February 2013 Kukai
Congratulations to *** S.M. Abeles ***, winner of our Kigo section and to *** Michael McClintock ***, winner of our Free Format section!
VOTERS' comments are indicated by ** below the respective poems.
POETS' comments are indicated by ^^ below the respective poems.
(If any participating poets are offended by or uncomfortable with a comment, PLEASE let me know, and I will be glad to remove it from the results posted on our website.)
Kigo Theme: WITHERED PLANTS ---------------------------------- First Place - 38 Points ----------------------------------
pressed flower I remember being beautiful
S.M. Abeles USA (3,6,17) = 38 pts ** We will all get to this point someday. **This month's winner in the pathos competition; genuinely moving, even to this old cynic, who is lucky to remember being a young cynic. ** The longing in this small poem is palpable and far larger than its three small lines. Kudos to the poet for this wonderful haiku! ---------------------------------- Second Place - 37 Points ---------------------------------- winter grasses - the space between your footprints
Sandi Pray Robbinsville, NC USA (0,11,15) = 37 pts
---------------------------------- Third Place - 26 Points ---------------------------------- hanging on to a withered branch ... a sparrow's song
A. Amin Singapore (3,3,11) = 26 pts **As I read this, the bird is gone, but the song lingers for as long as we can hang on to it.
---------------------------------- 20 Points ---------------------------------- winter night: the withered tree festooned with stars
Chitra Rajappa (1,3,11) = 20 pts
---------------------------------- 19 Points ----------------------------------
withered lilacs– how did I miss the change in you?
Adelaide B. Shaw (0,4,11) = 19 pts
---------------------------------- 18 Points ----------------------------------
withered plants the shadow of a robin on the fence
Angie Werren (1,4,7) = 18 pts
still he waters the withered plant widower
Paul Hodder (1,3,9) = 18 pts ** What a picture of love and loyalty
withered leaves - a closer look at her lifeline
Cezar F. Ciobîcă (0,2,14) = 18 pts
---------------------------------- 16 Points ----------------------------------
snow melting at the roadside shrine withered flowers
BILL KENNEY (0,3,10) = 16 pts
---------------------------------- 15 Points ----------------------------------
moonrise a tumbleweed stirs
Jan O'Loughlin Australia (2,3,3) = 15 pts **Perfect - almost missed this one on the first reading but it grew on me more and more. ** Fabulous image! It conjures up the mysteries of night and how under the cover of darkness the dead may indeed come to life. The circular juxtaposition of both moon & tumbleweed can't be missed either. Well drawn and concise.
gently pulling withered leaves with withered hands
Bill Hudson (2,1,7) = 15 pts **What I like about this haiku is its vivid imagery. I can see the old, wrinkled hands in motion, "withered' but still alive, still functional. The phrase "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak" comes to mind. We project ourselves into the poem, imagining how it will be when we are 70 or 80 years old. This haiku is a snapshot of what is to come: gently, with less strength than they used to have, our hands, our bodies, try their best to carry out their tasks, the faithful and aging servants of the mind. **what about? withered hands gently pulling withered leavesthe wind through withered grass wolf moon
Ann K. Schwader (0,1,13) = 15 pts
---------------------------------- 14 Points ----------------------------------
after the divorce the withered plants
John McDonald Edinburgh Scotland (1,3,5) = 14 pts
withered thistle the way he scolds his child
polona (1,2,7) = 14 pts
sunset lingering on a withered thistle
Virginia Popescu PHOENIX (0,2,10) = 14 pts
---------------------------------- 13 Points ----------------------------------
funeral a tuft of yellowed grass tight in his fist
Maxianne (0,4,5) = 13 pts
---------------------------------- 12 Points ----------------------------------
the desk tidy, the notebook closed: withered begonia
Michael McClintock (1,3,3) = 12 pts **All that remains of the life of a tidy and considerate person. Beautifully observed and written.
