Congratulations to Melissa Spurr, winner of our Kigo section and to Iokua, winner of our Free Format section!
December 2010 Results
Kigo Theme:
Winter Sky
First Place - 30 Points
a flake on my tongue . . .
the taste
of winter sky
Melissa Spurr
(0,9,12) = 30 pts
Very primordial. I like the firstness implied in this haiku.
I liked the use of the sense of taste.
Second Place - 27 Points
winter sky —
branches of a bare tree
full of stars
Israel López Balan
(0,7,13) = 27 pts
I really enjoyed the imaginative aspect of haiku with number 2. and 87., the fact that you could really see the imagine behind the haiku – bare trees, silent and lonely, and through their branches, the winter sky, full of stars, drifting. What a silent night!
I like the feeling of sharing the view; which the writer imparts here so well.
A haiga in my mind! Lovely picture.
A lovely visual. Winter sky, though usually referring to the pale, daytime blue, works well here. The line break in the phrase also works nicely.
Third Place – 24 Points
big enough
for coyote howls
winter sky
Chandra Bales
(2,3,12) = 24 pts
Evocative.
This is so many things I hardly know where to start. There is humor in the imaginative play of sky size large enough to hold a sound: coyote howls. A boundless container. And, with the humor, loneliness turned to solitude. A transformation of impossibles into resonant reality. The more I read it the better I like it.
Fourth Place - 22 Points
winter sky
combing my mother's
white hair
Tito A
(0,6,10) = 22 pts
Fifth Place - 20 Points
not as tall
as I used to be . . .
winter sky
Bill Kenney
(1,2,13) = 20 pts
Nice suggestion of alter – another winter in the old person’s life, another year passing, getting smaller and smaller as aging effect.
That wintry feeling captured in a fresh image--the cold does pull people down from mien to spirit. More votes if I could.
flake by flake
the winter sky
touches the ground
Rafal Zabratynski
(0,4,12) = 20 pts
A simply superb haiku.
A beautiful image.
The slow accumulation of sky to ground. Lovely.
Sixth Place - 19 Points
it is back
over my son's grave —
the winter sky
Zhanna P. Rader
(3,2,6) = 19 pts
Seventh Place - 17 Points
leaving home . . .
winter sky
in my daughter's eyes
Michael Dylan Welch
(0,5,7) = 17 pts
winter sky
a hanging leaf curls in
upon itself
Nancy Smith
(0,4,9) = 17 pts
Eighth Place - 16 Points
winter sky . . .
a rat skitters under
the wood pile
Darrell Byrd
(1,1,11) = 16 pts
Ninth Place - 15 Points
winter sky —
trumpeter swans
air their wings
James Dobson
(2,2,5) = 15 pts
An air of energy and celebration makes this one stand out on a winter day.
Tenth Place - 11 Points
grey winter sky
two snowmen more and more
into each other
Li Ree
(1,0,8) = 11 pts
a raven
cracks the silence
winter sky
Ann Schwader
(0,4,3) = 11 pts
Every word is loaded, and it can be heard all the way to the crack of doom.
Eleventh Place - 10 Points
winter sky
a discarded doll gleams
with raindrops
Ron C. Moss
(1,2,3) = 10 pts
winter sky —
the hunter points his arrow
at the moon . . .
Margaret Dornaus
(0,2,6) = 10 pts
winter sky
painting the room
a softer blue
Susan Constable
(0,1,8) = 10 pts
Delicate and precise; a quiet wonder.
winter sky . . .
everything I’ve had
to leave behind
Catherine J.S. Lee
(0,1,8) = 10 pts
A wonderful juxtaposition when we think of the winter of our lives. And a very effective line break, mid-phrase.
Twelfth Place - 9 Points
slate-colored pond —
not a leaf left to disturb
the winter sky
Adelaide B. Shaw
(1,1,4) = 9 pts
winter sky
the pale echoes
of mourning doves
Bill Pauly
(0,1,7) = 9 pts
I like the way 'pale' echoes the color of the sky as well as the sound of the doves. Lovely use of synæsthesia.
