August 2014 Kukai

Kigo Theme:

SUNFLOWER

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First Place -  29 Points

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 Gaza sky-

the sunflower field

facing darkness

Rita Odeh

Nazareth, Israel

(2,6,11) = 29 pts

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Second Place -   26 Points

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Van Gogh Gallery

the bus group turns

toward the sunflowers

aom (tim)

(4,5,4) = 26 pts

AND

as if

they know all the answers-

nodding sunflowers

-- Kashinath Karmakar,India

(2,3,14) = 26 pts

**As if anyone, including the writer and reader, does. Brings us, with subtlety in execution, into the mind of the speaker.

** This poem borders on aphorism, but interesting enough to warrant a point.

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Third Place -   25 Points

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without

a hint of hubris

. . . sunflowers

Hansha Teki

(2,8,3) = 25 pts

**At last...a haiku that simply gave us the beauty and wonder of the sunflower.

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 20 Points

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sunflower field . . .

bicycle wheels

spin into dusk

Bill Pauly

(1,5,7) = 20 pts

**on first reading i almost wheeled past this lovely haiku but its irresistible charm with echoes of summer holidays as well as grand cycling tours kept drawing me in

**I would have given this more points, but it's too similar with other bicycle in the field poems.

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19  Points

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sunset

a sunflower

bows its head

Alan S. Bridges

(0,5,9) = 19 pts

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 18 Points

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sunflower oil -

summer splutters

in the pan

Arvinder Kaur

Chandigarh, India

(2,5,2) = 18 pts

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 14 Points

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sunflowers --

it's hard to imagine

the snow

Angie Werren

Amelia, Ohio

USA

(1,2,7) = 14 pts

giant sunflowers

the children's

upturned faces

Paul Hodder

(0,2,10) = 14 pts

**The play of literal and metaphorical is what I like most about this one: faces like sunflowers, but also faces upturned to gaze at the sunflowers.

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 13 Points

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ripe sunflower...

the way life bends

towards the ground

Cristina-Monica Moldoveanu

(2,2,3) = 13 pts

rainstorm

my daughter retouches

a sunflower

carlos gesmundo

(0,5,3) = 13 pts

**Well, you've got nature, you've got art, you've got human relationship. And all without any visible straining for significance or effect. My favorite of the month in the kigo category.

sunflower -

only the scarecrow

doesn't turn its head

Petru-Ioan Garda

(0,2,9) = 13 pts

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 12 Points

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Setting sun -

sunflower's shadow

still warm

Juhani Tikkanen

(2,1,4) = 12 pts

little league game

a sunflower sprout

in the outfield

terri l. French

US

(0,1,10) = 12 pts

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11 Points

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summer's end

the sunflower's heart

turns black

Beth Powell

(1,3,2) = 11 pts

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 10 Points

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peasant girl...

within her eyes I see

sunflowers

--- Gautam Nadkarni

(0,3,4) = 10 pts

sunflower field—

my inner child

blazes a path

Carl Seguiban

(0,3,4) = 10 pts

** liked the idea. that our inner child is still alive and going on the path it wants to.

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 9 Points

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sunflower field...

swaying umbrellas

under the rain

Dejan Pavlinović

Pula, Croatia

(1,1,4) = 9 pts

sunflowers

heads bent

...monks at prayer

John McDonald

Edinburgh Scotland

(0,2,5) = 9 pts

near death--

the sunflower

bows its head

Edward

(0,2,5) = 9 pts

**powerful. the contrast i feel is vivid. the sunflower bowing its head to pay final respects to the person dying, or the sunflower drooping away. beautiful.

sunflower on a cloudy day her smile

Bill Kenney

(0,2,5) = 9 pts

sunset

the shadow of the sunflower

taller than the sunflower

Rafał Zabratyński

(0,1,7) = 9 pts

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 8 Points

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branching sunflowers

I may be a secret

optimist

Jennifer Savage

(0,2,4) = 8 pts

sunflower fields --

a bus full of school kids

follow the teacher

Jayashree Maniyil,

Australia

(0,1,6) = 8 pts

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 7 Points

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fading sunflowers

my well-washed

T-shirt

Donna Bauerly

Dubuque, IA

(1,1,2) = 7 pts

**I really like [this one]. We all have our favorite piece of clothing. I would guess that the poet had a favorite sunflower T-shirt which he wore so often that by the end of summer it was faded, just like the real sunflowers.

