Congratulations to Melissa Spurr, winner of our Kigo section and to Ann K. Schwader, winner of our Free Format section!
December 2009 Results
Kigo Theme:
Wintering Animals
First Place – 43 points
icy moon
coyote cries
crack the silence
Melissa Spurr
(3,11,12) = 43 pts
Very sharp visuals, sounds, and mood in this haiku.
Second Place – 24 points
migrating birds -
a line of traffic lights
turns green
Israel Lopez Balan
(0,6,12) = 24 pts
Third Place – 17 points
last leaf
on the dogwood
chrysalis
Barbara Snow
(2,3,5) = 17 pts
Fourth Place – 16 points
christmas mosquito
I guess you too are the last
of your generation
John Thompson
(1,3,7) = 16 pts
Fifth Place – 14 points
the year ends with the long tail of a squirrel’s shadow
martin
(1,3,5) = 14 pts
I like the resonance of the tail and year's end the year ends with the long tail of a squirrel’s shadow.
winter thaw
the stray cat moves
closer
Earl Keener
(1,3,5) = 14 pts
The different readings of the first and last lines are lovely.
Sixth Place – 13 points
withered grasses...
a field mouse
slips into the pantry
Irene Golas
(0,3,7) = 13 pts
Clever mouse! Love the touch of humor.
Seventh Place – 12 points
longest night of the year —
between the owl's hoots
silence deepens
Leslie Montgomery
(0,0,12) = 12 pts
Eighth Place – 11 points
two-foot drifts
my poodle looks at me
then pees on the porch
Terri French
(1,2,4) = 11 pts
frozen lake
some seagulls huddle
along a crack
Kathleen O’Toole
(0,4,3) = 11 pts
Ninth Place – 10 points
overwintering
the bats
in mother's attic
Tom Painting
(1,0,7) = 10 pts
frozen fields —
a flock of goldfinches
on the thistle
Tomislav M
(0,2,6) = 10 pts
A clear visual, with lovely sounds and rhythm.
Tenth Place – 9 points
Ice hole —
a deer drinks from the pond
the moon and some stars
Adina Enachescu
(0,2,5) = 9 pts
bare branches
wind slices through
the fawn's carcass
Alan S. Bridges
(0,0,9) = 9 pts
Again I like the resonance here bareness and carcass.
Great use of senses in this haiku.
Eleventh Place – 8 points
standing tall
battling wind and sleet
proud penguin papa
Washi
(1,1,3) = 8 pts
(You could drop "proud", He's already standing there, Tall?? Maybe also drop "and sleet" ??) Like it very much, though!
almost Christmas
a juvenile gull mewling
over our dumpster
andrea
(1,1,3) = 8 pts
winter drizzle
stray cat takes shelter
under my car
Jacek M.
(1,1,3) = 8 pts
Frost at noon —
on the sledge a Teddy Bear
covered with a scarf
Oprica Padeanu
(0,3,2) = 8 pts
moonlit sky —
a polar bear rests on
seamless ice
Narayanan Raghunathan
(0,2,4) = 8 pts
granite sky
the lynx’s snow-prints
across the ledge
Catherine J.S. Lee
(0,1,6) = 8 pts
I like the contrast between the hard/soft and dark/light.
Twelfth Place – 7 points
first snow
feasting on ash berries
robins
natalia kuznetsova
(1,1,2) = 7 pts
fresh snow
with a strutting swagger
the crow adds his tracks
Edward
(0,1,5) = 7 pts
I like the contrast of colour and the detail in the description of the motion.
Thirteenth Place – 6 points
the farmyard —
a white sheet
with foxtrot diagrams
Jon Espen Vassbotn
(1,1,1) = 6 pts
leathers and furs
in the coat closet
christmas guests
Carlos Gesmundo
(0,2,2) = 6 pts
sun at last
a squirrel scampers snow
off the fence
Ann K. Schwader
(0,2,2) = 6 pts
'at last' here made me gasp or breath I truly empathized with the writer in this one.
winter evening
a pigeon returns
to the dunged sill
Dorota Pyra
(0,2,2) = 6 pts
the mist rising
from a crowded feedlot
the bawls of the calves
Garry Eaton
(0,1,4) = 6 pts
trembling branch
the eagle has landed
shedding snow
Ben Gieske
(0,1,4) = 6 pts
winter afternoon
a cat and a plush dalmatian
doze together
Walter Franceschi
(0,1,4) = 6 pts
white stillness
suddenly turning orange —
a passing fox
oana posnaies
(0,1,4) = 6 pts
orange leaves
on pines' branches —
wintering butterflies
Iga
(0,1,4) = 6 pts
Fourteenth Place – 5 points
Prolonged howl...
