February 2016 Kukai

Kigo Theme:

An OUTING

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First Place -  42 Points

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my shadow walks

on the opposite bank--

winter sunset

DeVar

(4,11,8) = 42 pts

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Second Place -   29 Points

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desert safari

the undulating shape

of the wind

sanjuktaa

India

(1,8,10) = 29 pts

**A bit exotic as haiku go, and all the better for it, I'd say

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Third Place -   26 Points

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double rainbow

a class expedition

to the window

Simon Hanson

(0,6,14) = 26 pts

**I particularly liked the senryu flavor of this one

**Wonderful wry in-class nature trek as far as the window, and a teacher bringing excitement to the class in a spontaneous manner perhaps.

**This haiku took me back to my elementary school days and remembering my own class taking trips to the windows to view some special weather phenomenon. I can feel the excitement and awe in this poem.

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 22 Points

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spring’s first day…

even my walking stick

has green buds

D W Skrivseth

(2,3,10) = 22 pts

**This would be much better without "even," a vague intensive that rarely works in haiku.

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20  Points

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family outing...

for each new voice

the baby kicks

vinay leo r.

(1,3,11) = 20 pts

**Wonderful, a new child wanting to get out to see what all the fuss is about!

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 17 Points

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campfire

a spark floats up

and becomes a star

kawazu

(2,1,9) = 17 pts

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16  Points

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day-tripper

a tiny dandelion seed

sets off alone

Gerry B.

(Canada)

(0,2,12) = 16 pts

**"tiny" could be dispensed with. I don't think the author means that this seed is significantly tinier than other dandelion seeds, and we don't need to be told that dandelion seeds tend to be tiny.

**A wonderful nature poem, and seasonal, where we enjoy the year’s journey of dandelion seeds.

**Such a lightness in this ku!

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14  Points

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hiking up

to the mountain temple...

scent of pine

Angela Terry

(0,4,6) = 14 pts

**There's the destination, and there's the physical effort, but, beyond these, there is the responsiveness of the senses to the natural environment.

caving

sometimes the sound

of a raindrop

(Ramona)

(0,4,6) = 14 pts

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13 Points

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 boat ride –

out of the blue I let her

touch a cloud

Ana Drobot

Bucharest, Romania

(2,1,5) = 13 pts

**I love the movement of the river and the clouds in this one, and that it’s either a parent and a child, or a young romantic love. It’s open to the reader to fill in the gaps in the way they would like to, which is a great feature of many haiku.

**Wow! How key that simple word “let” is in this haiku, signifying a young girl on this boat ride with her parent who allows her to lean over the boat to touch a cloud reflected in the water. This poem says so much about being a parent with a young child, making those allowances, and it even suggests what will come in the future as the child ages, how the parent will have to “let” go. So tender and emotional!

mountain top -

evening snow slowly hides

the trail home

Darrell Byrd

(1,2,6) = 13 pts

field trip

lavender scent fills

the emptiness

Kaiser K.

(0,2,9) = 13 pts

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 11 Points

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pensioners picnic -

the priest

won't stop singing

John McDonald

Edinburgh Scotland

(0,3,5) = 11 pts

church outing

Grandma's final spray

of perfume

Paul Hodder

(0,3,5) = 11 pts

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10  Points

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ducks queueing for food –

along the canal field trip

children in a row

Daniela Bullas

(0,4,2) = 10 pts

overseas trip

the bags overstuffed with

mom's love

Vandana Parashar

Sriganganagar

(0,3,4) = 10 pts

field trip

the teacher

runs out of Band-Aids

Edward

(0,2,6) = 10 pts

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 9 Points

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hiking

area under restoration

I feel much the same

Bill Hudson

(0,2,5) = 9 pts

**I really enjoyed this haiku. Lines 1-2 sound awkward to my ear – splitting the modifier from its noun, I would have preferred “hiking area” as line 1. I appreciate the insight this haiku offers and just how much I can relate to the feeling.