---------------------------------- 11 Points ---------------------------------- abandoned house the withered ivy still hugs a wall
Eduard TARA (1,1,6) = 11 pts
withered violets— the open curtain's empty bed
Roberta Beary (0,1,9) = 11 pts
---------------------------------- 10 Points ----------------------------------
gold grass the hay smell passing down the hill
Jennifer Savage San Diego, CA (1,2,3) = 10 pts
autumn loneliness -- sweeping the highway, withered leaves
Ramesh Anand (0,3,4) = 10 pts
frozen river recalling the names of dead wildflowers
Dawn Apanius (0,2,6) = 10 pts **The interaction of "frozen" and "dead" lends a subtle melancholy to "recalling the names." **Although I wasn’t sure if “dead” was necessary, I was taken by the power of this haiku. Winter wildflowers:
---------------------------------- 9 Points ----------------------------------
frost-tipped field I've learned the lesson of letting go
Michel L. Harvey (0,3,3) = 9 pts
beginning of the end . . . she stops watering her plants
Bill Pauly (0,1,7) = 9 pts
---------------------------------- 8 Points ----------------------------------
chickadees rustle dry leaves
Jane DeJonghe (0,3,2) = 8 pts
annual review the dirt around a withered plant
Dan Schwerin Waukesha, WI (0,2,4) = 8 pts
long night moon a withered leaf spins before the wind
Ellen Compton (0,1,6) = 8 pts **Turns beautifully on the perfectly placed "spins," and "before the wind" admits of more than one reading. **terrific opening line packed with atmosphere which continues right through to the last line.
---------------------------------- 7 Points ---------------------------------- a chilly wind between the leaning gravestones withered grass
Catherine J.S. Lee (1,0,4) = 7 pts ** I particularly like the mood-setting effect of the words: chilly, leaning gravestones, withered. They form a distinct picture and feeling – almost make me shiver.
through the dead pampas grass glistening mud
martin gottlieb cohen (0,2,3) = 7 pts
a wild rose withering in her hair gypsy woman
Carolyn Coit Dancy (0,2,3) = 7 pts
abandoned house the withered ivy on the window sill
Harvey Jenkins (0,1,5) = 7 pts **What is noticed as a way of suggesting what is felt; good technique.
spilling from the toddler's hand withered daisies
André Surridge Hamilton, New Zealand (0,1,5) = 7 pts **Not merely a cute picture, a thoughtful reflection on time.
January dusk -- a breeze rustles through dry leaves
~ Isabelle Prondzynski Kenya (0,1,5) = 7 pts
late November the rattle of Queen Anne's lace in the wind
--Diane Mayr (0,1,5) = 7 pts
first grapes withered on the vine her soured marriage
if (0,0,7) = 7 pts
---------------------------------- 6 Points ---------------------------------- some birds to north others to south - withered dandelion
Israel López Balan (1,0,3) = 6 pts
a withered petal drifts from the potted rose . . . dominoes collapse
--Kirsty Karkow (1,0,3) = 6 pts
Ash Wednesday the poinsettia's withered leaves
Barbara Campitelli (1,0,3) = 6 pts **has a different winter kigo in each of its 3 lines - a winter kigo trifecta.
a withered leaf now an ice pendant – winter morning
Origa (1,0,3) = 6 pts
mown grass - stars and fireflies exchanging blinks
Lavana Kray Romania (0,2,2) = 6 pts
---------------------------------- 5 Points ----------------------------------
skeletonized asparagus stalks over the snow
F.J. Bergmann (0,2,1) = 5 pts
Valentine's day - on the windowsill a withered rose
Laura Csilla (0,2,1) = 5 pts
Heads down the plants withered to odd weather
purush Guntur INDIA (0,2,1) = 5 pts
freezing shadow the willow hiding nothing
Gregory Longenecker (0,1,3) = 5 pts
withered berries – chewing over what’s left of me
Stella Pierides DE/UK (0,1,3) = 5 pts
---------------------------------- 4 Points ----------------------------------
ripe watermelon on a withered vine breakfast
RD McManes (0,2,0) = 4 pts
we try to revive Mom's violets... forgotten when she was ill
Rose Marie Stutts, EdD (0,2,0) = 4 pts
beneath the clock the jade dying
Donna Bauerly Dubuque, IA (0,1,2) = 4 pts **redo as 2 liner?