in the wake of the pack
a lone wolf
Vasile Moldovan
(1,1,0) = 5 pts
five inches last night
horses rolling in fresh snow
make monster angels
F.J. Bergmann
(0,2,1) = 5 pts
in and out of
snow covered hedges -
chirping chickadees
Mike Montreuil
(0,2,1) = 5 pts
misty morning...
a lonely goose flies into
early snowfall
Keith A. Simmonds
(0,1,3) = 5 pts
gray flannel blanket —
sprinkles of migrating birds
on dull winter sky
sandy friedlander
(0,1,3) = 5 pts
Fifteenth Place – 4 points
hibernating bear —
inside the cave echoes of
my rapid heartbeat
Daniela Bullas, UK
(1,0,1) = 4 pts
a pile of brown leaves
even after he's pointed them out—
unblinking peahens
Sheila K. Barksdale
(1,0,1) = 4 pts
The horses breath
blows warmth on my hand
Yositaka (0,1,2) = 4 pts
greenstone den —
the new cub nestles into
his mother's warmth
Nancy Smith
(0,1,2) = 4 pts
winter thaw
a drowsy hedgehog
pauses at the spring
Tore Sverredal
(0,1,2) = 4 pts
gradually
the snow hides the deer's hoof prints —
recalling my life...
Zhanna P. Rader
(0,1,2) = 4 pts
silent birch trees
color of wolves' eyes
add to the white
Harvey Jenkins
(0,0,4) = 4 pts
snow plowed roads
whitetail deer
leap the drifts
DeVar
(0,0,4) = 4 pts
snowy evening
a dog tied up outside
starbucks
Roberta Beary
(0,0,4) = 4 pts
Sixteenth Place – 3 points
Ducks on ice
cold cold feet
South, dumb ducks! Fly south!
Geoffrey A. Landis
(1,0,0) = 3 pts
the squirrel digs
through snow for a nut
. . . pecan pie cooling
Warren Gossett
(0,1,1) = 3 pts
black swans blur
in the snow storm—
candles lit against war
Ron Moss
(0,1,1) = 3 pts
starlit night
wintering animals
around the manger
Elaine RIddell
(0,1,1) = 3 pts
a new snow in the graveyard
filling in the possum's tracks
Cindy Tebo
(0,1,1) = 3 pts
winter woods
young deer and old men
turned grey
Steve Rojcewicz
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
lakeside inn
wild ducks clamour
for bread pieces
_kala
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
Seventeenth Place – 2 points
deadly cold
a struggle of wills captured
by wing beats in snow
marco b
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
tiny chipmunk prints
cross the snowy porch
dripping icicles
if
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
black fox
crosses my path so lightly --
winter dawn
Ruth Powell
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
the last mallard
trapped in pond ice...
blue norther
Janice Hornburg
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
christmas eve
he hangs grapes on the tree
for the birds
Judith Gorgone
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
swirling snow
a spider family wintering
in the garage
Carol Raisfeld
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
full wolf moon—
mouse's snow tunnel
between the stone walls
Diane Mayr
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
In the zoo
a young polar bear
fears the ice
Ralf Broker
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
Winter night —
a hungry fox at the coop
where the dog sleeps
Miorita
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
Eighteenth Place – 1 point
sleeping in the warmth
of home is the only wish
of foreclosure dogs
Jennifer Stefanow
Moonlit patch on mounds
Crossing over the stripped vines
A skunk with full coat
Leslie Brockway
crackling fireplace
cricket vacates log home
for a cooler climate
Elinor Pihl Huggett
fly, my paper crane
spread your wings and fly away,
a Christmas tree waits
Tom Conally
snowy owl-so still—
full of origami life
made from cold paper
James Dobson
early morning drive
pooches and mommy sporting
matching plaid sweaters
Hazel
No more protected
the timberwolves howling long
in these icy lands
Horst Ludwig
bits of bread
on crusted snow —
a cardinal!
Laurene
No points this time. Sorry
under disguise
in snow-covered eaves
an ermine hides
Barbara A Taylor
Shrouded in ice
The sentry
Dreams of home...
