April 2007 Kukai

Kigo Theme: 

Spring Dusk

First Place -- 29 pts

spring dusk  —

the earth's fragrance

after the plow

Mary Lee McClure

(2,6,11) = 29 pts

"fragrance" makes me uneasy, but "after" really works.

Second Place -- 26 pts

spring dusk

she would have stopped here

to smell the lilac

RaV

(0,8,10) = 26 pts

Very haunting.

Third Place -- 23 pts

spring dusk

scratching the first

mosquito bite

Bill Hudson

(2,3,10) = 23 pts

Painfully true.

Fourth Place -- 19 pts

spring dusk  —

the silence after

her voice...

Israel López Balan

(1,5,6) = 19 pts

Fifth Place -- 18 pts

spring dusk

a flock of seagulls

fade into tomorrow

Keiko

(1,3,8) = 18 pts

Sixth Place -- 17 pts

spring dusk

our voices

softer too

Barbara Snow

(0,2,13) = 17 pts

Seventh Place -- 16 pts

spring dusk  —

grandma sews on the button

in a different color

Dorota Pyra

(1,2,9) = 16 pts

An old woman continues to do what she can for loved ones despite failing eyesight.

Eighth Place -- 14 pts

spring dusk  —

close enough to touch

his new antlers

-- LGD

(1,2,7) = 14 pts

Says just enough to suggest much more.

They'd have to be very new and small, so very close.

Ninth Place -- 13 pts

Spring dusk ~

the tom cat yawns

and heads out

Paul Hodder

(0,4,5) = 13 pts

The tom cat of (this haiku) quite walked off the page and into the list of votes -- fully alive. Congratulations!

Seasonally correct, and so very true.

Tenth Place -- 12 pts

fingertips

brush the lilacs

spring dusk

Ann K. Schwader

(1,3,3) = 12 pts

** Delicacy in every line of this poem.

Eleventh Place -- 11 pts

deep in a lily

two fireflies pulse  —

spring dusk

Nancy Smith

(2,1,3) = 11 pts

A lovely allusion to The Fire Quest - Japanese Folktale: "The Firefly Queen lay safe in her lotus, wrapped in the arms of her beloved"

Twelfth Place -- 10 pts

spring dusk  —

dandelion seeds separate

from the stars

Dustin Neal

(1,1,5) = 10 pts

spring dusk  —

the quiet

of a white azalea

--Devika

(0,2,6) = 10 pts

Thirteenth Place -- 9 pts

the old couple

hand in hand

spring dusk

Bill Kenney

(1,1,4) = 9 pts

For me the implication here is that the same love exists for this couple as they had for one another when it was young and new.

spring dusk

the new puppy startles

at every shadow

Yositaka

(1,0,6) = 9 pts

spring dusk

in the wheelbarrow

some of the rain

Francine Banwarth

(0,2,5) = 9 pts

This is exquisite and simple, lovely.

spring dusk...

the silence

of street lights

carol pearce

(0,2,5) = 9 pts

spring dusk  —

the bell of a bicycle

on the wooded path

Sanjukta

(0,1,7) = 9 pts

Fourteenth Place -- 8 pts

spring dusk

meeting

the eyes of a fox

Beth Powell

(1,1,3) = 8 pts

Yes! Been there. 

Just the right moment for such a special encounter.

a swing slows

to the sounds of dinner  —

spring dusk

Ron Moss

(0,3,2) = 8 pts

spring dusk

a hazy moon's glow

behind the trees

Bruce Ross

(0,3,2) = 8 pts

spring dusk

the nun adds more sugar

to her tea

Petar Tchouhov

(0,3,2) = 8 pts

What an evocative image and poignant. I can relate.

The nun has given up earthly love in the romantic or physical sense but the concrete sweetness of sugar is still allowed.

river of birds

in a rainbow sky

spring dusk

Terra Martin

(0,2,4) = 8 pts

This is rather 'poetic' for haiku yet I get a very clear and beautiful picture painted with its words.

spring dusk  —

catching the last

fly ball

David Grayson

(0,2,4) = 8 pts

spring dusk

sounds of a backyard onion

between my teeth

Thomas Heffernan

(0,1,6) = 8 pts

spring dusk

a toddler whispers

butterfly

Rita Odeh

(0,1,6) = 8 pts

spring dusk . . .

the colt looks back

at its mother

Carol Raisfeld

(0,1,6) = 8 pts

Fifteenth Place -- 7 pts

spring dusk

frogs sing

up to the moon

Deirdre A. Godwin

(1,1,2) = 7 pts

her child's grave

in the spring dusk

the dark rose

Lech Szeglowski

(1,1,2) = 7 pts

spring dusk

the hummingbird savors

one more sip

Sjs

(0,2,3) = 7 pts

Sixteenth Place -- 6 pts

spring dusk  —

only my shadow

without colour

Ana Cadarin

(1,1,1) = 6 pts

spring dusk,

waiting for the moonlight

open windows

Dany Fisher

(1,1,1) = 6 pts

Exquisite: the open freshness of spring; the closing of the day; the mysterious, spacious sense of receiving; all wonderfully invoked, with precision and concision, with no person there—but a feeling voice very present. Three cheers -one for every line.