beneath the clock dying jade
marriage over her indoor plants wither outside
Elaine Riddell (0,1,2) = 4 pts
sigh! next to her welcome mat these withered plants
doris kasson (0,1,2) = 4 pts
in the thaw skittering on withered grass our laughter
Alegria Imperial (0,1,2) = 4 pts
wild grape on withered vines the acrobatics of waxwings
Tom Painting (0,0,4) = 4 pts
wilting roses on the bedside table a book of tantra
Lauren Mayhew (0,0,4) = 4 pts
between thawing and sprouting a layer of last year
~ ru Canada (0,0,4) = 4 pts
---------------------------------- 3 Points ----------------------------------
winter prairie worn threadbare by a dry wind walking
Ginny Hoyle (1,0,0) = 3 pts
not even spring rains can coax our love to blossom flower without scent
todd (1,0,0) = 3 pts
In the widow's vase: red roses from the last-year St. Valentine's Day.
Zhanna P. Rader (1,0,0) = 3 pts
dead flowers at her leaning headstone... short memory
natalia kuznetsova (0,1,1) = 3 pts
unwatered tulips... the hands of time turning
Vinay Leo R. (0,1,1) = 3 pts
yellow tips on each bamboo leaf— I take a nap
Marylouise Knight (0,1,1) = 3 pts
rain at last-- the withered maize is unmoved
James Dobson (0,1,1) = 3 pts
snowflakes falling on withered jade passages
Jone Rush MacCulloch (0,1,1) = 3 pts
withered ivy- the horse spills its rider
Rita Odeh Nazareth, Israel (0,0,3) = 3 pts
withering cactus he bargains not to call hospice yet
Christine L. Villa USA (0,0,3) = 3 pts
twilight mist the whisper of the wind in the withered grass
Tore Sverredal (0,0,3) = 3 pts
hungry moon... a white tail harvests our dust bowl corn
S.E. Buffington (0,0,3) = 3 pts
---------------------------------- 2 Points ----------------------------------
tomato worms - nothing left but withered plants
Anonymous (0,1,0) = 2 pts
sputniks - tonight a hoarfrost on the hemlock
sara winteridge (0,1,0) = 2 pts
in a child's hand withered daisy flower - life is fragile
Zbigniew Myslowiecki (0,1,0) = 2 pts
after her stroke my elderly neighbor cuts back her winter garden
Penny Harter (0,1,0) = 2 pts
vine flickers around the core of a withered tree
Emma Pageot (0,1,0) = 2 pts
desolate garden last of the sun-scorched sweet peas droop on the trellis
Deirdre Godwin (0,1,0) = 2 pts
Bright blue sky cut flowers for gifts - now withered.
Trevor Camp (0,1,0) = 2 pts
black silhouette of last summer's poppy against the snow
Ruth Powell (0,1,0) = 2 pts
withered thistles under the snow – a banquet for the goldfinches
Tomislav (0,1,0) = 2 pts
withered mums one green shoot emerges from the root
Janice Hornburg (0,0,2) = 2 pts
by the glacier trail shriveled cranberries… tasting fall
Doris Lynch (0,0,2) = 2 pts
withered milkweed the once empty seedpods now hold winter snow
Edward (0,0,2) = 2 pts **I would really like it if it was shortened:
withered milkweed the empty seedpods hold snow
spring-- a green stalk under withered leaves
Dica (0,0,2) = 2 pts
withered lacecaps ... I count on both hands those I've lost
Kat Creighton (0,0,2) = 2 pts
---------------------------------- 1 Point ----------------------------------
held Christmas mail contains house-sitter's regrets withered plants
assu
dry season ... farmers struggling with wilting peppers
Keith A. Simmonds T & T
snowdrops sentinel by withered red leaf carpet nice to meet the spring
STOPS
holidays over can’t recall the reason withered poinsettia
D W Skrivseth
he sits watching over lifeless maize... cracked soil
~ Febril Suzat Kenya
exam of painting - my "The withered plants" are better than fresh
Robert Kania **Without line one I would have given two or three points
blind date withered flowers no show
Bernard Gieske
withered plants on the balcony first frost
John Soules
a robin's remains beneath the bramble chill wind
Cara Holman
spring snow falling whispers in last years grass my father's words
Mark A. Fisher Tehachapi, CA
browned leaves, dried petals... recycling remembrances into pot pourri
Tanja Cilia
windy day-- resting under snow withered roses
gogatsu
fifth holiday album- in the pot behind him a dying cactus
Jon Espen Vassbotn
Valentine tulips drooping over the rim flirtation
Barbara Snow
grapevine, next time I will be more careful
---kash poet **Haiku or senryu? And what about the kigo? Still, i can't help liking it... [I think withering of the grapevine could be implied here]
solstice moon; the wisteria vines too have withered
-manoj saranathan
withered rose... always attached to her soil
Jayashree Maniyil
puckered cactus showing its one bloom off
--Peter Newton USA
mama's gone-- snow-laden hydrangeas her funeral bells
jill
one sleek red leaf picked from withered plants in my old book
Kath Abela Wilson
------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No Points This Time, But Thank You For Sharing Your Haiku! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
gray, lank grass dragging at tulip leaves threadbare blanket
mechaieh Nashville, TN
Grandma lives in the nursing home no one comes to visit wither on the vine
Anonymous
lying listless on withered creeper a golden bird
--R.K.Singh
of light and darkness the sun coleus is releafing itself
Ernesto P. Santiago Philippines
mid-winter sunshine: prayer plant's three new leaves, four withered
Andromeda Jazmon
throwing them into the snow withered flowers memories
Bernhard Kopf Vienna, Austria
Summer finally. Two of the currant bushes somehow didn't take.