Thirteenth Place - 8 Points
winter sky
the forest is all
Christmas trees
Petar Tchouhov
(0,4,0) = 8 pts
Fourteenth Place - 7 Points
pine
silhouettes
winter sky
Allen McGill
(2,0,1) = 7 pts
color
fades with her . . .
winter sky
Svetlana Marisova
(1,1,2) = 7 pts
winter sky —
beggar's outstretched hand
empty
vishnu p kapoor
(1,1,2) = 7 pts
winter sky —
the color of my
newborn's eyes
Seren Fargo
(0,3,1) = 7 pts
winter sky . . .
one egg
turned over lightly
miriam chaikin
(0,2,3) = 7 pts
Winter Sky . . .
Steam of hot turnip
On table
Reza
(0,2,3) = 7 pts
winter sky
the cat's whiskers
wake me up
Giselle Maya
(0,2,3) = 7 pts
A lovely domestic moment.
the ski-jumper
snaps on his goggles —
winter sky
Michael McClintock
(0,1,5) = 7 pts
Not much sound, but I feel I want to lean into this haiku for the minutest of nuances and the suddenness of changes.
winter sky —
clouds drifting
into clouds
Cara Holman
(0,0,7) = 7 pts
The repetition is very effective here, and the verb makes me feel that time, itself, is slowing down.
Fifteenth Place - 6 Points
winter sky
an ocean of tears
falling down
Jill Campbell
(1,1,1) = 6 pts
This reminds me of our weather here.
Dark wintery sky
Geese wedge their way
into the wind
Mark Lonergan
(0,3,0) = 6 pts
winter sky —
your eyes
as you look away
Ruth Powell
(0,1,4) = 6 pts
winter sky —
frost on the roadside
whisky bottle
Tanya McDonald
(0,1,4) = 6 pts
winter sky
she plugs in the Christmas lights
at noon
April Serock
(0,1,4) = 6 pts
This one made me smile because I did it just today!
turning the vinyl
to the flip side —
winter sky
Alan S. Bridges
(0,0,6) = 6 pts
An unusually fresh juxtaposition which gets this haiku one of my votes. Those in the winter of their lives can certainly relate to the vinyl!
Sixteenth Place - 5 Points
winter sky —
the old beggar wipes his
cataract eye
Sonam Chhoki
(0,2,1) = 5 pts
dusk
chimney steams brighten
the winter sky
Jacek M.
(0,1,3) = 5 pts
roast ducks
hang in the store window
winter sky
David Grayson
(0,1,3) = 5 pts
The unexpectedness of the ducks being dead and roasted is certainly attention catching! However much we are bemoaning our winter suffering at least we haven't been changed into a dead carcass hanging in public view. The loss of feathers as things of beauty as well as flying apparatus as well as life hovers at the back of this vignette.
winter sky
the cracked voice
of the crow
rob scott
(0,0,5) = 5 pts
Seventeenth Place - 4 Points
winter sky . . .
the last window open
on the Advent calendar
Francine Banwarth
(1,0,1) = 4 pts
winter sky
she holds him closer
to feel his breathe
john tiong chunghoo
(0,2,0) = 4 pts
silent prayer
the winter sky
at half-mast
og_a
(0,2,0) = 4 pts
winter sky —
golden gingko leaves
remain
Barbara Campitelli
(0,2,0) = 4 pts
a spot of blue
gives me hope —
the winter sky
Karen McClintock
(0,1,2) = 4 pts
winter sky —
the signature of God
on every cloud
Rita Odeh
(0,1,2) = 4 pts
Very spiritual.
