February 2015 Kukai

Kigo Theme:

WINTER FLOWERS

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First Place -  28 Points

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each day closer

the icicle

and the amaryllis

Jon Epen Vassbotn

(3,2,15) = 28 pts

and

ice flowers....

the weight of words

I never said

Cezar Ciobika

(2,5,12) = 28 pts

**That last line really made me think...

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Second Place -   19 Points

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all wrapped up

in purple coats

the crocus seller's daughters

Edward Beach

Bristol, UK

(0,6,7) = 19 pts

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Third Place -   17 Points

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first snow melt—

purple crocus surrounding

her gravestone

Nancy Nitrio

(0,5,7) = 17 pts

and

snowbound

an old woman folds

paper irises

Barbara Snow

(0,4,9) = 17 pts

**Beautiful contrast in the stillness of this poem.

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 14 Points

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jade plant

tiny clusters of white

lies

- Deborah P Kolodji

Temple City, California

(1,2,7) = 14 pts

**What makes this work for me is that the plant is also known as the friendship tree: lies within lies, and who or what is the liar?

deep winter

the garden filled

with snowdrops

Kevin Knezevic

(0,3,8) = 14 pts

**First the bad news (line 1), then the good (line 3), with line 2 as an elegant transition.

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13  Points

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origami roses -

the garden is folded

in snow

James Dobson,

Prudhoe, UK.

(1,3,4) = 13 pts

plastic flowers

in a blue vase

winter light

Michele L. Harvey

USA

(0,3,7) = 13 pts

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12  Points

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narcissus

in moonlight

her smile

Bill Kenney

(0,1,10) = 12 pts

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11 Points

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writer's block--

paper whites

forced open in her office

Bill Pauly

(0,3,5) = 11 pts

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 10 Points

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bare stalks -

the last flower holds on

to the winter sun

Ajaya Mahala

Pune, India

(0,2,6) = 10 pts

hospital window -

a bouquet of flowers

from the frost

Norsto

(0,2,6) = 10 pts

old letters-

the fragrance

of dried rose petals

Yesha Shah

India

(0,2,6) = 10 pts

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9 Points

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down the block,

someone waves a red tulip

I dropped on the snow

Michael McClintock

(1,1,4) = 9 pts

dry fennel flower

so still against

dark winter sky

Gabriel Sawicki

(1,0,6) = 9 pts

**This encapsulates very well the austere signs of winter

first light-

glories twined around

the rusty fence

Rita Odeh

Haifa

Israel

(0,2,5) = 9 pts

^^(morning glories)

**The suppression of "morning" in line 2 is the mark of the poet; it's what opens the poem up so beautifully (even if it was done initially for the sake of the syllable count).

walking past

the scent of mahonia --

steady rain

~ Isabelle Prondzynski (Ireland)

(0,2,5) = 9 pts

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 8 Points

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beating back the blahs begonia

S.E. Buffington

(1,1,3) = 8 pts

the forecast

as expected

snow crocus

Ann K. Schwader

(1,0,5) = 8 pts

**Just the lift I needed at the beginning of another day in this interminable winter.

my eyes

as far as the gull's cry ...

lavender farm

Jayashree Maniyil

(0,3,2) = 8 pts

a reminder to visit

my grandma's grave . . .

whiff of jasmine

Christine L. Villa

(0,3,2) = 8 pts

field of snow -

origami poppies point out

the unknown soldier's tomb

Lavana kray

Romania

(0,2,4) = 8 pts

first snow

he leaves plastic roses

at her grave

Edward

(0,2,4) = 8 pts

holding on

to a web of promises

winter plum

Alegria Imperial

Canada

(0,2,4) = 8 pts

**Haiku certainly blossom in winter! I loved so many of the Feb. Kukai. Painfully eliminated a few favorites that I felt needed rewording.

between winter

and spring

snowdrops

aom (tim)

(0,1,6) = 8 pts

among the mourners

the chrysanthemums

bow their heads

Meredith Cavalieri

(0,0,8) = 8 pts

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 7 Points

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winter flowers

no evidence of that myth

around here

DeVar

(1,1,2) = 7 pts

winter morning -

flowers

of frost

John McDonald

Edinburgh Scotland

(1,0,4) = 7 pts

empty trellis waiting for the rose to climb

Donna Bauerly

Dubuque, IA

(0,1,5) = 7 pts

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6  Points

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cyclamens

line the balcony

winter parade

RM

(1,1,1) = 6 pts

serotonin drop —

the orchid petals

of memory

Roberta Beary

(0,2,2) = 6 pts

all the roses

in my daughter's smile -

this long winter

Arvinder kaur

Chandigarh, India.