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8  Points

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scent of the sea . . .

that hike we used to take

when we were young

Bill Kenney

(1,1,3) = 8 pts

snail trail -

all that I might need

in a backpack

Anitha Varma

Kerala, Tripunithura

(0,1,6) = 8 pts

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 7 Points

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first step in new snow, a giant puppy-sneeze

Svend A. Doggfall

(1,1,2) = 7 pts

warm breath, soft nose

a city child touches

his first horse

rose marie Stutts

(0,2,3) = 7 pts

campus tour —

a parent pops

two red pills

Roberta Beary

(0,2,3) = 7 pts

**Out of points, but I like the wry humor of this.

summer picnic -

the sunshine of childhood

in sepia

Arvinder Kaur

Chandigarh,India

(0,2,3) = 7 pts

waterfall picnic . . .

meeting ourselves

in the pool

Bil Pauly

(0,2,3) = 7 pts

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 6 Points

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the spring’s first outing

willows by the river-walk

bursting into fuzz

Deirdre Godwin

(1,0,3) = 6 pts

ginko walk...

i take her fingers

for rosebuds

Shrikaanth

(0,1,4) = 6 pts

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 5 Points

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school field trip

the adults leave the bus

in a daze

Diane Mayr

(0,2,1) = 5 pts

playing hooky…

a lake trout

takes the bait

Michele L. Harvey

New York, USA

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

**What a wonderful surprise in line 3! I kept returning to this haiku, loving the fun nature of it and the places it took me.

Passport Office

all the different languages

of home

maxianne

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

**I like this especially for its imaginative variation on this month's theme.

hike day

the distant crow

of a rooster

Billy Antonio

Laoac, Pangasinan, Philippines

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

monkey poop...

the pre-schools annual

zoo field trip

S.E. Buffington

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

mountain trail-

retreating half way

to the anemone

Rita Odeh

Haifa/ Israel

(0,0,5) = 5 pts

**Wonderful nature haiku! Sometimes we are too focused in getting to the top of things when something simple but amazing is just down at ground level or too easy to overlook.

field trip

going to date

the rainbow

Oddbjørn Aardalen

(0,0,5) = 5 pts

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 4 Points

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ice skin

on the camp pond

a thousand cuts

Sondra J. Byrnes

(1,0,1) = 4 pts

on the rocky ridge

through our binoculars

another new nest

Barbara A. Taylor

Mountain Top, NSW

Australia

(0,2,0) = 4 pts

night in the outdoors—

between me and aliens

my companion's snoring

Rafał Zabratyński

(0,2,0) = 4 pts

outing

all around the secular oak -

great-grandfather's birthday

Lavana Kray

Romania

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

field trip

the empty leash

its weight

oga

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

National Park --

a monkey grabs

my banana

~ ANNAH MWIKALI

(Kenya)

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

school picnic

inter-city kids adjust

their hoodies

Harvey Jenkins

(0,0,4) = 4 pts

trip to the zoo...

mischief asleep

on the way back

Yesha Shah

Surat, India

(0,0,4) = 4 pts

back to the bluffs

of my childhood

1 Mississippi...

Donna Bauerly

Dubuque, IA 52003

(0,0,4) = 4 pts

**Note: in our neck of the woods, 1 Mississippi begins a counting for a second's time. Reverberations, however, and varying levels of meaning

**The last line is genius! Revisiting childhood places is a wonderful

treatment in this fresh and highly original haiku.

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 3 Points

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wise men from the East

reading in the stars above

where they are going

Horst Ludwig

(1,0,0) = 3 pts

southern wind

travels on the wings

of returning geese

Maria Tomczak

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

Aids awareness week…

pupils’ outing to visit

terminally ill

Keith A. SIMMONDS

Rodez, FRANCE

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

spring migration

the birdwatcher’s

field day

Tom Painting

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

cherry blossoms

and protests

my senior trip

Judi Honiker

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

tires singing

on the road in a country

of balsam and snow

Michael McClintock

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

city ginko—

the smoke signals

from her exhaust

Stella Pierides

Neusaess, DE

& London, UK

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

on the hiking trail

the coyote

there too

Barbara Campitelli

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

into the wild

falling in love

dry wool socks

jill

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

picnic in the woods

your natural fragrance

delights the air

poseytoon

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

rest home windows:

the day care toddlers

on their morning walk

Barbara Snow

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

**What a wonderful juxtaposition of the windows with elderly people looking out at the toddlers. I especially admire the way the “windows” bridges a gap of time – from young to old.