spring dusk...

the bird on a wire still

can see the sun

o0o

O

(0,2,2) = 6 pts leaves too small

to cup rainwater . . .

spring dusk

Marie Summers

(0,1,4) = 6 pts

spring dusk  —

a shard of glass catches

the last sunrays

~ Isabelle Prondzynski

(0,1,4) = 6 pts

spring dusk  —

the fog rises

above the lake

Mary Chapman

(0,1,4) = 6 pts

Seventeenth Place -- 5 pts

spring dusk  —

the bunch of pussy willow

arranges itself

Ami

(1,0,2) = 5 pts

Been there, gave up trying that.

Good observation, as the buds swell they shift.

spring dusk

the pain in my knuckles

Martin

(0,2,1) = 5 pts

spring dusk...

faintly

a cicada

ed markowski

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

spring dusk

the tree top kite

reaches for the moon

Audrey Downey

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

in the spring dusk

a wayward yellow kite

makes its escape

- frederick gier

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

spring dusk

the birds

still sing

Grzegorz Sionkowski

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

a new tremor

in his left hand

... spring dusk

Roberta Beary

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

the whiteness

of courting swans...

spring dusk

Polona

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

Extra pristine for mating season, dusk contrast.

a spider

dangling at the window  —

spring dusk

carol bleichert

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

just off the gravel road

the soft green earth

spring dusk

April Serock

(0,0,5) = 5 pts

spring dusk  —

water rushes

over the weir

Andrew S

(0,0,5) = 5 pts

spring dusk

purple light seeps

into plum tree leaves

Sherry Weaver Smith

(0,0,5) = 5 pts

spring dusk  —

even the egret in the sky

is turning black

max verhart

(0,0,5) = 5 pts

spring dusk  —

a birch trunk chops

the sun in two

Corneliu Traian Atanasiu

(0,0,5) = 5 pts

Eighteenth Place -- 4 pts

gathering spring dusk

as shore birds huddle in clumps  —

a low, gauzy moon

P. O. Williams

(1,0,1) = 4 pts

spring dusk

gently goes away  —

a shadow on window

Maria

(1,0,1) = 4 pts

Spring dusk gathering

In the twilight of nature

Blossoms shimmering

Keith A. SIMMONDS

(1,0,1) = 4 pts

spring dusk

brightened by bursting blooms

fifth year of war

Bell Gale Chevigny

(0,2,0) = 4 pts

spring dusk

playing on

for the final out

tom painting

((0,2,0) = 4 pts

spring dusk

the ruby-throated hummer's

last feed for the night

Jim Swift

(0,2,0) = 4 pts

spring dusk

the twittering

of baby sparrows

Karen Briggs

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

peepers

pump it up

spring dusk

Gourdman

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

a prickly pear

blooms in the canyon  —

spring dusk

Melanie Alberts

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

spring dusk

the elderberry bush

shines with flowers

Jacek

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

Spring dusk  —

a willow shoot

and a viola

Miorita

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

a newspaper page

tailing the wind

spring dusk

Collin Barber

(0,0,4) = 4 pts

spring dusk  —

not having to say goodbye

Mike Montreuil

(0,0,4) = 4 pts

I see two ways a reader might take this evocative verse. Perhaps we see a young couple newly married or one which has been separated but is united again. Or it might be taken as the reflections of an older person having lost a loved one but looking back on a time when lose by death was hardly a considered possibility.

a sickle moon

thinning the spring dusk

yellow crocus

Origa

(0,0,4) = 4 pts

Nineteenth Place -- 3 pts

I remove the bed sheets

from the clothes line

smelling spring dusk

Harvey Jenkins

(1,0,0) = 3 pts

spring day assures you,

"won't be needing that sweater."

"we'll see!" smiles spring dusk.