Horst Ludwig
long before spring kindling evening fires with withered weeds
Giselle Maya Martin de Castillon, France
a moonbeam kisses a withered straw my frozen ears
Oddbjørn Aardalen
TV night hedge banks wither along maize fields
Ralf Bröker
the last gasp of an old tree - withered wintry storm
Juhani Tikkanen Finland
Back lit by the sun Ornamental grass seed heads glow back to life
gourdman
tentative yet-- like desire without ease buried bulbs swell
Ed Higgins
the porch waits in snow no wind no sigh naked bonsai swings
kragerø
white down breaks branches withered tree
Urszula Wielanowska
amid castle ruins withered plants to and fro in morning breeze
Vishnu P Kapoor
withered baby's breath against the rose love's edges start to curl
Jennifer Thompson
summer holidays I return to yellow lawns and drooping plants
Barbara A Taylor Mountain Top NSW Australia
a lemon now withered from the day she died . . . my grandpa's lost love
Ron C. Moss
one last glimpse of my father’s hands withered plants
Anonymous
in a dark window withered geranium seen better days
Frances O'Keeffe
Ganesha moon may I borrow your trunk for my flowers?
Alan Summers
King of the brown thumb my withered plants include even hardy cactii
Philip Mizener
withered plants in this sudden frost my love turned away
John Daleiden, Phoenix, Arizona in the Sonoran Desert
glad-handing elephant ear, its welcome tiring with the cold
Anonymous
winter flu after four days withered dahlias
Stevie Strang
to the window a lover went out withered ivy
LeRoy Gorman
flowers seen as withered in time breath
Tuvshinzaya Nergui Mongolia Tsetserleg city
old man sips tea watching the withered flowers – the hot sidewalk
Miorita
whitetail deer paw through the crusty snow last year's sweet peas
DeVar
shelf of withered plants holding flower show tickets ......hope springs eternal
Hazel A. Witherspoon
the dust of clipped rose canes... one day closer to spring
j. cully
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- General Comments:
**This was apparently a tough kigo to avoid being trite... but loved these. # 36—by Michael McClintock (12pts) # 61—by Sandi Pray (37pts) #125—by Scott Abeles (38pts)
**I had 12 candidates for votes and could have had more! What a crop of "witherers" :)
**A number of good haiku in this selection. I ended up liking most some poems that address the assigned subject only tangentially but still enough to work.
**A classic theme and daunting challenge.
**Thanks! I won't make any withered comments.
**An exceptionally high number of strong contenders in this month's kigo list.
**There were many beautiful and touching haiku. It was difficult to make a choice.
**This is the hot dry season [in Kenya], and so "withered plants" could perhaps even become a kigo in Kenya for the present time of year :
**I enjoyed prowling through the Issa site [source of the kigo section example for February]
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| Free Format Theme: COVER ---------------------------------- First Place - 40 Points ----------------------------------
churchyard . . . knowing the names covered in snow
Michael McClintock (2,7,20) = 40 pts **This one grew on me; its fusion of image and thought is finally irresistible. **Very poignant **A lot of atmosphere, resonance, and unsentimental poignancy is packed into these few but well-chosen words within the well-crafted haiku. **for specific image, would have preferred "name" instead of "names" in line2. ---------------------------------- Second Place - 35 Points ----------------------------------
zen garden covered with snow: zen garden
John McDonald Edinburgh Scotland (2,9,11) = 35 pts **It is what it is.