he buys a print

of van Gogh’s sunflowers...

rainy weather

Kirsty Karkow

(0,3,1) = 7 pts

late sunflowers

widow puts on

lace lingerie

Gabriel Sawicki

(0,2,3) = 7 pts

cloudy morning;

they face every direction-

sunflowers!

manoj saranathan

(0,2,3) = 7 pts

last of summer

chickadees empty

each sunflower head

Michele L. Harvey

USA

(0,2,3) = 7 pts

gentle breeze

in the sunflower field

a black box

Samar Ghose

Australia

(0,1,5) = 7 pts

sunflowers the size of her freckled smile

polona

(0,1,5) = 7 pts

at the end

of the alley

sunflowers

Roberta Beary

(0,0,7) = 7 pts

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 6 Points

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betrayed confidence

the sunflowers

hang their heads

Ignatius Fay

(1,1,1) = 6 pts

rain outside;

of sunflowers, one

funeral wreath

dust

(0,3,0) = 6 pts

early autumn

sunflowers sway

with the wind

R D McManes

(0,1,4) = 6 pts

**A more indirect, more suggestive line 1 would strengthen this; it's a good one, though.

on tippy-toes

reaching for the flower

reaching for the sun

maxianne

(0,1,4) = 6 pts

**Though it struck me as cutesy on first reading, "tippy-toes" economically establishes the voice of an adult looking at a child, and, from there, the ku goes on and on.

solar eclipse--

the sunflowers now

stargazing

Yesha Shah

India

(0,1,4) = 6 pts

day after day

following the sun

daily commute

Chandra Bales

(0,1,4) = 6 pts

** i can relate to this commute.. but i don't know if i'd deduce there was a sunflower prompt from this, if i didn't know it already.

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 5 Points

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early morning –

a tramp sleeping among

the sunflowers

Tomislav

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

**Beautiful contrast. I like the way the reader cannot be sure whether to be sad or happy for the tramp.

an hour’s drive

sunflowers continue

beyond our destination

Harvey Jenkins

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

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4  Points

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art exhibition

a bee buzzing around

Van Gogh's picture

Petya Gleridis

(1,0,1) = 4 pts

beneath clear skies

untended sunflower fields -

demarcation line

natalia kuznetsova

Moscow, Russia

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

**This is very poignant and speaks of today's sad truth.

fibonacci eye

opposing golden spirals

sunflower seed head

Tom Conally

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

she will say yes!

sunflower petals

in the breeze

Raamesh Gowri Raghavan,

Mumbai, India

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

a rainy Sunday

sunflowers outside the church

with heads bowed

Adelaide B. Shaw

(0,0,4) = 4 pts

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 3 Points

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sunflowers at the dump reason to smile

John Soules

(1,0,0) = 3 pts

snail's pace

the sunflower follows

the sun

Nancy Smith

(1,0,0) = 3 pts

holding the sunflower

she remembers

the lies her mother told her

Bill Hudson

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

spending time with friends -

sunflowers and moon flowers*

are blooming in turns

Daniela Bullas

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

^^Epiphyllum oxypetalum (knows as: Dutchman's pipe, queen of the night or nightblooming cereus)

sunflower field -

delivering his first speech

from a tree

Audrey Downey

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

air alert over-

in a sunflower field

the children take selfies

Lavana kray

Romania

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

sunflower field...

the beginning and the end

of happiness

Radka Mindova

Bulgaria

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

brushed in rich pollen..