James Sawers
tracks in the snow
next to the pine tree
squilroy was here!
Erik Boye
sweet polaroid images
gray and white blurs flit flitting
the snowbirds are back
dragonfly
The buck shakes
his antlers amidst the
snow covered red ferns
Lorraine Margueritte Gasrel Black
fresh fallen snow
cardinal's compete
at the bird feeder
anonymous
soup kitchen day
the homeless eat inside
feral cats eat in the snow
Rose Marie Stutts
increase in golf fees
just for the wintering
snowbirds
Bill Hudson
derelict barn
cobwebs dust and bats sleeping
the winter away
Frances McCarthy
coming down the hill
a pair of seasoned squirrels
frolicking about
Tom Burgess
polar bears
in my bedroom only
because of TV
gillena cox
Bird feeder,
three song sparrows - full.
Cheerful thanks.
Trevor Camp
full bird feeder—
wintering animals
plan the attack
Bill Gunter
owl …
oiling door with
shaking hand
Reza
Radiators hissing
As Cat melts into mousy dreams
Warm safe winter naps
Pat Lammers
winter mist
sparrows that sing
sweet, sweet Canada, Canada
jennie townsend
cold weather sets in
robins pause on migration
for a berry-feast
Deirdre Godwin
red-tailed hawk circling
rabbits and field mice
scurrying
todd eddy
head cocked
at snowbirds packing the beach
florida seagull
Pris Campbell
blizzard winds—
the snow piles up
where do squirrels go?
Marylouise Knight
penguins
sliding on their bellies
the telly
og_a
camouflaged by snow
an albino deer
mocks the hunter
Dharma Bum
The tiny bear:
mom, freeze the winter,
i'm not tired yet
Petru-Ioan Garda
dungenese crab sale
in season
out of season
Stella
warm december
a gray squirrel's coat
turning white
J Blain
snowball thrown
at a cat lurking under
the bird feeder
gourdman
stray cat's food bowl—
puff-feathered blue jay
opportunist
jill
coyote
crosses the ice
to prey on our island
Beth Powell
Early morning
Rabbit freezes
Brown patch on snow
Mary E. Gray
blue jays fighting
over the last peanut
the seventh day of snow
Stevie Strang
the hare in my heart
waiting for change
turns grey
theodora
Free Format Theme:
Breakfast
First Place — 24 points
tea steam
the east window
brightens
Ann K. Schwader
(2,6,6) = 24 pts
Ordinary images of an ordinary day, I settle right in as I read it.
Second Place — 22 pts
Christmas brunch
a place at the table
for her new doll
Catherine J.S. Lee
(0,9,4) = 22 pts
I love the mood of indulgence in this haiku.
This seems to reflect the spirit of the season, by showing the love and joy of a little girl.
Third Place — 20 pts
vapors
rising from the lake...
morning coffee
Janice Hornburg
(1,4,9) = 20 pts
Nice light unfettered, contemplative piece. I like the juxtaposition.
Lovely imagery, with a lot of warmth and subtle shifts of meaning.
thick fog —
four brightly colored pills
beside her oatmeal
Susan Constable
(0,4,12) = 20 pts
Fourth Place – 19 points
toast crumb
balanced just so
on the ant's back
Paul Hodder
(2,4,5) = 19 pts
This one made me smile. I could see that little guy diligently trudging along!
Fifth Place – 14 points
Breakfast —
in the stork's beak
the first frog
Vasile Moldovan
(1,3,5) = 14 pts
Sixth Place – 13 points
snow day ::
the dog gets her share
of cold toast
jennie townsend
(2,1,5) = 13 pts
breakfast in bed
gently taking off a crumb
from grandma's cheek
Dorota Pyra
(1,3,4) = 13 pts
Seventh Place – 12 points
five days of rain
he asks for eggs
sunny-side up
Terri French
(0,3,6) = 12 pts
A little bit of humor and a lot of truth!