---------------------------------- Third Place - 31 Points ----------------------------------
within the crow’s caw the coming night
martin gottlieb cohen (2,7,11) = 31 pts **echoes of the Basho's classic in this fine one-liner
---------------------------------- 25 Points ---------------------------------- fig leaf the Sunday school class stifles their giggles
Michele L. Harvey (1,5,12) = 25 pts ** Pick of the litter ;-) **can't be bad if it makes me grin from ear to ear **My chuckles were not stifled. **As light as a fig leaf, but that's all right. **I like what's unsaid in it
---------------------------------- 22 Points ---------------------------------- a warmer day... the pond's surface covered with sky
~Devika (0,5,12) = 22 pts
---------------------------------- 19 Points ---------------------------------- last letter lily petals cover her words
Eduard TARA (1,5,6) = 19 pts
---------------------------------- 18 Points ----------------------------------
early dusk - slipping between the covers of my favorite book
Cara Holman (1,3,9) = 18 pts
---------------------------------- 17 Points ---------------------------------- autumn rain mountains fade away
Jan O'Loughlin Australia (1,3,8) = 17 pts
---------------------------------- 16 Points ---------------------------------- from head to toe our two year old finds the flour
Harvey Jenkins (0,3,10) = 16 pts **My niece loves to help in the kitchen too.
---------------------------------- 15 Points ---------------------------------- under cover of darkness our heart to heart
Tom Painting (2,2,5) = 15 pts **like the ambiguousness of "heart to heart"; would have given more points if first word "under" omitted resulting in two liner: cover of darkness/our heart-to-heart.
first snowfall she spreads a new quilt over the bed
Janice Hornburg (0,2,11) = 15 pts
---------------------------------- 13 Points ----------------------------------
snow falling on snow angels
polona (0,3,7) = 13 pts
---------------------------------- 12 Points ---------------------------------- the wood casket covered with flowers - butterflies
Israel López Balan (0,3,6) = 12 pts
---------------------------------- 11 Points ----------------------------------
hiding under the cover of the compost bed scent of spring
doris kasson (2,2,1) = 11 pts
twilight moon the misty field fills with jackdaws
Tore Sverredal (0,0,11) = 11 pts **I felt that more mystery would be added by dispensing with “mist”.
---------------------------------- 10 Points ---------------------------------- great grandma's quilt the edge frayed from years of little chins
Diane Mayr (2,1,2) = 10 pts **Love the image of story time **I really enjoyed this but felt it needed paring down just a little. **We leave our imprint on inanimate objects all the time - they become visual and tangible memories of what we've done, where we've been. The "little chins" that animate this poem, the image of babies, contrasts beautifully with the image of "great grandma," with the quilt serving as the bridge between the old generation and the new, as well as connecting the generations of babies in between. Nothing invokes the sense of connectedness, the sense of continuity, and the sense of family as strongly as a quilt.
covered in jasmine - she brushes moonlight through her hair
Sandi Pray Robbinsville, NC USA (1,0,7) = 10 pts
slow music... he covers me with olive oil
Ramesh Anand (0,2,6) = 10 pts
---------------------------------- 9 Points ---------------------------------- early spring step by step the deer tracks recede
Svend A. Doggfall (0,3,3) = 9 pts **A remarkable haiku that succeeded in giving me the impression of the slow, cautious movement of deer wandering in the woods. In addition, without mentioning the words "snow" or "melting," that is exactly what the poem makes you see. The spring thaw, the reluctant retreat of winter, the rhythm of the seasons, the movement of deer through the wilderness, it's all here. A well crafted gem!
I like to cover my ice with vodka
Bill Hudson (0,2,5) = 9 pts
peek-a-boo--- the baby covers his own eyes
Penny Harter (0,0,9) = 9 pts **What I like about this is that it catches a moment that, while not necessarily memorable, is delightful when it happens; and, now that we have the poem, the moment is more likely to be remembered.