spring hike

the smell of bread

calling me home

Dorota Ocińska

Poland, Łódź

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

in an empty shopping cart

next to a field

one haiku

Bill Gottlieb

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

**Love the surprise in line 3. Beautifully captured and rendered. I appreciate how this moves from small to large to small and as well as from an emptiness feeling to one of joy, just how life works.

hill outing –

a toddler counting

the sparrows

Miorita

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

**I like lines 2-3 very much, but line 1 doesn't work hard enough.

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2  Points

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picnic on the green

tedious preparations

ants

Tom Conally

Gibsonville, NC

(0,1,0) = 2 pts

into the woods

the pine tree sings its song

our shadows melt into one

Bernard Gieske, USA

(0,1,0) = 2 pts

giggling nymphs

under Neptune’s fountain -

school outing

Eleonore Nickolay

France/Germany

(0,1,0) = 2 pts

scrambling scree   staggering against   shadowing raptors…

kw

(0,1,0) = 2 pts

Out of town trip

Funeral

Three years after wedding.

Tanja Cilia

(0,1,0) = 2 pts

on an outing

frozen leafs cover my glasses eyes

and your touch

Anonymous

(0,1,0) = 2 pts

children's field trip

in same caps

in same gym suits

Yukiko Yamada

(0,1,0) = 2 pts

greenness breaks new ground

Hansha

(0,1,0) = 2 pts

oymyakon morning

each step a shot

on metal snow

- ru, canada

(0,1,0) = 2 pts

^^Oymyakon is one of the coldest permanently inhabited locales in the world. This Russian town of 500 holds the record for the lowest recorded temperature in an inhabited centre: -71.2*C (-96*F), recorded in 1924.

sampling sand

on the beach only we

are fully dressed

assu

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

the trail forks…

I buy both haiku books

Cyndi Lloyd

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

first sunny day-

in pursuit of spring

fleeing the town

Natalia Kuznetsova

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

midway games

the dime in her hand

drops down a drain

Adelaide B. Shaw

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

up from the valley

the bell-tower’s sound--

snowdrops sway

Tomislav

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

field trip

yellow bus finds

every pothole

Jone Rush MacCulloch

Portland, OR

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

families eating on the grass

of the motorway verge

it's no picnic

Jon Espen Vassbotn

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

botanical garden

a jacana flits

from leaf to leaf

Sreelatha Nair

India

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

garden picnic -

the breeze sprinkles our food

with pair-tree petals

Anonymous

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

music festival --

a man with white hair

takes a snap

~ ANGELA MUTANU

(Kenya)

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

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One  Point

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snapping turtles

share my pumpernickel

field tent at dusk

Ignatius Fay

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

**Very Issa-like. I love the tenderness that comes through in this haiku!

Melodic field trip -

toasts and chips adding more

tunes to guitar

Aziza Hena

Dhaka

Bangladesh

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

a couple try

to cheat the wind

new year sales

Alan Summers

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

Basho!

following his footsteps

to the high mountains

Kirsty Karkow

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

Spring walk

inspired by the name on the seed packet:

'Pike's peak'

Sheila K. Barksdale

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

March outing -

a leap into a puddle

multiplies rainbows

mechaieh

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

canyon descent

600 ft of switchbacks

sky getting smaller

todd eddy

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

walking into

a cedar forest

my friend laughing

Devin Harrison

Vancouver Island - Canada

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

foothills walk --

the three who stay

in town

James Dobson,

Prudhoe, UK.

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

bullet train --

my neighbour sleeps

so prettily

~ Isabelle Prondzynski

(Japan)

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

still puddle --

a wild flower lands

and forms ripples

~ Catherine Njeri Maina(Kenya)

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

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No Points This Time, Sorry.

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Wheels to the river

lenses blink along the bluffs

eagle majesty.

Robert C. Howard

Belleville, Illinois

Field trip

Irish cottage made

from henge stone

Brenda Roberts

selfies in garden

a squirrel pilfers from hamper

a cookie

Vishnu P Kapoor

Chennai, India

jangle of keys

my small dog on hind legs

beats me to the door

Anonymous

we both

while at beach resort

just were tiny tots

Purush

forced march the long slog from witch hazel to birdsong

Barbara Kaufmann

A Disneyland trip-

all adults become children

hugging ducks n’ mice

Munia Khan

Dhaka, Bangladesh

suddenly

a vernal sleet

on my sandwich

Juhani Tikkanen

 my children's share

in distorting the moon

lagoon boating

Ajaya Mahala

Pune, India

up the forest trail

bamboo clacking overhead -

our mindful steps

Leslie Montgomery

coiffed hat

a stiffness in grandma’s

poached egg

Alegria Imperial

Canada

Beamed through us

Curtains of fog

Broga outing.