winter sky —
a heron on the edge
of mirror lake
Ami
(0,1,2) = 4 pts
winter sky
above the only star
the moon
Kalina
(0,1,2) = 4 pts
winter sky
folks out of church
shield their eyes
Beth Powell
(0,1,2) = 4 pts
winter sky —
the hoot of an owl
wrapping the moon
Kaiser
(0,1,2) = 4 pts
I love the choice of the verb, which makes me feel that the moon and I are wrapped in sound. Even though 'winter sky' usually pertains to the pale blue daytime sky, this one works for me!
winter sky
we share warm blankets
and watch the meteor shower
Rose Marie Stutts
(0,0,4) = 4 pts
Eighteenth Place - 3 Points
winter sky
the classroom snowflake melting
into it
Michele L. Harvey
(1,0,0) = 3 pts
winter sky —
pale moon-sun
caught in the pond
jill
(1,0,0) = 3 pts
Winter sky
framed by
Jack Frost
Lorraine Margueritte Gasrel Black
(0,1,1) = 3 pts
winter sky
the blue
in your eyes
Ralf Bröker
(0,1,1) = 3 pts
winter sky —
an airplane appears in
a gap in the clouds
Isabelle Prondzynski
(0,1,1) = 3 pts
winter sky
drifting
amongst the pines
John McDonald
(0,1,1) = 3 pts
I really enjoyed the imaginative aspect of this haiku with 'branches of a bare tree full of stars' and the fact that you could really see the images behind the haiku: bare trees, silent and lonely, and through their branches, the winter sky, full of stars, drifting. What a silent night!
leaden winter sky
the hungry calf bumps
his mother’s teats
Carmel Lively Westerman
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
winter sky . . .
a logging trail
all the way to the top
Earl Keener
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
the bicycle
against the lamp post
snowy winter sky
Ben Gieske
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
one last swoop . . .
blackbirds fade into
the winter sky
Diane Mayr
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
winter sky —
fraying edges
of the patchwork quilt
sanjuktaa
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
A resonant juxtaposition that would benefit from a flip: line 1 would make an excellent line 3.
winter sky —
her fingers remember
every tone
Dorota Pyra
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
winter-sky sunset —
frozen twigs in the treetops
fiery-bright
Tomislav
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
Nineteenth Place - 2 Points
winter sky
awkward hug from the aunt
I could never stand
if
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
vapid winter sky
bereft of all emotion;
who will dry my tears?
Tanja Cilia
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
winter sky
the reveneur sniffs
a wisp of smoke
doris kasson
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
lingering blues
starlings augment
the winter sky
Tom Painting
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
talk of crocuses
the eagerness in the air
winter sky
Sheila K.Barksdale
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
winter sky —
so coldly beautiful
it hurts
Mary Lee McClure
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
a bright star
dims the winter sky
peaceful gathering
Ted van Zutphen
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
Inhales sun
through the foggy morning —
winter sky
R.K. Singh
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
winter sky
the way we sleep
under that blanket
Anonymous
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
winter sky
between the trees
crow caws
mgc
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
winter sky
he makes a promise
i can't keep
Anonymous
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
ski trail
through the winter sky
a shimmer in the pines
maxianne
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
an old tramp
shares his meal with a stray dog
winter sky
natalia kuznetsova
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
winter sky
our evening walk
with a moondog
Barbara Snow
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
rushing down
the icy footpath —
winter sky
Robert Naczas
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
winter sky
Alcyone outshines
her sisters
Terri L. French
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
winter sky
embossed with
gray clouds
Tom Conally
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
strings of pearls
the scars at her wrist
winter sky
Anonymous
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
winter sky —
only one crow remains
on a charred fence
Westley, Kurt
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
winter sky —
she looks at me
like never before
Lech Szeg
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
cold bed
your empty pillow so white —
winter sky
Anonymous
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
Twentieth Place - 1 Point
gathering clouds —
across the winter sky
a dark sea horse sails
Barbara A Taylor
winter sky
country music accompanies
the vacuum cleaner
Bill Hudson
first love
hung the moon around
a winter sky
Judi Honiker
In the winter sky
still another skein of geese.