---------------------------------- 8 Points ---------------------------------- heaps of heavy fog cover the evening sky... the moon seeks shelter
Keith A. Simmonds T & T (0,2,4) = 8 pts
under the cover of freshly fallen snow - crocuses waiting
Kat Creighton (0,1,6) = 8 pts
---------------------------------- 7 Points ----------------------------------
dusk covering a day of laughter in the first snow
Ernesto P. Santiago Philippines (1,0,4) = 7 pts
watching the cat till she's covered in darkness moonless night
Gregory Longenecker (0,2,3) = 7 pts
north wind this cover to cover night
Ann K. Schwader (0,2,3) = 7 pts **ah, the coziness of a warm blanket and a good book in spite of the elements...
snow- covered country mailbox--- seed catalogues
John Soules (0,2,3) = 7 pts
childhood home -- wedged between album covers my rock star life
S.M. Abeles USA (0,2,3) = 7 pts
undercover ... an ant crawling out of the insect book
Radka Mindova Bulgariq (0,1,5) = 7 pts
---------------------------------- 6 Points ---------------------------------- then the clouds covered the moon and I was alone
helge t. (1,0,3) = 6 pts
Valentine's Day the chocolate-coated first kiss
Ellen Compton (1,0,3) = 6 pts
Alone, the kitten rolling and tangled in yarn, covered in fun
Rafael Cruz (1,0,3) = 6 pts
ice on the pond laughter
gogatsu (0,3,0) = 6 pts
still waters... he covers my shiver with his sweater
Roberta Beary (0,2,2) = 6 pts
city sirens cover my mother's lullaby
--Peter Newton USA (0,2,2) = 6 pts
Heavy shower - an old covered bridge shelters two doves.
Zhanna P. Rader (0,1,4) = 6 pts **A beautiful quiet rural observation.
book cover the author’s sun spots airbrushed
Stella Pierides (0,0,6) = 6 pts
subway train she attempts to cover Fifty Shades of Grey
Lauren Mayhew (0,0,6) = 6 pts
---------------------------------- 5 Points ----------------------------------
rainy afternoon… two bluejays at the feeder shake off their feathers
Dica (1,0,2) = 5 pts
parting... that scratched bark of the plum tree
Rita Odeh Nazareth, Israel (0,2,1) = 5 pts
a sleeping snake curled between the eggs-- layers of leaves
--R.K. Singh (0,1,3) = 5 pts
hand covers hand blue veins intersect you’ve forgotten my name
Doris Lynch (0,1,3) = 5 pts
almost covering the sun too close to me- a dragonfly
---kash poet (0,1,3) = 5 pts
oil spill covered head to toe a snowy white egret
Stevie Strang (0,1,3) = 5 pts **Starkly sad, this vote for all endangered species
cloud cover...his hand on mine
Jennifer Thompson (0,0,5) = 5 pts
air raid - cherry petals covering a lost puppet
Cezar Ciobîcă (0,0,5) = 5 pts
---------------------------------- 4 Points ---------------------------------- bundles of dead leaves blanketing summer skies dormant hydrangeas
F.J. Bergmann (0,2,0) = 4 pts
restless behinds rustling against barstools he switches to covers
mechaieh Nashville, TN (0,1,2) = 4 pts
river mist creeps across the garden-- all my flowers vanish
Rose Marie Stutts, EdD (0,1,2) = 4 pts
first frost a patchwork of cloths cover the garden
D W Skrivseth (0,1,2) = 4 pts
opening day -- I cover my new textbook with brown paper
~ DENNIS WRIGHT Kenya (0,1,2) = 4 pts
winter rain... a sheet of ice covers the slippery elm
S.E. Buffington (0,1,2) = 4 pts
salt smell of home brittle ice covers the cove
Catherine J.S. Lee (0,1,2) = 4 pts
Valentine's day -- she covers her neck with a red scarf
~ Ezekiel Mbira Kenya (0,0,4) = 4 pts **Being a guy, I'm proud of myself for getting line 2. Assuming I did. Hint: In my reading, there's only one person in the poem.
---------------------------------- 3 Points ---------------------------------- cover band playing words everyone knows ain't no sunshine
Mark A. Fisher (0,1,1) = 3 pts **Lately was in a store where everyone is singing to overhead Muzak
Early waking - under bed cover snoring wife.
