December 2010 Kukai

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.