April 2009 Kukai

Kigo Theme: 

April Fools

First Place – Twenty-seven Points

April Fools

sending the kids to buy

elbow grease

Carol Raisfeld

(1,6,12) = 27 pts

Of all the practical-joke haiku, this one best tickled my own funny bone.

Second Place – Twenty-five Points

april fools

the sting of a prank

decades old

Roberta Beary

(3,5,6) = 25 pts

Third Place – Twenty-four Points

April Fools

the lake ice

still looks safe

Edward

(2,4,10) = 24 pts

Fourth Place – Seventeen Points

April Fools

teenagers twitter

under the cherry tree

Harvey Jenkins

(0,3,11) = 17 pts

Love the way modern life sneaks in here with a pun.

Fifth Place – Fourteen Points

sonny’s tomcat

gives birth to kittens

April fools

Gautam Nadkarni

(1,4,3) = 14 pts

Sixth Place – Thirteen Points

April Fools

caught by the forsythia

my new umbrella

j blain

(1,2,6) = 13 pts

Seventh Place – Twelve Points

April Fools

storm clouds blackening the sky

drop only their scent

Tom Genovese

(2,2,2) = 12 pts

april fools in our squabble the skylark passed by

sheila windsor

(1,3,3) = 12 pts

Eighth Place – Eleven Points

April Fools —

I peek at my

retirement portfolio

Paul David Mena

(0,2,7) = 11 pts

the crow's flight

a little sideways

April Fool

Joyce Clement

(1,1,6) = 11 pts

The crow as jester is perfect here!

April Fools . . . 

my best umbrella

full of holes

Bill Pauly

(0,5,1) = 11 pts

a sudden kiss

as we walk in the rain

April Fools

ARW

(0,4,3) = 11 pts

Ninth Place – Ten Points

April fools day

the baby learns

lemon juice

Jon Baldwin

(1,3,1) = 10 pts

may I help you?

an April fool answers

the store’s parrot

Susan Constable

(0,3,4) = 10 pts

vibrating the spider's web

a leaf stem-

April Fools

Leslie Montgomery

(0,2,6) = 10 pts

Tenth Place – Nine Points

april fool

a cuckoo smuggles in

the summer

_kala

(0,2,5) = 9 pts

April Fools morning

a patient in the mirror

practices a smile

Dorota Pyra

(0,1,7) = 9 pts

Eleventh Place – Eight Points

falling

for the pick-up line

an april fool

tom painting

(0,3,2) = 8 pts

April Fools,

a whispered promise

to leave his wife

Laurene Post

(0,2,4) = 8 pts

Twelfth Place – Seven Points

April Fools —

a foot of snow

on the parked cars

Patrick M. Pilarski

(0,2,3) = 7 pts

robin's song

an April Fool awakens

with a smile

Audrey Downey

(0,2,3) = 7 pts

April fool

the lilacs covered

with frost

Earl Keener

(0,2,3) = 7 pts

April Fools —

opening day fish stories

bigger and bigger

Catherine J.S. Lee

(0,2,3) = 7 pts

April Fool's Day

an urchin in the playground

calls me father

Jacek M.

(0,1,5) = 7 pts

Thirteenth Place – Six Points

the cobra moth

folds its wings

April Fools!

Garry Eaton

(1,1,1) = 6 pts

dazzling sunshine

in cherry bloom showers

April fools

Keith A. Simmonds

(0,3,0) = 6 pts

April Fools,

he asks again

"will you marry me?"

Bre

(0,2,2) = 6 pts

April Fool’s gale...

cherry-petal pink whitecaps

on the Potomac

Janice Hornburg

(0,2,2) = 6 pts

New spring

same old truth

I'm still the April Fool

Tina

(0,2,2) = 6 pts

april fools

the dog

growls at me

polona

(0,1,4) = 6 pts

clear sky

we set out without raincoats

April Fools

Elaine Riddell

(0,1,4) = 6 pts

Fourteenth Place – Five Points

April fool —

my friend borrows money

never to return

~ Lilian Otieno

(1,0,2) = 5 pts

April Fools

the computer worm

that wasn't

Bruce Ross

(0,2,1) = 5 pts

April Fools —

the coroner's corpse

snickering

aom (tim)

(0,2,1) = 5 pts

Silk flowers

in daffodil leaves

April Fools

gourdman

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

frost

on two lips…

April Fool’s

A. Bodhi

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

April Fools

the hare

trying to recolour

Hermione

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

April Fools . . .

his shadow

makes its move

Francine Banwarth

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

April Fool's

Canada Geese on the lawn

with a decoy

andrea

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

Fifteenth Place – Four Points

April Fools —

bat making a blind date

to a mole

Virginia Popescu

(1,0,1) = 4 pts

first to sign for

tango lessons

such old April Fools

Barbara Snow

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

April Fools Day

she tells him she thinks

she's pregnant

Carmel Lively Westerman

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

breakfast

outside with the robins

April Fools

Beth Powell

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

Sixteenth Place – Three Points

being dated

by another man...