Tanzeev Haque

 ^^Broga is a hill in Malaysia

pile of snowshoes

and a thermos of tea

into the van

Ruth Powell

flickering lights -

she walked by the river

through gentle wind.

Iffat Jahan Suchona

the frozen fjord

our kids fluttering across as one

giant butterfly

Anne Zooey Lind

shaky deep blue line

tracing the mid-term field trip

on the map…

Cristian Mocanu

 ^^Author’s note: This month’s topic struck a chord: in childhood I was told to stay away from many school actions, due to disability

Machakos park

with my friends --

taking selfies

~ ASSUMPTA MUTHEU

(Kenya)

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General Comments:

**Again, thanks to all. This contest is a fine OUTING!

 **So many fine kigo entries this time!

 **A spring kigo may be a bit optimistic, but perhaps the groundhog got it right.

 **Is it too harsh for me to say that many of the entries seem so derivative of what has gone before with no added depth or felicity of voice?

 **Some really wonderful haiku moments captured and deserving of points.

 **The long road home! Thanks again for all.

Free Format Theme:

SLEEPLESS NIGHT

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First Place -  25 Points

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hand-knitted scarf

the length

of her sleepless night

Maria Tomczak

(1,7,8) = 25 pts

**I feel the depth of winter in this haiku, with the night lengthening and lengthening.

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Second Place - 23 Points

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sleepless

the promises

I've broken

Bill Kenney

(2,5,7) = 23 pts

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Third Place - 19 Points

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5 am

finished with sheep now

counting roosters

--Diane Mayr

(3,2,6) = 19 pts

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18 Points

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sleepless night...

the phone call

that never came

Angela Terry

(0,3,12) = 18 pts

**The true insomniac scorns those who need a reason for their sleeplessness, but the call that never came, the thing that never happened, is one of the almost acceptable ones.

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16 Points

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a sleepless night –

my window

is a part of a constellation

Radka Mindoba

Bulgariq, Sliven city

(0,4,8) = 16 pts

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14 Points

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the one...

waking me up

his absence

Ana Drobot

Bucharest, Romania

(0,4,6) = 14 pts

**This piece barely gets one of my votes notwithstanding the odd inclusion of a cutting marker at the end of line 1.

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13 Points

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sleepless night

our dog joins me

in the guest bed

Tom Painting

(0,3,7) = 13 pts

**Love the light humor!

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12 Points

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tossing and turning

the sleepless river

of my thoughts

Michele L. Harvey

New York, USA

(0,3,6) = 12 pts

**Everything is “tossing and turning” thanks to that middle pivot line – the person’s body, the thoughts, and the river that never stops. Great transference link!

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11 Points

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gray dawn . . .

under the table, all night,

the missing puzzle piece

Michael McClintock

(2,2,1) = 11 pts

**---How nice to read something not about a sleepless person.

in the early hours

still counting his wrongs...

divorce petition

Natalia Kuznetsova

(0,3,5) = 11 pts

the sound

of the last cricket -

sleepless night

Israel López Balan

Mexico City

(0,2,7) = 11 pts

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10 Points

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sleepless night --

a silence now lies

beside her

James Dobson

Prudhoe, UK.

(1,3,1) = 10 pts

nightclub surprised by daylight at the door

Simon Hanson

(1,2,3) = 10 pts

sleepless night --

the hospital's chaplain

brings me more coffee

Edward

(0,4,2) = 10 pts

full moon -

the toing and froing

of a fixed idea

Eleonore Nickolay

France/Germany

(0,3,4) = 10 pts

**Yes, that is what so often happens -- only I never yet grabbed a pen to write it down!

wakeful night

only the cold wind

for company

Marietta Jane McGregor

(0,2,6) = 10 pts

sleepless night

the black sheep

counts people

Oddbjørn Aardalen

(0,2,6) = 10 pts

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9 Points

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the sun rises

sleep twines its fingers

in my hair

assu

(2,1,1) = 9 pts

sleepless night

a bit of cosmos slips

into the room

Devin Harrison

Vancouver Island - Canada

(1,1,4) = 9 pts

**Great sense of space and movement in this one!

insomnia

again I unfold

his burial flag

Kaiser K.