I walk more slowly.
Horst Ludwig
winter sky
recounting my money
at the ATM
Marleen Hul
whistling against
the winter sky - my brother
has outstanding ears
Oddbjørn Aardalen
I like the quirkiness of this one, perhaps the writer's own ears have started to feel the cold and that has made her notice her brother's ears for the first time. Or perhaps the uncluttered nature of a winter sky brings the shapes of things into relief and maybe the brother is so bundled up with winter clothes his ears are the only things exposed for the sibling to recognise him by.
Winter sky
still filled with snow —
a jogging cat
Juhani Tikkanen
Through bare branches
my mind clouded
winter sky
Ashi
winter sky
I catch the last train
heading home
Harvey Jenkins
high noon;
the bluebird's blue outblued
by the winter sky !
manoj saranathan
winter sky
no man on that little
white moon
Anonymous
winter sky
a brilliance of stars burns
through the icy chill
Elaine Riddell
winter sky . . .
the same dotted white
up and down
Dejan Pavlinovic
caught in the lake,
the winter sky with all its
constellations
Duc
branches
against the winter sky . . .
we'll get through this
Iokua
No points this time, sorry.
winter sky . . .
my infant grandson
falls asleep
Ella W.
Barren winter sky
summer past a distant dream
spring too far beyond
Robert C. Howard
winter skies
memories hither and thither
with every step
Anna Carenne
Santa Claus, CHRISTMAS,
Steve, New Year, Basil, John --
Winter sky bless fests!
Stopsy
winter sky . . .
I still feel the cold
from yesterday's frost
Keith A. Simmonds
her saree's silver dust
still under my finger nails —
dawdling winter sky
Kameshwar Rao
flailing neon lights
in the winter sky so soon
after midday tea
Alegria
Winter sky —
at Eastern a star
appears brighter
Petru-Ioan Garda
winter sky —
a pilgrim's changing moods
in the polar lights
Svein Lie
December again
Ever constant Christmas lights
Stars of the Winter Sky
Bonnie Hudson
in the winter sky
a pearly crescent moon . . .
how little we know
Marylouise Knight
Both laughing
we are no longer blue
winter sky.
Trevor Camp
misty morning
and dusty winds
no Winter sky here
Nana Fredua-Agyeman
field still windmills
under an overcast sky,
the weatherman says "snow"
Charlie Rossiter
carpet of maple leaves
winter sky
revealed
Christopher Pickslay
winter sky —
blanket she knits
grows longer
Leslie Montgomery
my empty pockets
the night the stars fell
only clouds
Merrill Ann Gonzales
Wintersky
Her warm embrace
throws away my freezing stance
purush-guntur
meeting again . . .
in the faint light of a winter sky
your smile, magic
Carol Raisfeld
storm clouds huddle together
still lonely
the winter sky
Ellen Romano
winter sky
the hisses
of defrosting sprays
Johannes S. H. Bjerg
blowing from the east
out-flows blue the winter sky
element of cold
Deirdre Godwin
brown Valley grasses
stark against The White Mountains
winter sky
John Daleiden
getting used to the
dark —
mid winter sky
carol pearce-worthington
winter sky
the one ornament
of the sun
William M. Gottlieb
winter sky
on the lake wolves stretch . . .
before the hunt
Edward
last Advent —
sparkling light
on the winter sky
Patricia Lidia
winter sky —
through the halfway opened door
snowflakes in hand
gilena cox
broken street lamp wears
a different snowy cap
winter sky
Boris Nazansky
Snow flung in fury
White above, below, around
Winter sky
Mary E. Gray
the winter sky
reflects in the river
outgoing steamer
Tore Sverredal
Winter sky
reflects bare trees . . .