April fool

Patrick Wafula

(1,0,0) = 3 pts

leader has

fulfilled his assurance —

april fool

Sunil Uniyal

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

April's first gust

swirls white —

the blown plum shakes

Don Holt

(1,0,0) = 3 pts

told that Jesus

had arrived at Mount Kenya —

April fool

~ Nelius Wangari

(1,0,0) = 3 pts

snowflakes

dot the shovel’s dust

April Fools

Ann Schwader

(1,0,0) = 3 pts

April Fool’s Day

he proposes

marriage

Carolyn Coit Dancy

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

April fool —

a fake invitation

for lunch

~ Peter Nguribu

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

the fifteenth

post office, long lines

of April fools

Frederick Gier

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

April fools

an empty whiskey bottle

under her bed

Elena Naskova

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

laughing old monk

re-enlightened

as aprils fool

Jon Espen Vassbotn

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

April Fools

my grandma was too heavy

for the trampoline

selwyn

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

local zoo —

Mr. Lion receives calls

from April Fools

Origa

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

Participants’ General Comments:

How few were those who read or followed the instructions about the subject line.

After reading all of these, I concluded that having a term like "april fool" for a kigo doesn't work very well.

Some of the submissions lack the full kigo (#37, 90,92) or don’t use it as required (#22).

The kigo seems to have baffled our poets. So many variations (and not so varied as all that) on a few themes. I'm not excluding myself from this judgment, but I decided not to submit in this category.

As it turned out the poem I submitted was turned in with slight variations by 8 of us. Ooops. Cliche, cliche.

Very entertaining!

Free Format Theme:

Fence/Wall

First Place – Twenty-six Points

garden wall —

enough moon

to go around

Francine Banwarth

(2,5,10) = 26 pts

Elegant in its simplicity!

Second Place – Twenty Points

picket fence

she repaints his dream

each spring

Terra Martin

(2,4,6) = 20 pts

Third Place – Eighteen Points

between the fog

and the fence

daffodils

Kate Creighton

(1,3,9) = 18 pts

The problem with perfection in haiku is that it's very hard to talk about. But the consonance here is beautifully controlled, and the splash of bright color introduced by the daffodils brings the poem to a refreshing and satisfying finish.

I like the simplicity of this one; also that, for me at least, it illustrates a feeling of finding a bit of gladness between anxiety and limitation. Wish there was a good way to format it pictographically; it would sort of break up the one-sentence effect: between fog and fence daffodils

Fourth Place – Seventeen Points

rickety fence

held together

by jasmine

Andre Surridge

(0,6,5) = 17 pts

Fifth Place – Sixteen Points

checkpoint ...

fireflies, back and forth

through the fence

Carol Raisfeld

(1,2,9) = 16 pts

Sixth Place – Fourteen Points

No fence —

Just an open

gate

helge t.

(1,3,5) = 14 pts

This says so much in so few words. It's the one that makes me stop and think, and stop and think again.

stone wall

the glimmer of snail trail

crossing over

polona

(1,3,5) = 14 pts

Origami-

the shadow of a butterfly

flickering on the wall

Vasile Moldovan

(1,3,5) = 14 pts

I find the uncertain relationship between the two parts of this intriguing. The poem does not leave me satisfied, but, in this case, that's not a bad thing.

dark horizon...

a sea eagle climbing

a wall of wind

Li Ree

(0,5,4) = 14 pts

Seventh Place – Thirteen Points

graveyard wall —

on the street side

cherry blossoms

Gautam Nadkarni

(0,3,7) = 13 pts

Eighth Place – Twelve Points

monastery wall

a monk strolls

the quiet side

tom painting

(0,3,6) = 12 pts

Simple and effective.

moonlit prison

the clematis quietly climbs

over the wall

Tore Sverredal

(0,3,6) = 12 pts

Ninth Place – Eleven Points

old fence

apricot blossoms fall

on both sides

Ella Wagemakers

(1,2,4) = 11 pts

Simple, effective and a nice twist on “the grass is always greener on the other side.”

a row of sparrows

white-washing

the picket fence

Terri French

(1,2,4) = 11 pts

Interesting though perhaps a little…ah, earth (which certainly never stopped the Japanese masters.

border town

a tumbleweed escapes

over a rusty fence

Garry Eaton

(0,4,3) = 11 pts

a neighborhood

of high fences —

the scent of lilac

Bill Kenney

(0,2,7) = 11 pts

Tenth Place – Ten Points

across the grass

and up the wall

a swallow's shadow

Paul Hodder

(0,3,4) = 10 pts

seawall

thoughts drifting

along

Roberta Beary

(0,1,8) = 10 pts

An effective juxtaposition.