Kwatz

(1,0,0) = 3 pts

spring dusk

the farmer’s new crop

a distant green

RD McManes

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

spring dusk  —

the chirping

gone too

d.v. rozic

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

"too" gets the sensory imagination going.

all these scents

in full romp

spring dusk

Mark Hollingsworth

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

Spring Dusk  —

Strolling Some Bees

Among Violets

Reza Aerabi

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

apple blossoms

fading into green

spring dusk

~fedelmia

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

spring dusk  —

leo crouching in

the eastern sky

Tristan Coleridge

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

echoes of frog song

under the covered bridge

spring dusk

Elizabeth Fanto

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

Sounding box of the bridge, and covered both topics!

spring dusk

the fading cry

of a gull

Susan Constable

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

spring dusk

shadows stretch

between the trees

Neil Muscott

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

Free Format Theme:

Bridge

First Place -- 32 pts

mountain bridge  —

I pass through

the clouds

Kala Ramesh

(1,9,11) = 32 pts

Second Place -- 19 pts

hanging bridge...

only the stars

from side to side

Dorota Pyra

(0,7,5) = 19 pts

Third Place -- 16 pts

old man on the bridge  —

his still face

in the flowing water

Gosia Zamorska

(1,3,7) = 16 pts

narrow bridge ~

the distance

between us

Paul Hodder

(0,4,6) = 16 pts

Fourth Place -- 15 pts

barefoot

on a wooden bridge

summer

Bill Kenney

(1,5,2) = 15 pts

I feel the heat and am right there!

suspension bridge

her test comes back

positive

Sjs

(1,4,4) = 15 pts

unfinished bridge

the sun sets

on the other side

Collin Barber

(0,4,7) = 15 pts

"the other side" an is eloquent phrase in this context, and there's a wabi-sabi quality to the whole.

Fifth Place -- 14 pts

suicide bridge

i keep

to the middle lane

Roberta Beary

(2,2,4) = 14 pts

hometown bridge

the girl’s small shadow

crosses mine

Keiko

(2,0,8) = 14 pts

bridge  —

the river never

knowing…

William M. Gottlieb

(0,6,2) = 14 pts

covered bridge...

i tell her i love her

under my breath

ed markowski

(0,2,10) = 14 pts

A nice juxtaposition of the bridge being sheltered and also the poet's tender feeling.

under the bridge

pigeons nest

above the graffiti

Neil Muscott

(0,2,10) = 14 pts

A vivid image with nice contrasts.

Every now and then, we have to look "under," and sometimes we discover an "above" even there.

no bridge

across a mountain stream

scent of daffodils

Polona

(0,2,10) = 14 pts

Sixth Place -- 13 pts

dark bridge  —

if I cross the river

the moon, too

Israel López Balan

(1,1,10) = 13 pts

Seventh Place -- 12 pts

moon bridge  —

the old man splits

an orange

Dustin Neal

(0,2,8) = 12 pts

A rare and delicate allusion. 

Again the roundness of the bridge and reflection compared with the roundness of the fruit. There's also the straight edge comparison of the bridge at the waterline and the cut through the orange.

The moon bridge arches so high that at water level it joins its reflection as a full circle. That circle being split like the old man's orange. Might the man in the moon see earth as a pale plum perhaps.

Eighth Place -- 11 pts

cherry blossoms float

under the old stone bridge

your death still raw

Angelika Kolompar Bygott

(0,2,7) = 11 pts

Ninth Place -- 10 pts

crossing over  —

her handwritten note

found on the bridge.

Karen Briggs

(1,2,3) = 10 pts

footbridge

my face lost in a swirl

of koi

--Irene Golas

(1,1,5) = 10 pts

This haiku creates a vivid picture. The fact that it is a bridge for feet rather than automobiles or trains nicely compliments the loss of persona in the swirl of life from the depths.

"a swirl of koi" is wonderfully dynamic, and "lost" is exactly the right choice.

high noon  —

dozens of bats dangle

under the bridge

-- Richard Kay

(0,2,6) = 10 pts

Eighth Place -- 9 pts

Grandma’s bridge

bright pink and white

in Waterford glass

Elizabeth Fanto

(0,3,3) = 9 pts

below the bridge

sunken moon dancing

with city lights

Dsnake1

(0,2,5) = 9 pts

Tenth Place -- 8 pts

listening to

The sound of her footstep  —

The old bridge

Maria

(2,0,2) = 8 pts

Peace Bridge

traffic at a halt

for inspection

tom painting

(0,3,2) = 8 pts

Eleventh Place -- 7 pts

April rain  —

the floods carry

away the bridge

~ Lazarus Ogembo

(1,1,2) = 7 pts

swinging bridge  —

just enough wind to make me

feel weak

Ana Cadarin

(0,3,1) = 7 pts

ancient bridge  —

april flowers flutter

against its stone

Nancy Smith

(0,3,1) = 7 pts

bridge in the fog

just to the middle

of the river

Grzegorz Sionkowski

(0,2,3) = 7 pts

This would look great with a black & white photo of an iron bridge.

clouds of dreams

drifting apart

we build our bridges

Ben Gieske

(0,2,3) = 7 pts

the drawbridge too

has

its ups and downs

doris kasson

(0,2,3) = 7 pts

I find this haiku almost joyously light in the comparison it draws (not pun intended) between the mechanical workings of a bridge and the emotional fluctuations of a human.