melancholy
Yuka Makishita
leaden winter sky
beauty in
forty shades of grey
Frances O'Keeffe
melancholy
seeps into my soul
winter sky
Carolyn Coit Dancy
winter sky —
five or six crows settle
on a barbed wire fence
DeVar Dahl
solstice
a bubbly summer cloud
on the winter sky
Jon Espen Vassbotn
wearing the end
on her feet
winter sky
Dan Schwerin
after babysitting
enjoying the stillness
of a winter sky
Hazel A. Witherspoon
grey sky of winter . . .
even now this spreading oak
has it's own glory
Elinor Pihl Huggett
bunny tales whiter —
icicles elongate
pristine winter sky
Dorothy j. Kazmierzak
General Comments:
There were so many excellent haiku this month, it was hard for me to whittle the list down to these 6 kigo poems.
I found it impossible to pick only three in the kigo section this time around. There are numerous examples that show how effectively a simple kigo can increase the mood and meaning of a descriptive phrase.
I think I expected a more general gloom, given the kigo, than I found here. Haiku poets are a resilient bunch.
I had a hard time this month narrowing down to six. I had two that I thought were deserving of more points, but so many others that were good I ended up using one point each. There were a whole group of excellent haiku that talked of human grief and suffering, but after reading so many one after the other it became one human cry and was hard to distinguish one from another. I found some of the images in nature had echoes of this grief and loss if one stopped to listen to the haiku. But this certainly was a great selection to read and comprehend.
I found myself drawn towards those haiku which juxtapose two different "white" images.
Free Format Theme:
Ring
First Place - 29 Points
ring around the moon
my baby's lips
full of nipple
Iokua
(2,6,11) = 29 pts
The uniqueness of the image, how the idea of "ring" is used, the tenderness of it--that's why this vote!
Second Place - 25 Points
rain drops
into the water
into the rings
Ben Gieske
(1,4,14) = 25 pts
Something we've all seen and heard and a lovely allusion to Virgilio's well-known haiku.
This is very similar to Nick Virgilio's famous poem, but stands apart with its own vivid imagery. An interesting homage.
Third Place – 20 Points
the mood ring
says I'm happy —
winter solitude
Michael McClintock
(2,4,6) = 20 pts
I find the phrase delightfully amusing in combination with the winter kigo. Thanks for the smile!
Was solitude ever more persuasively captured? I'm reduced to "I wish I had written that."
Fourth Place - 19 Points
winter solstice
a harvest of stones
for the fire ring
Tom Painting
(2,4,5) = 19 pts
Fifth Place - 14 Points
twisted hankie
on the pawnshop counter
a wedding ring
doris kasson
(1,1,9) = 14 pts
mood ring
what she's not
telling me
Bill Kenney
(0,2,10) = 14 pts
Sixth Place - 13 Points
saturn’s rings
through the telescope
the hooting owl
mgc
(1,2,6) = 13 pts
Seventh Place - 12 Points
new moon
she practices taking off
her ring
Melissa Allen
(0,3,6) = 12 pts
I like the openness of this combined as it is with precise observation.
Eighth Place - 11 Points
frozen pond
the ring
on the egret's leg
Polona
(1,1,6) = 11 pts
Two kinds of stillness effectively juxtaposed.
if only . . .
another soapy bubble
slips through the ring
Maxianne
(0,3,5) = 11 pts
Ninth Place - 10 Points
friendship ring
warmth of her hand
without mittens
Beth Powell
(0,3,4) = 10 pts
Novel in the use of a friendship ring, and the warm hand despite the obvious cold weather, leaves the reader with a nice image. Although I think a "the" before "warmth" would add more balance, this is one of my favorites.
table for two
she moves her ring
to the other hand
Susan Constable
(0,1,8) = 10 pts
Tenth Place - 9 Points
bell ringers
laying winter wreaths
on soldiers’ tombs
Margaret Dornaus
(0,3,3) = 9 pts
This reminds me of the recent death in our family. This one made me cry because we attended the military funeral of my Father-in-law last month.
