February 2013 Kukai Results

Free Format Theme:

COVER 

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First Place  -  40 Points

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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.

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Second Place  -  35 Points

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zen garden

covered with snow:

zen garden

John McDonald

Edinburgh Scotland

(2,9,11) = 35 pts

**It is what it is.

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Third Place  -  31 Points

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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

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25 Points

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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

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22 Points

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a warmer day...

the pond's surface

covered with sky

~Devika

(0,5,12) = 22 pts

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19 Points

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last letter

lily petals cover

her words

Eduard TARA

(1,5,6) = 19 pts

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18 Points

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early dusk -

slipping between the covers

of my favorite book

Cara Holman

(1,3,9) = 18 pts

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17 Points

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autumn rain

mountains

fade away

Jan O'Loughlin

Australia

(1,3,8) = 17 pts

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16 Points

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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.

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15 Points

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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

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13 Points

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snow falling on snow angels

polona

(0,3,7) = 13 pts

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12 Points

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the wood casket

covered with flowers -

butterflies

Israel López Balan

(0,3,6) = 12 pts

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11 Points

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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”.

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10 Points

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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

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9 Points

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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.

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8 Points

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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

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7 Points

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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

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6 Points

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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

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5 Points

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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

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4 Points

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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.

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3 Points

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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

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2 Points

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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

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1 Point

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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

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No Points This Time, But Thank You For Sharing Your Haiku!

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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 

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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.

 ALL ABOVE POEMS ARE COPYRIGHTED AND PERMISSION MUST BE RECEIVED TO USE ANY OF THEM. TO CONTACT SPECIFIC AUTHORS TO OBTAIN PERMISSION FOR USE, SEND A COPY OF THE POEM DESIRED AND A REQUEST FOR PERMISSION TO THE SHIKI LIST(IF YOU CAN'T FIND OUT THE AUTHOR'S ADDRESS). IF THE AUTHOR IS AGREEABLE, YOU WILL RECEIVE PERMISSION.

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