a bee reflects the yellow

of a sunflower

Pat Geyer

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

beheaded

bags of seeded suns

on the subway

Doris

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

sunflower state of profusion

Tom Painting

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

weight of seeds

a sunflower bows

to the soil

Elaine Riddell

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

time to prayer

even the sunflowers

turn toward Mecca

cfc

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

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2  Points

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Monarch Butterfly

kisses a sunflower

the clouds blush

Jenn McSweeney

(0,1,0) = 2 pts

last dew drop

clinging to the sunflower

not much longer

Bernard Gieske

(0,1,0) = 2 pts

train passes

sunflower sees off

the cloudlets

Boris Nazansky

(0,1,0) = 2 pts

sitting on a step

is it the stillness or

the last sunflower

Sandi Pray

North Carolina

USA

(0,1,0) = 2 pts

at dusk--

even in a field of sunflowers

. . . sudden death

Anonymous

(0,1,0) = 2 pts

the dragonfly

catches a twitching pattern

on a sunflower

Svend A. Doggfall

(0,1,0) = 2 pts

under the rotting orange tree

a sunflower---

the randomness of life

Dica

(0,1,0) = 2 pts

sunflower field --

specks of gold at

daybreak

Kumarendra Mallick

Hyderabad India

(0,1,0) = 2 pts

Yellow horizon

Sunflower fields are swaying

just beyond the crest.

Robert C. Howard

Belleville Illinois

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

morning sunflower

each day

a new beginning

Raffael de Gruttola

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

a moment captured

falling petal held by time

Van Gogh’s sunflowers

Deirdre Godwin

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

slate clouds

yet somewhere

a sunflower

Paresh

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

her likeness

to a sunflower...

not a rose

Ruth Powell

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

shortening days

sunflower still turns

to love the sun

Frances O'Keeffe

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

distant thunder...

Monet's sunflowers

vivid on the wall

Anitha Varma

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

** would have been even better if the sunflowers were in the third line, to give it an aha! moment. Monet in the second line gives away that it's a painting, right?

I count the spirals

in sunflower seeds--

Fibonacci

James Dobson,

UK.

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

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 1 Point

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early morning

sunflower seed-heads

stripped by lorikeets

Barbara A. Taylor

Mountain Top, NSW

Australia

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

overbaked mud pies

not even sunflowers

out of the crust

mechaieh

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

the buds

awake to the rising sun ...

a field of sunflowers!

Anonymous

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

broad yellow face shines up

hundreds of black teeth

waiting to sprout

F.J. Bergmann

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

father's death

a sunflower sulks

at the grey sky

Vinay Leo R.

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

heat waves...

from a train window

the sunflowers

Neelam Dadhwal

India

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

farm stand

this year buckets

of sunflowers

Diane Mayr

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

give them crayons

and big paper--

ask about sunflowers

jill

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

sunflower tangle

the summer I

planned

Ann K. Schwader

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

sunset

last time heads turn

sunflowers

Binnoo

India

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

park bench --

sunflower seed husks

scattered about

~ Isabelle Prondzynski

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

Waiting to be found

in the sunflower field -

an airplane fragment.

Anonymous

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

Dawn on the field -

sunflowers preparing

for Surya Namaskara

Virginia Popescu

PHOENIX

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

her sunflowers

my recovering aunt

taller every day

Shelley Krause

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

summer clouds...

the sunflower field

and old regrets

~Devika

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

beaming back

at the super moon...

sunflower

S.E. Buffington

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

sunflowers -

coloreful holiday postcards

thrown on the table

Krzysztof Kokot,Poland

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

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No Points This Time, Sorry.

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buttery sunshine

petals shimmer, a zephyr;

cyan sky...no clouds

Tanja Cilia

golden tint

flashing high to sky

whispering winds

Purush

nolensevilleTN [USA]

silhouettes -

dreaming

your sun-lit faces

Ajaya Mahala,

Pune, India

morning, sunbutter

what part of Ukraine

you are from

Ralf Bröker

Fields of sunflowers.

A reddishly setting sun,

they too observe it.