ring of crows
a hole
in the ice
og_a
(0,2,5) = 9 pts
I can picture this simple but striking visual scene of black crows and white ice. Crows are known for pecking at the eyes of dying creatures and here although they are probably just sipping water, symbolically they are gathered to probe the dead earth of winter.
boys' night out
the ring
tightens
Christopher Pickslay
(0,1,7) = 9 pts
Eleventh Place - 8 Points
gardening
her ring on a chain
around her neck
Bill Hudson
(0,1,6) = 8 pts
her ring of keys
on the hall peg
condolences
if
(0,1,6) = 8 pts
plop!
another shapely ring
from a shapeless stone
Rafal Zabratynski
(0,1,6) = 8 pts
The first line made me hold a breath! Reminded me of the "frog" haiku. The truth that follows the cut got this vote. Indeed in whatever shape, anything sinks in the water into a perfect ring.
Twelfth Place - 7 Points
she hears
the twists of a sea shell . . .
her wedding ring
Svetlana Marisova
(1,1,2) = 7 pts
New Year's Eve
a ring
disappears
Ralf Bröker
(1,1,2) = 7 pts
smoke rings
roll around his finger
a train whistle
Ted van Zutphen
(1,1,2) = 7 pts
after skating
a ring of stones
for the campfire
Ruth Powell
(0,1,5) = 7 pts
Nice contrast of fire and ice and the weightless feeling that skaters experience contrasting with the heavy solid nature of stones.
lunar eclipse . . .
she forgot to remove
her mother's ring
Claire Everett
(0,0,7) = 7 pts
Thirteenth Place - 6 Points
marital discord —
in her sleep
she takes off her ring
Leslie Montgomery
(0,2,2) = 6 pts
cold morning
her wedding ring
forgotten on my night table
Tito A
(0,1,4) = 6 pts
I will . . .
my ring finger
no longer bare
James Dobson
(0,1,4) = 6 pts
ageless diva —
I try to count the rings
on her fingers
sanjukta
(0,1,4) = 6 pts
roof hole —
the sun throws its ring
onto the floor
Nana Fredua-Agyeman
(0,0,6) = 6 pts
Fourteenth Place - 5 Points
hand in hand —
ring
around the globe
Patricia Lidia
(1,1,0) = 5 pts
wedding rings —
the little sparkle
in her eyes
Rita Odeh
(1,0,2) = 5 pts
new moon
when the sound of a name
rings no bells
Marylouise Knight
(0,2,1) = 5 pts
morning meadow . . .
mushrooms ring the spot
where we slept
Darrell Byrd
(0,1,3) = 5 pts
Spirits reside in the memory.
the wet ring
beneath a full glass
. . . spreading
Kirsty Karkow
(0,1,3) = 5 pts
engagement ring —
gulls squawking
on the pawnshop roof
Earl Keener
(0,1,3) = 5 pts
I like the subtle humor, in that it's unlikely only the gulls are squawking.
you gave me this ring
on a day like today . . .
snow about to fall
Michael Dylan Welch
(0,1,3) = 5 pts
grandma's wedding ring
lost in cookie dough
christmas memories
Judi Honiker
(0,0,5) = 5 pts
waning moon —
how pale the wedding ring
after all these years
Sonam Chhoki
(0,0,5) = 5 pts
a ring of snow
about the chimney . . .
December morning
Keith A. Simmonds
(0,0,5) = 5 pts
side by side
two wedding rings —
no longer worn
Merrill Ann Gonzales
(0,0,5) = 5 pts
gingko tree —
a ring of gold
beneath
Barbara Campitelli
(0,0,5) = 5 pts
Fifteenth Place - 4 Points
summer clouds . . .
a ring no longer needed
given to the sea
Giselle Maya
(1,0,1) = 4 pts
soft rings of rain . . .
on a dock of the bay
at summer’s end
Carol Raisfeld
(0,1,2) = 4 pts
following a tree ring
with my finger
..nineteenfortyfive..