(0,1,4) = 6 pts

the Christmas cactus,

a gift before she died,

covered in blooms

Kirsty Karkow

(0,0,6) = 6 pts

Ash Wednesday

first bloom

on the Christmas cactus

Ellen Compton

(0,0,6) = 6 pts

snow

on a chrysanthemum –

two whitnesses

Tomislav

(0,0,6) = 6 pts

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 5 Points

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late snowfall-

on the apple branches

first blossoms

Constantin Stroe

(1,0,2) = 5 pts

dripping icicles -

my daughter gives me

a pressed snow-drop

Ana Drobot

Bucharest, Romania

(0,2,1) = 5 pts

the light of

a chrysanthemum

waiting for snowfall

Vasile Moldovan

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

plastic roses

on a fresh grave

winter snow

RD McManes

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

blooming window -

icy moon flowers

shine in the night

Virginia Popescu

PHOENIX

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

flower girls

trailing the winter bride

sweet peas

Beth Powell

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

refusing

to melt for the snow —

origami rose

Vinay Leo R.

(0,0,5) = 5 pts

February cold

I pretend a fragrance

for hot house roses

Adelaide B. Shaw

(0,0,5) = 5 pts

winter aconite

my depression

bears a poem

Ralf Bröker

(0,0,5) = 5 pts

waiting her mother

the child kissing icy flower

on the window

Juhani Tikkanen

(0,0,5) = 5 pts

first blush...

just her eyes over

the rosebuds

Samar Ghose

Australia

(0,0,5) = 5 pts

winter blossoms---

apple branches bending

to the ground

John Soules

(0,0,5) = 5 pts

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 4 Points

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snow-covered tomb

one last pansy bloom

still thinking of you

Bernard Gieske

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

snowless winter

the Gypsy girl sells

paper carnations

Cristina-Monica Moldoveanu

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

warm snap

tulips through the snow

arthritic pain

Ignatius Fay

(0,0,4) = 4 pts

my dear aunt’s death

ignoring donation pleas

I send red camellias

Beverley George

(0,0,4) = 4 pts

**Unusual connection, lots to think about - the exact nature of pain bursting through

sympathy orchid

its last blossom

dropping off

Priscilla Cook

(0,0,4) = 4 pts

blooming witch hazel

the heaviness

to take a decision

(Ramona)

(0,0,4) = 4 pts

sunny morning -

bent by the fresh snow

an early tulip

Anonymous

(0,0,4) = 4 pts

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3 Points

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crocus pushes up

breaking the snow -

I pause

mike warner

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

a walk in the snow -

the roses from my window

redder than ever

Cristina Oprea

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

Queen Anne's lace

with snowflakes it

blooms again

--Diane Mayr

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

carnations

from whiteness

to whiteness

our words

oga

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

Her final request

for forcing forsythia …

a few weeks too soon

Lynda True

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

no santa claus?

the christmas rose

hangs its head

Nancy Smith

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

light of

dark days

winter cyclamen

Frances O'Keeffe

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

hint of frost

glowing in the dusk

a white cyclamen

Elaine Riddell

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

biting cold

a petal snaps off

the winter flower

Billy Antonio

Laoac, Philippines

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

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 2 Points

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on a gravestone

fresh snow covers

the plastic flowers

Barbara A. Taylor

Mountain Top NSW

Australia

(0,1,0) = 2 pts

deep, deep snow--

all the pretty flowers

at Whole Foods

jill

(0,1,0) = 2 pts

a yellow cloud

of sprucepollen descends

over the snowman

Oddbjørn Aardalen

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

snowdrops

instead of snow

a kiss of sunlight

Angela Terry

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

two day blizzard

frangipani blossoms

under kitchen’s pot lights

Harvey Jenkins

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

goodbyes again

the wind flowers’

icy touch

Stella Pierides

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

floral designs

on withered trees

winter's art expo

Purush

nolensville[Usa]

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

in memory…

red tulips in winter

frozen in time

D W Skrivseth

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

I slowly water

wilting red roses --

afternoon heat

~ oliver kokoro

(kenya)