Horst Ludwig

late summer morning

a spotted owl hoots

the sunflowers eyes full of tears

Oddbjørn Aardalen

 bewitched by

Apollo's chariot

sunflowers

Carolyn Coit Dancy

scintillating crowns

in the August morning wind...

a sunflower dance

Keith A. SIMMONDS

Rodez, FRANCE

 waiting patiently

til summer comes around

and a sunflower smiles

Judi Honiker

 wound on the landscape

the new bypass over

the giant sunflower

Garry Eaton

sunflowers

full of plump striped seeds

I save some to plant

assu

mountain journey

ending at the coastal road

sunflowers for company

Carol Raisfeld

family painting

a sun kissed face signs

her tiny canvas

Ken Sawitri

Indonesia

almost warm –

the sight of petals around

the green seed

Ramesh Anand

Bangalore, India

world history

written word by word

in sunflowers

Angela Terry

dried grass crunch

grasshoppers hitting elbows-

four-foot sunflower ascent

Sue H.

sunflowers!

in the world before me

there they are

Michael McClintock

family vacation

sunflower in the garden

with bent head

Yukiko Yamada

porch table

sunflowers in a vase

the starry, starry night

Jon Espen Vassbotn

bright sunflowers

border his

splash-of-color garden

Jane DeJonghe

with deep gassho

the day ends—

zenflowers

Sondra J. Byrnes

New Mexico

about turn

westening sunflower

homeward bound

rebba singh

July end --

drooping old sunflowers

shed their grey leaves

~ Patrick Wafula

working on her tan

lounging in the August sun

Black-eyed Susan smiles

todd eddy

 the squirrel

sunflower seeds scatter

hunger no more

Jone Rush MacCullochj

late summer

the sunflowers bow their heads

and turn brown

Gerry Bravi

Canada

rainy morning--

one sunflower lingers

on my teacup

Anonymous

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General Comments:

**Thanks, once again, for all shikikukai folk!

**Curious how the choice of topic seems to work on poets. Seems to me that this time the topic of goodbye touched more souls and elicited more original work than did sunflowers.

**It was difficult finding something fresh and original. Too many wrote about sunflowers following the sun or other stereotypical facets of sunflowers.

**I have a feeling that most poets just 'mailed-in' their entries, the quality is not as strong as previous kukai.

**Thank you so much for this fascinating kigo, which I very much enjoyed. It brought in interesting haiku, quite different from what I had expected. I hope you also have some sunflowers to enjoy!

**once again, a long short list ..

**Thank you for hosting. Enjoyed going through the ballot as always :)

Free Format Theme:

GOODBYE(S)/DEPARTING WORDS

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First Place -   29 Points

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hospice care

the way you don't talk

about next year

F.J. Bergmann

(1,7,12) = 29 pts

**I usually find "the way . . ." structures offputting, but here it's appropriate, meaningful (not just what isn't said, but the manner in which it isn't said), and quite powerful.

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Second Place -  26 Points

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small hands

against the window

her first goodbye

Carol Raisfeld

(2,6,8) = 26 pts

**Genuine pathos, unmarred by sentimental rhetoric.

** takes me back to childhood in an instant. wonderful.

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Third Place -  25 Points

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first star

the day softens

to afterthought

Tom Painting

(3,5,6) = 25 pts

**easily I can relate with, saying goodbye to the day and contemplating the day that has gone by

**Beautifully expressed. Thank you for a lovely haiku, which I shall remember

AND

boarding call

I carry the taste of your kiss

through airport security

aom (tim)

(2,4,11) = 25 pts

AND

clean break

your good-bye left

on a sticky note

terri l. French

US

(0,5,15) = 25 pts

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23 Points

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again changing the tune i want played at my funeral

Alan S. Bridges

(2,4,9) = 23 pts

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21 Points

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late afternoon --

the last strip of sunlight

slips off my desk

~ Isabelle Prondzynski

(1,4,10) = 21 pts

**Sharply observed, and, I think, rich in metaphorical implication.

^^Secretary’s note: My favorite haiku of the kukai.