Li Ree
(0,1,2) = 4 pts
a ring of mushrooms
in the cemetery grass —
distant ragtime
Tanya McDonald
(0,1,2) = 4 pts
tattooed wedding ring
the broken knuckle
aches in the cold
DeVar Dahl
(0,1,2) = 4 pts
under mistletoe —
the widow peering at the ring
around the moon
Kaiser
(0,1,2) = 4 pts
after the rain
a fairy ring
of mushrooms
Rose Marie Stutts
(0,0,4) = 4 pts
80th anniversary
he shows his collection
of wedding rings
Petar Tchouhov
(0,0,4) = 4 pts
of the whole forest
remembering the tiny
ring of daffodils
John McDonald
(0,0,4) = 4 pts
Here's a welcome reminder that 'Small is Beautiful'.
Sixteenth Place - 3 Points
brownies
sing sweetly
in a ring of sisterhood
Anna Carenne
(1,0,0) = 3 pts
Christmas shopping
sleigh bells ring on the
antique shop door
Carmel Lively Westerman
(0,1,1) = 3 pts
cancer
melting her flesh
loosens her wedding ring
mechaieh
(0,1,1) = 3 pts
My lawn fairy ring —
to leave them be
or to cook them?
Zhanna P. Rader
(0,1,1) = 3 pts
starry night
a little tinsel
for her halo
Michele L. Harvey
(0,1,1) = 3 pts
This one surprised me--very nice.
rings of frost —
diamonds on
my windowpane
Cara Holman
(0,1,1) = 3 pts
I’ve seen this. How it sparks a creative and artistic image.
ring
the boxers married
for 12 rounds
William M. Gottlieb
(0,1,1) = 3 pts
New Year's eve
the sycamore tallies
another ring
Barbara Snow
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
on the wheat field
a ring of trampled grain —
night visitors
John Daleiden
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
Seventeenth Place - 2 Points
no ring
white stripe on tanned finger
tells a story
Jill Campbell
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
Ring must be resized
For a thinner finger
She can't endure more loss
Mary Gray
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
fresh shrimp soup
her wedding-ring somewhere
in the garbage can
Tore Sverredal
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
This haiku tells so much but not too much; it's a mystery novel with an 'open' ending - I've already thought of several stories to account for the wedding ring in the garbage.
the ring of fire . . .
volcanic eruptions send
villagers running
Barbara A Taylor
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
Ominous!!
bells ring
under the mistletoe bough —
first kiss
alex serban
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
difficult times —
my wife turns on her finger
the engagement ring
Petru-Ioan Garda
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
New Year's Eve —
a diamond ring shines
in the pawn shop window
Lucas Garczewski
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
two wide rings
by the fast frozen pond —
the frog's eyes
Juhani Tikkanen
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
Stonehenge
Druids form a ring
at the solstice
Allen McGill
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
Las Vegas romance
he rents her ring
for the weekend
Edward
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
the hardness
of diamonds
~ returned ring
Paul Hodder
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
not even a picture
of us together
my ring of white skin
Anonymous
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
first date —
we discuss
our wedding rings
rob scott
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
Eighteenth Place - 1 Point
A Bristlecone pine
bears a ring that marks the year
of the first Christmas
Robert C. Howard
circle with no end -
but no beginning, either . . .
no wonder I'm lost.
Tanja Cilia
a circle of gold
etched with forget-me-not's
once hugged my finger
Betty Kaplan
east crises sales stage
small russian diamonds stock —
eternity ring
Stopsy
ocean gyre . . .
flotsam pulled in
from all corners
Alan S. Bridges
they came in
and went out
and came in again
miriam chaikin
the ring she wore
for thirty three years:
with me for keeping
vishnu p kapoor
carolers in a ring
little ones know only
“jingle bells”
Diane Mayr
the stump of the oak
our great-grandfather planted . . .
all these annual rings!
natalia Kuznetsova
shirt collar
bathtub telephone
which ring first?