Eighth Place – 11 points
scrambled . . .
she talks about the sunrise
I missed
Bill Kenney
(1,0,8) = 11 pts
breakfast
the heavy silence
from last night
Carol Raisfeld
(0,3,5) = 11 pts
Ninth Place – 10 points
third shift
the broken yolk
of my sunny side
Alan S. Bridges
(2,1,2) = 10 pts
This one says so much. My dad worked 3rd shift as I was growing up. His "sunny side" was often broken!
breakfast trickles
through her IV tube
we wait
Pris Campbell
(0,3,4) = 10 pts
Tenth Place – 9 points
the same aria
sung each time he froths the milk —
north beach barista
John Thompson
(1,0,6) = 9 pts
Eleventh Place – 8 points
dusky dawn
the swirling snow
reflects in my tea
Tore Sverredal
(0,3,2) = 8 pts
I have lots of versions on this one...shorter ones.. but I like it! Be proud!
butter melting
on hot breakfast scones —
your smile
Ruth Powell
(0,2,4) = 8 pts
Lovely juxtaposition. This one really touched me.
garden breakfast
my son mixes cornflakes
with plum petals
Jacek M
(0,1,6) = 8 pts
Twelfth Place – 7 points
Hiroshima Day
to break an egg
will sicken me
Earl Keener
(2,0,1) = 7 pts
Often Hiroshima Day is used to elicit an emotional state the haiku is too weak to carry but this is almost brilliant. Simply stated reaction to the poet's (our) awakening to the day, realization, and response.
coffee and toast
knees touching lightly
first morning after
Frances McCarthy
(0,2,3) = 7 pts
garden breakfast —
yellow butterflies
among lotuses
Narayanan Raghunathan
(0,1,5) = 7 pts
Thirteenth Place – 6 points
note to self:
send e-mails _after_
caffeine reaches brain
F.J. Bergmann
(2,0,0) = 6 pts
insomnia
finding sleep
in the kettle's whistle
Beth Powell
(1,0,3) = 6 pts
the morning after...
a cup of black coffee
double bitter
natalia kuznetsova
(0,1,4) = 6 pts
hard boiled opinions
scrambled editorials
breakfast a la print
Tom Conally
(0,1,4) = 6 pts
between storms
the sun comes out—
a Sunday croissant
Marylouise Knight
(0,1,4) = 6 pts
we share coffee
and red mountains —
Sedona breakfast
jill
(0,1,4) = 6 pts
Fourteenth Place – 5 points
school bus —
some scrambled eggs with ketchup
left on the plate
Laurene
(0,2,1) = 5 pts
grandma's house
we eat oatmeal
again
Carmel Lively Westerman
(0,1,3) = 5 pts
morning chill
mom keeps her coat on
until the coffee arrives
Cindy Tebo
(0,1,3) = 5 pts
anniversary
with a flourish he pours
the cornflakes
Roberta Beary
(0,0,5) = 5 pts
another foot of snow
butter cascading down
the stack of pancakes
Stevie Strang
(0,0,5) = 5 pts
Fifteenth Place – 4 points
breakfast
the day he leaves for Iraq —
her tears in his coffee
Aalix Roake
(0,1,2) = 4 pts
Breakfast in many traditions is held as the most important meal of the day; teamed up with the urgency of duty and patronage this haiku tells a sad and compelling tale.
rice krispies whispers
snap-crackle-pop conversations
morning gently begins
Jeanne Fiedler
(0,1,2) = 4 pts
homeless shelter
snow melts from his shoulders
while fresh coffee brews
Harvey Jenkins
(0,1,2) = 4 pts
Here, the theme of humanity tells us that all is not loss in the today's world.
al fresco
a bluebottle fly
finds the bacon
Barbara A Taylor
(0,0,4) = 4 pts
from the kitchen
a scent of coffee overtakes
the alarm clock
Orbi
(0,0,4) = 4 pts
Appealing to the senses both sound and smell at the same time. This is for sure an aha moment.
Sixteenth Place – 3 points
Rivers of warm syrup
flow past islands of butter
Yositaka (1,0,0) = 3 pts
peanut butter, banana,
and bacon sandwich
having Elvis for breakfast
Bill Hudson
(1,0,0) = 3 pts
Snowflakes melt like tears
Watching it while she pours tea
One cup, this mourning
Jennifer Stefanow
(0,1,1) = 3 pts
rain
tea for one
this morning, too
og_a
(0,1,1) = 3 pts
blended family
our children contend
for the Lucky Charms
Tom Painting
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
Morning —
another hotel
cereal again?
Bill Gunter
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
can top pops...
the only time the cat
visibly loves me
Diane Mayr
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
golden waffles —
maple butter eases
square by square
Nancy Smith
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
There is an unhurried ease implied which intimates an enjoyable meal, makes my mouth water.