**I'm wondering whether ellipses or a stronger m-dash after L1 would have been better

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20 Points

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falling leaves your bags at the door

John Soules

(1,3,11) = 20 pts

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14 Points

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goodbye -

prairie grass sways

this way and that

Arvinder Kaur

Chandigarh,India

(0,3,8) = 14 pts

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12 Points

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tasting of rain

the station platform

empties

Jennifer Savage

(0,3,6) = 12 pts

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11 Points

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dead of winter

respirator garbles

her last words

Ignatius Fay

(1,2,4) = 11 pts

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10 Points

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no name

on my sister's

stone

Donna Bauerly

Dubuque, IA

(1,1,5) = 10 pts

alone now

under

the half moon

Paul Hodder

(0,4,2) = 10 pts

waving goodbye

her words taken

by the wind

Bill Kenney

(0,1,8) = 10 pts

**loved this beautiful image.

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9 Points

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fluttering out

of the funeral spray

. . .white butterfly

Carole MacRury

(1,3,0) = 9 pts

her flying kiss -

reached

and still reaching

Ajaya Mahala,

Pune, India

(0,2,5) = 9 pts

casting letters

into the bonfire

feeble sparks

mechaieh

(0,2,5) = 9 pts

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8 Points

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goodbye in every dew drop of the night

Samar Ghose

(0,2,4) = 8 pts

day's end...

geese in formation

etched on the sun

Anitha Varma

Kerala, India.

(0,2,4) = 8 pts

**A beautiful image, and the verb tense works well.

hauling the boat

we let the gulls

have the last word

Beth Powell

(0,1,6) = 8 pts

**Good haiku is like this. It fires up the imagination.

**I like the core idea, although the repeating articles are a bit bothersome. Still, I think it merits a point

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7 Points

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he waves at me

while biting a mango --

school departure

~ javan okeyo

(1,2,0) = 7 pts

freighters passing

in the night

the weight of goodbye

Angela Terry

(1,1,2) = 7 pts

laughing

until we cry

last embrace

todd eddy

(0,2,3) = 7 pts

taxi’s here

my lingering maybe

and who knows . . .

maxianne

(0,2,3) = 7 pts

no words at all

at the fork in the road...

winter hedgerow

Raamesh Gowri Raghavan

Mumbai

(0,2,3) = 7 pts

mile high—

her words

sinking in

Carl Seguiban

(0,1,5) = 7 pts

 ----------------------------------

6 Points

----------------------------------

caressing my face,

her white-gloved hands

mean good-bye

Michael McClintock

(1,1,1) = 6 pts

**So tender. This haiku brought me close to tears.

Dear John…

he never could

spell my name

Michele L. Harvey

(1,1,1) = 6 pts

fleeing sparrows --

perhaps all soft words

fade

Angie Werren

Amelia, Ohio

USA

(1,1,1) = 6 pts

It left quietly

without a note or reason

loves empty farewell.

Robert C. Howard

(1,0,3) = 6 pts

good-bye --

a slight shiver

from her touch

~ kevin achidiva

(0,2,2) = 6 pts

goodbyes said;;;

the windows darken

one by one

Anonymous

(0,2,2) = 6 pts

final goodbye

blossoms on the water

slowly drifting downstream

Bernard Gieske

(0,1,4) = 6 pts

fork in the road

hoping that her path

finds mine again

Vinay Leo R.

(0,1,4) = 6 pts

 ----------------------------------

5 Points

----------------------------------

crow's nest -

youngsters arguing

where to fly

Juhani Tikkanen

(1,0,2) = 5 pts

home from the funeral

looking up to the jars

of candied stories

Ken Sawitri

Indonesia

(1,0,2) = 5 pts

bus station

the flow of tears

as she signs goodbye

Edward

(0,2,1) = 5 pts

friends hug and part -

in the sky

southbound geese

john mcdonald

Edinburgh Scotland

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

not knowing

that was good-bye

his off-hand wave

Ruth Powell

(0,0,5) = 5 pts

 ----------------------------------

4 Points

----------------------------------

My mother told me

that "-ye" in "good-bye" still reads

its "God be with you."