Mary Lee McClure
my mother's skeleton fingers
tape wound round and round
her wedding ring
Ellen Romano
Frosty snowflake
along the bell rope
descending as I ring
Ashi
Unusual activity. Can't recall any other poems, let alone haiku , written from the point of view of the bell ringer with his rope!
second hand ring
well used clothes
I keep postponing
Johannes S. H. Bjerg
go now i tell my
wedding ring
— man with a gun
carol pearce-worthington
a broken ring of flames
third Sunday of Advent
gillena cox
early winter storm —
the silver ring
slips from her finger
jill
childhood —
picking princess pine
for a wreath
Carolyn Coit Dancy
end of the decree
your x
in a ring
Dan Schwerin
at the market —
satsumas leaves
ring a cheese display
Hazel A. Witherspoon
No points this time, sorry.
Carols by Candlelight —
flashes of burnished gold
in the conductor’s ring
Ron C. Moss
three rings entwined
lotus shares its leaves
with leaping frogs
Lorraine Margueritte Gasrel Black
The moon is somewhere
rising through the snowy night,
the Nibelungs' ring.
Horst Ludwig
coffee ring . . .
I turn upside down
my white tablecloth
Jacek M.
sound of newborn snow
a scream - an echo of the yellow
ring around the moon
Oddbjørn Aardalen
Cycle of guests
Around them
Rings
Reza
guffaws
in a full bus get glares —
her ring tone
Alegria
following her hand
the ring of light
into the cove
Bill Pauly
autumn diving —
rings of water through
her aura
Svein Lie
Day after the big race —
the silence of empty snail shells
floating round hoof prints
Sheila K. Barksdale
Happy thoughts
red merry-go-round
ring of kids
Trevor Camp
lover's quarrel rings
around the winter night
make-up stains last year's gift
c t doebler
fairy ring
joining the chipmunks
for brunch
Anonymous
Ring of stones
apocryphal prophecies
infinite promise
Tom Conally
short days
the Christmas tree stump’s
uncounted rings
Catherine J.S. Lee
Lunar eclipse
A brightening shine
rings around, cozily
R Purushotham Rao
after the first rains
a bloom of sylvan magic
mushroom fairy ring
Deirdre Godwin
her flower ring
and its patina petals —
winter sky
Ami Shecter
like wildebeest
circling the nectar bowl
ants
Chandra Bales
eyes with dark rings
the watchman shines his flashlight
on busy raccoons
Harvey Jenkins
Skier draws the track
into a circle form
he proposes to her
Yuka Makishita
lake is an ice-ring
ducks and geese
walk on water
Frances O'Keeffe
love for nature . . .
marked by an erythema
migrans ring
Tomislav
boxing day ball —
snowmen in a ringdance
round the juniper bush troll
Jon Espen Vassbotn
roundabout . . .
around a frozen pond
a ring
Dejan Pavlinovic
by the rose arbor
my lover on bended knee . . .
the moon with a ring
Elinor Pihl Huggett
ring around the moon —
a white corona setting
and sunny side up
Elaine Riddell
General Comments:
So many writers stayed with the idea of wedding rings, maybe it should have been clearer that the subject of 'ring' could include anything circular in shape?
It was a pity that not all the haiku contained the word "ring" in its noun form. Some very imaginative rings were found (the Nibelungs' ring, a coffee ring, the ring tone, a smoke ring).
Thank you for a challenging month! It is always good to be made to look a little farther.
I've spent a great morning and part-afternoon reading and re-reading this month's haiku. So many I loved, some I didn't, but all interesting.
Again, there were so many good ones , but I finally came up with 6 haiku.
There seems to be such a connection between rings and pawnshops!
About half of this month's entries used some form of kireji.
A sign of the times? Several haiku about rings and pawn shops.
Thank you for participating in the December 2010 Kukai!
We will announce the January Call for Submissions on Monday, January 3, 2011. See you then!
With much appreciation,