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

the Christmas cactus

dead this winter--

friend's name in the obituary

Brenda Roberts

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

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 1 Point

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in our brick courtyard

growing in the cracks

pansies

Tom Conally

Gibsonville, NC

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

winter camellia

is colouring the garden -

birds starting to sing

Daniela Bullas

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

my dreams entwined

for three months, the orchid

begins to droop

Anonymous

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

little girls folding

an origami flower -

moved some, it opens

Horst Ludwig

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

deep in her eyes

sparkles of sprouting smile

his winter flowers

Tomasz Szymczak

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

bright yellow beacons

upon the shimmering snow

winter jasmines

Keith A. SIMMONDS

Rodez, FRANCE

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

indian summer --

bold daffodils bloom, then freeze

back to sleep 'til spring

Sandy Friedlander

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

she picks a snow flower

for the cover of her

latest novel

Anonymous

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

Holly Star-beams

Glistening in the snow -

Winter’s redemption.

Robert C. Howard

Belleville IL

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

anniversary -

apart from the blizzard nobody

with flowers at doorway

D. Yu Lian

Romania

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

subtle scent

bleak garden

wintersweet

Yukiko Yamada

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

on snowy headstone

a doodle

of the daffodils

Anonymous

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

**could be tighter without the 'the' in L3 but a good one

off snowy mountain

my heart skips a beat -

still-blooming sunflowers!

Jane DeJonghe

Conifer,Colorado USA

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

between storms

amaryllis

petals on the floor

-jone macculloch

Oregon

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

snow on snow*

late Christmas cactus

blooms red

Ruth Powell

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

^^from the carol "In the Bleak Midwinter"

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No Points This Time, Sorry.

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tending poinsettias*-

when the leaves turn fiery red

maybe he'll come, too.

Cristian Mocanu

^^poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) is a plant whose leaves turn red around Christmas, resembling red flowers. In my language it is called "Christmas flower" or "Christmas star"

whispers

promises

snow slowly moving

Tanja Cilia

red camellia

falls onto fluffy snow

early valentine

Anonymous

a small white crocus

beneath the snow it waits

in remembered sun

Gerry Bravi

(Canada)

rose bushes in bloom

january is the wrong month

stranger go home

Anonymous

withered petals

beside the Christmas Cactus

February

maxianne

a laire

the rush of a lepus

winter blossom

Svend A. Doggfall

perfuming twilight

everything in just one word

its name – Winterbloom

Deirdre Godwin

hanging the painting

of 'Violets and Pine Tree'

"too high!" "too low!"

Sheila K. Barksdale

snowdrops newly sprung

on her neglected grave...

sudden snow flurry

Natalia Kuznetsova

Russia

shoveling the snow

from the walkway

purple pansies edge the path

Bill Hudson

^^True Story

Cell on cell on cell

Flowers growing ... fruition—

Fluffy white drifts

Jim Thoune

Bowling Green KY USA

red spark

in a bed of white zinnias

strayed poppy

Shernaz Wadia

winter light;

the first daffodils prostrate

from the rains !

manoj saranathan

at the wake

her Christmas hyacinth

shoots blooms every which way

Doris

winter begins

in a white cap

each evergreen

Irena Szewczyk

white geranium

flourished at window –

the joy of kid

Miorita

snowdrops

flickering in our foggy backyard

birthday candles

Anne Zooey Lind

new roots nosing

around old marbles --

February tulips

mechaieh

snowy road trip

chrysanthemums mostly

orchids maybe

LeRoy Gorman

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General Comments:

**many haiku were similar to each other and employed images that have been used in some well known haiku so I gave more weight to the haiku's originality when voting this time.

**Great to think flowers in February. I remember a "winter" in Chapel Hill where in November folks planted pansies (they are NOT pansies!) and decorative cabbage!

**Liked this topic...but so hard to narrow down my vote!

**And so many more so close. Wouldn’t it be nice to get together on Skype to share our comments and observations!

**Many "moons" to gaze at! Excellent entries.

**Thanks again for this wonderful opportunity!

**It's been a pleasure to take part in my first Shiki Kukai.

**There was much repetition in the haiku, perhaps because the only winter flowers are either fake or hot house.

** It was so difficult to pick up from a rich bouquet of winter flowers...

**These are classic themes for the February kukai -- TOUGH!