Horst Ludwig

(0,2,0) = 4 pts

a small boat leaving

the sounds of a motor hushed

in a misty rain

Gerry Bravi

Canada

(0,2,0) = 4 pts

at her funeral

each one of us too polite

to say what we feel

Deirdre Godwin

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

** stood out because it brings a touch of humor to an otherwise grave topic

train whistle...

a tear rolls down

to the dust

Shrikaanth Krishnamurthy

Birmingham, UK

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

** can imagine this scene. nicely done.

old photo —

still waving goodbye

to her memory

--- Gautam Nadkarni

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

old old cat

letting her occupy my lap

for much too long

Diane Mayr

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

**I have an old cat, so I really felt this one.

only the silence of the flowers and gravestones.

dsnake1

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

selamat jalan*

your hair scented

with mangoes and cloves

Doris

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

^^ *In Bahasa Indonesian selamat jalan means happy journey, said to the person leaving. Jalan means travel, journey.

the train leaves

I find a note

in my pocket

Jon Espen Vassbotn

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

sandal wood

and her husband…

inside the urn

Shernaz Wadia

(0,0,4) = 4 pts

**Commonly caskets are made from polar, beech and the more expensive mahogany, the fact it's sandal wood tells of the affluence or importance of a person and also a clue to his geographical origins.

he shouted

at the grave each night

I'm sorry

assu

(0,0,4) = 4 pts

death notice

three months behind

cicada's empty shell

Yukiko Yamada

(0,0,4) = 4 pts

see you later

my father said

only I didn't

Dica

(0,0,4) = 4 pts

 ----------------------------------

3 Points

----------------------------------

my sawn down cherry-

its sawdust pillows

my head

Lavana kray

Romania

(1,0,0) = 3 pts

train moves out

time for goodbyes

gone with it

Frances O'Keeffe

(1,0,0) = 3 pts

a long year ago,

under these same stars

I bade you farewell...

Tuvshinzaya Nergui

Tsetserleg city, Mongolia

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

good-bye --

I stare at her wedding ring

as she waves

~ max kutai

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

 ----------------------------------

2 Points

----------------------------------

crimson leaves

swirling in the pale sunlight...

farewell to summer

Keith A. SIMMONDS

Rodez, FRANCE

(0,1,0) = 2 pts

winter night;

after her parting

… the silence

manoj saranathan

(0,1,0) = 2 pts

summer's end...

the scent of a rainbow

in our goodbye kiss

Paresh

(0,1,0) = 2 pts

late in life

our goodbyes outweigh

the hellos

R D McManes

(0,1,0) = 2 pts

no goodbyes...

one more white brushstroke

over the canvas

Cristina-Monica Moldoveanu

(0,1,0) = 2 pts

I bid good-bye

to my shivering puppy --

end of term break

~ collins mugusi

(0,1,0) = 2 pts

last goodbye -

the fanning of the hand

obscures the eyes

Anonymous

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

our wine glasses

capture sunset reflection...

farewell party

natalia kuznetsova

Russia

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

her soft footfall

before the front door closes

morning mist

Harvey Jenkins

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

almost morning

before we part...

a moon remains

Pat Geyer

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

hiss of steam--

I read the goodbye words

on her lips

James Dobson, UK.

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

hesitating finger

above the send button-

a fight too much

Dejan Pavlinović

Pula, Croatia

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

summer's end

one more time he turns

and waves "goodbye”

Ellen Compton

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

drifting tree cotton

I spin a goodbye too

Neelam Dadhwal

Chandigarh, India

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

 ----------------------------------

1 Point

----------------------------------

shadows

come and soon go...

nothing new

Rita Odeh

Nazareth, Israel

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

keeling over

withered flowers

he touches the grave stone

Bill Hudson

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

slipping a cheque

for what I owe him into his coffin

sad goodbye

Garry Eaton

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

autumn coloured wood

the sound of a distant churchbell

time to say good-bye

Oddbjørn Aardalen

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

the time has come

for us to be apart...