Eleventh Place – Nine Points

new neighbor

he adds another row

to the wall

Ben Gieske

(1,2,2) = 9 pts

memorial wall

echoes of soldiers

dying

Don Baird

(1,2,2) = 9 pts

Poignant and thought-provoking.

Twelfth Place – Eight Points

neighborhood gossip

another patch of couch grass

creeps under the fence

Susan Constable

(0,3,2) = 8 pts

spring moss —

a hole in the wall

between us

Nelson

(0,2,4) = 8 pts

old stone fence

deep in the woods —

a trace of snow

Joyce Clement

(0,2,4) = 8 pts

dry-stone walls...

the signature of ancestors

across the valley

Dejan Pavlinovic

(0,1,6) = 8 pts

The use of 'signature' and the link between L1&3 make this special.

Thirteenth Place – Seven Points

barbed wire fence

the cows have all summer

to find its weakness

Harvey Jenkins

(0,2,3) = 7 pts

library wall ... I leave a pseudonym

Helen Buckingham

(0,0,7) = 7 pts

Fourteenth Place – Six Points

chain link fence —

a hog nose snake

weaving himself in

Barbara Campitelli

(0,2,2) = 6 pts

April morning —

dew hangs on the

barbed wire fence

~ Malombe Johnson

(0,1,4) = 6 pts

coming home

a row of schoolboys

on the orchard wall

Terry O'Connor

(0,1,4) = 6 pts

Fifteenth Place – Five Points

anniversary —

flowers

for the sea wall

aom (tim)

(1,0,2) = 5 pts

morning glories

flying off the fence —

two butterflies!

Tomislav

(1,0,2) = 5 pts

I think the kire would work better, placed after glories in Line 1

roofless house —

walls between the tree

and its apples

Gosia Zamorska

(0,2,1) = 5 pts

longer, the rains

shorter

the fence

Barbara Snow

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

spring cleaning

he throws his voice

over the fence

Mary Davila

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

Sixteenth Place – Four Points

beyond the fence

ranks of gravestones

dad among them

if

(0,2,0) = 4 pts

link by link

the snow peas climb the fence

headed for the sun

jeff hanson

(0,2,0) = 4 pts

cooky-baking

the wall between us

crumbles

Ellen Compton

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

old battlefield...

rooted in the crumbling wall

a bleeding heart

Janice Hornburg

(0,0,4) = 4 pts

grandma's last photo

strings hold the hollyhocks

against the fence

Carmel Lively Westerman

(0,0,4) = 4 pts

prisoners

from morning till evening —

the school fence

~ Lucy Nyambura

(0,0,4) = 4 pts

Effective in the way it mirrors how some kids feel. I was (and had) one.

wind gust —

the rusty fence hooks

a white shirt

Caleb David Mutua

(0,0,4) = 4 pts

lowing calf

the moon is caught

in the barbed wire fence

Earl Keener

(0,0,4) = 4 pts

Seventeenth Place – Three Points

behind the fence…

the two sways settle down

separated

Rita Odeh

(1,0,0) = 3 pts

posts with barbed wire

now and then

still above the snow

Horst Ludwig

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

moonlit night...

illicit lovers sharing a kiss

over the fence

Patrick Wafula

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

a drip of coffee

blurring the silky napkin

cat - behind the fence

oana posnaies

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

Graveyard —

high wall separating

the quick from the dead

Virginia Popescu

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

new neighbors

a straight line of foliage

where the fence was

j blain

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

lizards sheltering

under the block wall —

hot afternoon

~ Abraham Muuo

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

hot afternoon —

a green lizard peeps through

cracks on a rusty wall

~ Otinga

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

realtor’s office

with the image of a door

painted on the wall

ARW

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

open sky

the sun climbs

over the privacy fence

Beth Powell

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

knotted rope

behind the sea wall

memories of winter

Patrick M. Pilarski

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

split-rail fence —

a billy goat and

the greener grass

Carolyn Coit Dancy

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

pile of bricks

in the shadows

Berlin Wall

Susan Sanchez-Barnett

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

more stones

to add to the pasture wall

spring thaw

Catherine J.S. Lee

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

Participants’ General Comments:

While kigo section left something to be desired (for my taste at least), free format section offered quite a few strong haiku, which made the decision much more difficult. On a different day I might have decided differently.

Other points given back. I've only done that once before (comment on free format votes)