Seventeenth Place – 2 points
dawn call echoes
drizzling honey over
tahini - bliss
anonymous
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
bell attached
cheerios on a string
breakfast with the birds
Ben Gieske
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
breakfast for supper
too heavy for the morning
bacon and fried eggs
Deirdre Godwin
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
Tuscany morning
crescendos
a road side fig tree
Stella
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
Snowed in.
Slow breakfast,
good tea.
Horst Ludwig
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
it's already a late noon —
forgotten breakfast
is now my lunch
Juhani Tikkanen
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
dawn
I wake… I rise
I brew new tea
marco b
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
early breakfast —
my cat sits in a chair
and wants me to share
Mike Montreuil
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
outside swirling snow
inside stirring the oatmeal
whirling white
Bridget Cougar
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
racket in the pantry
a mouse
having my breakfast
Dharma Bum
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
morning breeze
sun-touched clouds
in our plates
Tanya Dikova
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
motel breakfast
a scouting party of
ducks make the rounds
J Blain
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
snowdrops and crocus
Kathleen O’Toole
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
Eighteenth Place – 1 point
cornflakes and juice at the crack of dawn
Keith A. Simmonds
Hot and bitter
A cup of tea
Begins the day
James Sawers
table set for one
red grapefruit on bone china
—whistling garbage man
if
tepid milk
over sugary cheerios
slam of a door
Garry Eaton
eggs milk sugar spice
orange squash stir batter fry
pumpkin pancakes...yum
dragonfly
deep winter...
suddenly looking forward
to porridge!
anonymous
school day
hungry children rush
to the cafeteria for breakfast
Rose Marie Stutts
new egg poacher
eating my oatmeal
I glare at my old dog
Edward
sticky from laughter
we peel back the skin
of another orange
Ron Moss
two coffee
for breakfast …
all alone
Reza
creaming coffee —
a dash of vanilla
added for panache
gillena cox
Streams of steam
Waving so languidly up
Warm tea for breakfast
Pat Lammers
the dim sun breaks through
spreads out
a marmalade morning
Jon Espen Vassbotn
tray for his sleepy wife —
fruit, toast and eggs
newborn wakes yet again
Leslie Montgomery
fading memories
a Christmas tree in
my latte
Elena Naskova
pancake breakfast —
the maple syrup
glows in the sun
anonymous
crack! go gathered nuts
stored blueberries thaw
in fresh yoghurt
gourdman
power cut —
such a yearning
for tea
anonymous
potpourri breakfast
on the plate lavender
and anise cookies
Walter Franceschi
No points this time, sorry
break —
fast on water as
the newly chicks ate my toast
Daniela Bullas, UK
the same breakfast
the globetrotter eats
unknown pleasures
Erik Boye
Eggs fry in skillet
Elegant graceful flip — oops
That one's for the dog.
Geoffrey A. Landis
I smile as butter
and maple syrup melt
into the pancakes
Lorraine Margueritte Gasrel Black
late for breakfast he breezes through the doors
_kala
yellow octopus
in grandson's cereal bowl...
sliced banana
Elinor Pihl Huggett
a vicious waking
but breakfast aroma helps
mmm what a morning
matt behan
leftover chicken:
breakfast for the weary, cold
fingerfood, hot tea
Sandy Friedlander
Each morning
a pure yellow feast.
Bananas.
Trevor Camp
A cup of morning coffee
steaming
into a brooding face
bushra naqi
first thought
hot coffee or a stiff drink
what I did last night
Judith Gorgone
Early morning
black coffee
and a pill
Ralf Broker, Germany
toast and hot chocolate
a little melted butter
floats on the surface
DeVar
morning sun —
a child billowing smoke from
a tinsel tea cup
Yamame
sugarless tea
my brother keeps off —
a cold morning
Antony Njoroge
raspberry syrup
on Mickey Mouse pancakes
breakfast alone
Barbara Snow
poached or boiled, my dear ?
for a change, fried please.
poached or boiled, my darling ?
James Dobson
Christmas holiday
sweet bread and black coffee-
breakfast for two
oana posnaies
Big family at breakfast —
around the table
12 angry men
Petru-Ioan Garda
Winter daybreak —
the black tomcat eating
a titmouse
Miorita
Shiny new kettle:
Lizard doing his morning press-ups
ponders his image
Sheila K. Barskdale
weekend morning
french toast, sausage and coffee
erase jangled nerves
Hazel
thumping winter rain —
steaming oatmeal,
warm coat and gloves
John Hubbard