Trevor Camp (0,1,1) = 3 pts **I can certainly identify with this poem, as can, I'm sure, many other married men.
the long winter a cover band fills two hours
LeRoy Gorman (0,1,1) = 3 pts
a warm wind melts some of the snow cover-- mother's old quilt
DeVar (0,1,1) = 3 pts
steady rain -- one large umbrella covers us both
~ Isabelle Prondzynski Japan (0,0,3) = 3 pts
parting words - a cover of raindrops
Vinay Leo R. (0,0,3) = 3 pts
winter heat pushing down the covers
BILL KENNEY (0,0,3) = 3 pts ^^Here's one from a New York apartment that may speak only to readers who have lived, and tried to sleep, in a New York apartment.
cover of pines-- brown eyes of white-tailed fawns
jill (0,0,3) = 3 pts
---------------------------------- 2 Points ---------------------------------- spring warmth under the cover of night the lovers remain
Barbara Campitelli (0,1,0) = 2 pts
storm clouds cloak mountain peaks
Jane DeJonghe (0,1,0) = 2 pts
blue cover -- the book attracts me to the left shelf
~ Elijah Juma Kenya (0,1,0) = 2 pts
child make a bow in front of the statue – the glazed frost covers the street
Miorita (0,1,0) = 2 pts
spring rain an imaginary spy hides under cover
RD McManes (0,0,2) = 2 pts **There’s a lot of play and yet a little yugen mystery too in this haiku, where the subject could be a child, or another small animal, or something else entirely.
fog uncovers a boat named Dauntless-- hard on the rocks
--Kirsty Karkow (0,0,2) = 2 pts **I like the wry humor of this.
Bombers glittering high up in the sky. — Mother's rough "Into the house!"
Horst Ludwig (0,0,2) = 2 pts
full moon a wolfs cry a carrot nose smells snow
Oddbjørn Aardalen (0,0,2) = 2 pts
newly planted she covers the lemon tree in case of frost
André Surridge Hamilton, New Zealand (0,0,2) = 2 pts
a robin -- last year's leaves still cover the ground
Angie Werren (0,0,2) = 2 pts
burst of wind - thistle carpet on stair steps
Lavana Kray Romania (0,0,2) = 2 pts
parakeet critique droppings cover yesterday's headlines
Edward (0,0,2) = 2 pts
winter vineyards hillsides white with frost cloth
Elaine Riddell (0,0,2) = 2 pts **This is so quiet I completely overlooked it the first time through; it rewards a return visit.
bus ride — she covers the suckling child and sings lullabies
John Daleiden Phoenix, Arizona in the Sonoran Desert: (0,0,2) = 2 pts
scorching sun -- a vendor covers her stall with a white sheet
~ Brian Mulando Kenya (0,0,2) = 2 pts
ground cover... the idea slowly picks up
Jayashree Maniyil (0,0,2) = 2 pts **I like how it can read many ways
---------------------------------- 1 Point ---------------------------------- rawhide ring tucked under the couch cushion dog sleeps soundly
assu
yellow bamboo leaves cover the bare ground late autumn
Anonymous
covered with red leaves the old cat snoring
Bernhard Kopf Vienna, Austria
mid-winter soba for long life the scent of its steam
Giselle Maya France
red knit stockings! trees and street lamps sheathed overnight
maxianne
childhood rubber-band guns "I've got you covered!"
Donna Bauerly Dubuque, IA
the angry hen covering her eggs— my hand reaches under
Ed Higgins
flood plain - a sparrow hawk covers the evacuation
sara winteridge ** Good to have haiku that are objective in their subject matter. There are all kinds of animals can suffer from a flood disaster, not just humans, so a sparrow hawk, free from the land, will look for its own spoils.
freak storm - blowing snow covers the purple crocus
Anonymous
covered in shavings the nude legs of fig trees bare root
Jennifer Savage San Diego
pine grows - book cover fades
Robert Kania
at peace in the sweltering heat: a buffalo covered in mud !