wilting lilies

Kirsty Karkow

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

snow flurries

mountains and rivers

turning white

rcm

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

saying goodbye—

taken down pictures

still on the wall

Sondra J. Byrnes

Santa Fe, NM

USA

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

drafting will-

leaving all behind

but my dreams

Yesha Shah

India

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

the principal

bids the students farewell --

long holidays

~ christine

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

no words for goodbye

I pat the dog and wave

as I leave

Elaine Riddell

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

morning sun

dew departs leaving

tip of grass moist

Binnoo

India

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

the ganges

ever renewing itself

namaste

Anonymous

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

No word for goodbye -

only a handkerchief

waving in the wind

Virginia Popescu

PHOENIX

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

shorter days —

the pressure of unwept tears

as I pass your street

Shelley Krause

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

suddenly I see empty

all the stork nests -

goodbye my dears

Petru-Ioan Garda

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

hospice progress...

the night Dad's "see 'ya"

became "good bye"

S.E. Buffington

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

 --------------------------------------

No Points This Time, Sorry.

--------------------------------------- 

long have I loved you

now I must be on my way...

this night I must die

Tanja Cilia

time to say good bye

stay not in yester years

bask in present sense

purush-

nolenseville,TN

Kind wind helps the tree

wave goodbye to its glory-

floating down the stream

Jenn McSweeney

progress

a new estate where once

we rode our ponies

Barbara A. Taylor

Mountain Top, NSW

Australia

 wallpapers move or does wilde?

Ralf Bröker

the end of the heat -

red leaves dry up and fall off

before my vey eyes

Daniela Bullas

as the sun lowers

saying goodbye one last time

tears in the sand

Judi Honiker

a baby myna

stretched on its last beat ...

lengthening shadows

Anonymous

 empty now

no goodbye wave

from her terrace

Anonymous

 parting ...

“never more,”

this time

dust

 goodbye, shores –

ship disappears in the first

autumn rain

Tomislav

without words

the pine speaks for me

last ray of sun

Sandi Pray

North Carolina

USA

sudden death –

keeps voicing the goodbye

left unsaid

Ramesh Anand

Bangalore, India

fireflies and crickets missing

good-bye to butterflies and bees-

global warming casualties

Sue H.

each step stabs

my ingrown toenail deeper

goodbye waltz

Anonymous

the leaves falling fast

after we say goodbye

at the station

Adelaide B. Shaw

moonlit grevillea --

wishing the night

with you, again

Jayashree Maniyil

Australia

sewer breakage --

I try out this last shaky

stepping stone

~ James Bundi

she's gone

sorrow

surrounds me

Jane DeJonghe

early nightfall --

I bid my friends farewell

after a sweet meal

~ diana vigedi

"always and always"

holding her small smile

on my face

Chandra Bales

she leaves me

the canyon too

says goodbye

Bill Pauly

sometimes good-bye

is a good thing--

good-bye poison ivy

jill

pregnant dandelion

breath of aoleus

goodby fluffy seeds

Tom Conally

Gibsonville, NC

 rainy season

goodbye's spring

be ...come september

rebba singh

empty see - saw

rusty swings

children have grown up

Petya Gleridis

Saying "good-bye"

when my heart cries "don't go!"

a mother in me.

Anonymous

goodbye note

her hugs & kisses

smell of jasmine

Rafał Zabratyński

 the captain's laughter

his good-bye

didn't see it coming

Jone Rush MacCulloch

 ^^heartbroken over the passing of Robin Williams this week.

our long goodbye…

that sad song

repeated on the neighbor’s radio

~Devika

battle field --

the wounded waves hand before

closing his eyes

Kumarendra Mallick

Hyderabad India

preparing

to say goodbye...

recurrent cancer

cfc

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General Comments:

**Farewell to many fine goodbyes!

**Not a lot of subtlety in this month's entries!

**after the initial culling i was actually quite pleasantly surprised by the quality of the remaining free format poems and assigning the points proved more of a challenge than expected.

**how difficult it was to choose this time ! so many good poems on 'goodbye'

**Thank you for these too, it was a joy reading the best of them.

^^Challenging and enjoyable theme!

^^Thank you ! Enjoyed writing on the theme !

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