4) = 7 Pts
divorce papers
the envelope
surprisingly light
Neil Muscott
(1,0,4) = 7 Pts
Nineteenth Place – Six Points
waning year
the cheese ball
changes shape
George Hawkins
(1,1,1) = 6 Pts
winter day the candle burned flat
w.f. owen
(0,1,4) = 6 Pts
Twentieth Place – Five Points
new design
the moon rises
in an antique mirror
ed markowski
(1,0,2) = 5 Pts
Beautiful!
nightlife district
a star falls
unnoticed
Elena Naskova
(1,0,2) = 5 Pts
cold rain
a wrinkled hand traces drops
on the window
Warren Gossett
(0,1,3) = 5 Pts
Sad--I can picture that hand and the loneliness of the rain drop tracer.
new moon
the distant curve
of highway markers
Susan Constable
(0,0,5) = 5 Pts
scattering ashes
only this granite ledge
as a marker
Cherie Hunter Day
(0,0,5) = 5 Pts
divorce over —
she changes the cheese
in the mousetrap
Petar Tchouhov
(0,0,5) = 5 Pts
Twenty-first Place – Four Points
a cold night —
stuffing the gap between
the walls and the roof
David Caleb Mutua
(0,1,2) = 4 Pts
root canal —
staring at the dentist's
graduation certificate
Paul Hodder
(0,1,2) = 4 Pts
Seen it and done it!
full moon —
so many vines
on the banyan tree
Judith Gorgone
(0,0,4) = 4 Pts
Twenty-second Place – Three Points
nightlife...
removing
his wedding ring
Carol Pearce-Worthington
(0,1,1) = 3 Pts
autumn rain —
a tattooed man sells
permanent markers
Israel Lopez Balan
(0,0,3) = 3 Pts
Twenty-third Place – Two Points
winter moon
i carve a wedge
of camembert
Beth Powell
(0,0,2) = 2 Pts
Twenty-fourth Place – One Point
back-country road
the stone mile marker
splotched with lichen
Catherine J.S. Lee
(0,0,1) = 1 Pt
new moon
filling a crack
in the skylight
Melissa Spurr
(0,0,1) = 1 Pt
General Comments:
A real joy to return to so many powerful poems and great to see them recognised in this way.
I had a hard time choosing among the free format entries, there tend to be more senryu and many were playful, a few quite biting or melancholic and most done skillfully enough not to seem contrived. Nicely done!
Once again, such a difficult decision. I love them all!
Enjoyed voting and love Devika’s “drought year” and Sherry’s “harp song”. They stay with me long after I've read them and I appreciate their beauty and the way they let me see the world in a new way.