-- Chitra Rajappa
spring moon face to face in bed room she covers herself
Vishnu P Kapoor
ice coats the steps— daydreams where did you go
Marylouise Knight
the house under cover of night full of argument
Bernard Gieske
the wisdom of a second marriage - fallout shelter
Carolyn Coit Dancy
the hooker's red lips a fresh cover of snow in her footprints
Ron C. Moss **A bit lurid at first reading, but it holds up on return visits; that "cover of snow" covers a lot.
mint covers the soil a delicious green carpet weeds cannot grow there
Tanja
blue antelope today my bookcover is dedicated to you
Alan Summers
her eyelids droop-- for a while they cover the pain
James Dobson
biting winter wind flannel shirt keeps nothin’ out got no one to call
todd
hunting season dawns under the covers the kitten stalks my toes
Anonymous
mid-summer fog; on the dark manhole cover- a crimson maple leaf.
-manoj saranathan
mammatus clouds cover the moon . . . her milk starts flowing again
Bill Pauly ^^Thanks for your "wow" about my choice of mammatus clouds. Aren't they absolutely incredible? I had to Google, too; they're not in my best dictionary, of all things. Go figure.
windy snow covers the strawberry field - a single scarecrow
Juhani Tikkanen Finland
on the cover of his cat’s photo album nose marks
Anonymous
cold breeze -- a mother covers her child with a kanga*
~ Mercy Amunze Kenya **A kanga is a piece of cotton cloth printed with colourful patterns and a motto.
a cover for his thoughts never marry a man who wears sunglasses
Kath Abela Wilson
wailing baby... a congregation's covered smiles
j. cully
------------------------------------------------------------------------------ No Points This Time, But Thank You For Sharing Your Haiku! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
cranberry bruises cover her forearms Christmas pageant
if
the furnace clicks on– to cover my back I shift closer to you
Adelaide B. Shaw
anniversary - talking about love with a cover girl
Laura Csilla
ragged blue jeans - her Valentine Day gift discovering
STOPS ROMANIA
love me tender she caresses his cover
Ralf Bröker
snow cover clings to twigs fearing the sun
gourdman
his bald spot covered clumsily with the thin hair oh, vanity...
natalia kuznetsova
porch in snow and pale sky two cypresses covered with sacks tracks of thin feet
kragerø
elation my photograph chosen for the cover
Barbara A Taylor Mountain Top NSW Australia ^^I have been lucky to have my images chosen for a front and a back cover of The Heron's Nest, haiku journal, in the past two years.
cover story on a rescue mission ... shooting stars
Angelo B. Ancheta
white everywhere – undercover snowdrops
Virginia Popescu PHOENIX
toddler takes refuge under the table hairbrush phobia
Frances O'Keeffe
gentle, misting day under cover of grey skies spring begins to stir
Deirdre Godwin
sticky snow; sweetness covers each twig
Andromeda Jazmon
evening dew— a half-covered moon flits in his eyes
Alegria Imperial
just a light cover over the spring bed sunflower seeds
Barbara Snow
safe behind winters gloom when signs of spring blow my cover
Jon Espen Vassbotn
winter commute cinnamon sugar of snow covered grasses and puddles
Anonymous
fresh snowfall over the city's grime a mantle
Ruth Powell
a plate covered with dust and spiders' webs -- rubbish bin
~ Rose Akaliche Kenya
a hedge covered by the snow – sparrows' twitter spreading the warmth
Tomislav
roadside wreck -- its rear window covered with dust
~ Joshua Kaweto Kenya
nice ornamental cover the burning bush
Dan Schwerin
fourth watch- covers not shielding me from stress willing peace with the dawn
Hazel A. Witherspoon
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- General Comments: **Too many good ones in the Free Format category this time - I wanted to give them all more points, but since I only had six, I wanted as many of my favourites as possible to get a little something!
**So many good covers to get warm under! And many senryu that brought forth laughter!
**Hard to choose this time. An unusually strong kukai.
** How important is it that we stick to the assigned topic? Of this month's entries, I liked #98 ("autumn rain") as well as any, but I didn't vote for it, because I felt it wandered too far away from "cover" to be considered. Of course, the winner in December's Free Format category had absolutely nothing to do with "departing," the assigned topic. But I didn't vote for that one either, and for the same reason. What should be done about poems that flagrantly disregard the topics that most of us consider binding when we submit our entries?
**Hello shiki team; A lovely selection of free formats.
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