Chinese garden  —

Pooh sticks with granny

on every bridge

-- ushi

(0,2,3) = 7 pts

I admit to Googling this to know what it meant, and it gets a vote for the many times I played this game with my brothers and sister. Even though we didn't know about Pooh Bear.

above and below

this slippery log bridge

the moon

Josh Wikhoff

(0,1,5) = 7 pts

On reflection, great movement and humour.

a temple path  —

the small bridge vanishes

into a duckweed

Origa

(0,1,5) = 7 pts

This is a beautiful evocative haiku which, to my mind, would have been even finer without the two "a".

Twelfth Place -- 6 pts

between winter brown

and spring green-

the yellow forsythia arch

April Serock

(1,1,1) = 6 pts

Nice and subtle.

riverside hike;

a fallen pine

extends our journey

Dana D.

(0,2,2) = 6 pts

a school of minnows

swims under the bridge

long weekend

DeVar

(0,1,4) = 6 pts

Thirteenth Place -- 5 pts

slow, green river

sunshine crossing

over the bridge

d.v.rozic

(1,1,0) = 5 pts

I stop on this bridge

trolls rolling beneath my feet

wet banks oozing mud

Harvey Jenkins

(1,1,0) = 5 pts

old plank bridge

unsteady under my feet

balancing act

Deirdre A. Godwin

(1,1,0) = 5 pts

bridge between

my mind and hands ~

lump of clay

~fedelmia

(1,1,0) = 5 pts

rippled sunlight

a flash of ducklings

below the bridge

Susan Constable

(1,1,0) = 5 pts

a way to nowhere

melted snow is slipping down

the old broken bridge

Piotr Mogri

(1,1,0) = 5 pts

alone on our bridge  —

an echo of memory

the sound of her steps

Jim Swift

(0,2,1) = 5 pts

the bridge

from teller to listeners

"...trip trap trip trap"

Barbara Snow

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

railway bridge

another clickety-clack

pierces the night

RaV

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

rope bridge

the chasm

bearing its shadow

Lech Szeglowski

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

Fragility of the bridge borne by it's shadow.

Nice word pun using 'bearing'' the weight of the shadow.

an evening walk

end of the drawbridge

among the stars

Jacek

(0,0,5) = 5 pts

Fourteenth Place -- 4 pts

Hogan's Bridge:

one golfer heads for the green

the other for the woods

-- LGD

(1,0,1) = 4 pts

At last, a sport ku I can understand.

ashes scattered

into the wind

covered bridge

Judi Honiker

(0,2,0) = 4 pts

blue tarp

the hobo’s home

under a bridge

RD McManes

Is the wanderer also 'blue' at being homeless or does he know some joy in his freedom from worldly possessions and ties?

pine bough

grown over the bridge

pruned

Gourdman

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

ripples spread

below the bridge...

all cares gone.

Martin W. Hunt

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

striped caterpillar

crossing the

Monarch bridge

Tish Davis

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

narrow bridge

five flower covered crosses

wired to the railing

Edward

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

Very tender; unfortunately we see this all too often.

spring crossing

early morning yawn

of a lift bridge

Mary Davila

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

A dull commute where surroundings match the mood.

heavy mist

a bridge

to the other side

Shanna

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

new bridge

a smile crosses

my dentist's face

arkady elterman

(0,0,4) = 4 pts

Fifteenth Place -- 3 pts

half-moon bridge

the evoked memories

make me blush

Audrey Downey

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

Manhattan Bridge

the d train's seat flashes

from the gum foil

Martin

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

wind on the river  —

traffic passing silently

over the bridge

Andrew S

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

sunshowers...

beyond the Harbour Bridge

a rainbow

Sue Stanford

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

full day moon . . .

a bridge rises

out of the fog

Marie Summers

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

pedestrian bridge  —

memories of the madman

who lived here

~ Isabelle Prondzynski

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

Tallahatchie

catfish jumping

under the bridge

Beth Powell

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

her warm smile

immediately bridges

the language gap

Meredith Stern Cavalieri

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

spring thaw  —

horses crossing a bridge

upriver

Ami

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

suspension bridge

our shadows cross

on the water

Paul R

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

on the bridge

stops a child from crying

a butterfly

Mirko Varga

(0,1,1) = 3 pt

long bridge...

a new couple drives straight

to the full moon

Rita Odeh

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

barefoot bridge  —

a boy tiptoes on a log

across the stream

-- Anne Nechesa

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

rope footbridge  —

in its swinging shadow,

little trout jump

Zhanna P. Rader

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

This haiku is both musically rhythmic and lively. The 'darkness' is not 'fixed' but sways while charming life leaps from deep water.

swampy terrain

a bison becomes the bridge

for an egret

gillena cox

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

hot midday

the skipping stone goes

under the bridge

Petar Tchouhov

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

open bridge  —

tail lights melt

into fog

carol pearce

(0,0,3) = 3 pts