(0,1,7) = 9 pts

**Deeply poignant and so much said and left unsaid in just seven words.

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8 Points

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all night

wishing my worries

were sheep

maxianne

(1,1,3) = 8 pts

of all the things

to lose sleep over

love

Bill Hudson

(0,3,2) = 8 pts

staying awake

to watch her sleep

moonlit ward

Paul Hodder

(0,2,4) = 8 pts

sleepless night...

the echo of your

last good-by

S.E. Buffington

(0,2,4) = 8 pts

sleepless night

headlights drag leafless shadows

across the ceiling

Arkady Elterman

(0,1,6) = 8 pts

**Too much information. Drop the first two words of line 2, and the first letter of the first word of line 3, and let the reader do some of the work.

**I love the movement of light and shadows in this haiku. Great diction choice with “drag” as it heightens the night dragging on for the person still awake, staring at the ceiling.

me and the moon

only the scarecrow

sleeps

Boris Nazansky

(0,1,6) = 8 pts

**Ah yes, sometimes we are up later than the scarecrow. A great poetic deceit, and a warmth comes through, unless someone is troubled, but the wry humor which haiku can carry suggests they are just enjoying being up so late regardless.

the long night—

regular start/stop

of the fridge motor

Ignatius Fay

(0,0,8) = 8 pts

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7 Points

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storm-tossed night

the sound of phantoms

lifting a roof

Alan Summers

(1,1,2) = 7 pts

**I see an insomniac (mon semblable! mon frere!) finally pinpointing just what that sound is: phantoms, of course!

twisted in blankets

haiku I wrote in pencil

last night in the dark

Beverley George

(1,1,2) = 7 pts

**this haiku is an apt ode to one of the most wonderful human capacities: that of turning unpleasantness, whether anguish or just cold (blankets in the plural=possible kigo for winter?) into creative energy

three a.m.

still counting

fireflies

Ellen Compton

(0,2,3) = 7 pts

**And how many did you count, or how many before you lost track and fell asleep? A great alternative to counting sheep in order to get to sleep.

sleepless night

wish I could finally

fall asl

Rafał Zabratyński

(0,2,3) = 7 pts

all that remains

of a sleepless night...

fine haiku

Rita Odeh

Haifa/ Israel

(0,1,5) = 7 pts

fever chart

watching over my child

the moon and I

Yesha Shah

Surat, India.

(0,1,5) = 7 pts

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6 Points

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even her snoring

oga

(1,0,3) = 6 pts

sleepless night

are those crickets

snoring?

Bill Pauly

(1,0,3) = 6 pts

**What a wonderful thought!

full moon

still the same

singing cicadas

Dorota Ocińska

Polska, Łódź

(0,2,2) = 6 pts

twisting and turning

haunted by much better versions

of the haiku I submitted

Jon Espen Vassbotn

(0,1,4) = 6 pts

**Ah! I think many of us will relate to this. I appreciate the double meaning of “twisting and turning” – the person’s body and person’s thought processes, agonizing over how the haiku could have been made better. Wonderful!!!

snowfall

by streetlight

until it switches off

jill

(0,1,4) = 6 pts

wide awake

with the full moon-

counting mosquito bites

Leslie Montgomery

(0,1,4) = 6 pts

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5 Points

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chapter by chapter

through the night

sleepless

Ann K. Schwader

(1,0,2) = 5 pts

three a.m.

at the cemetery

the owl's cry

Jone Rush MacCulloch

Portland,OR

(1,0,2) = 5 pts

**Here maybe better in [L3]: “an” owl's cry

midnight moon

the scrabble tiles

spell insomnia

vinay leo r.

(0,2,1) = 5 pts

**much in the Japanese/Chinese/Korean tradition of poetry reflecting 'the pleasures of an intellectual". A crossword or duplicate ie "solo" scrabble-faithful companions of the night!

3:02 a.m.—

the crickets

can’t sleep

Bill Gottlieb

(0,2,1) = 5 pts

**Does projecting my condition onto the crickets make me feel any better? I've used up my allotment of points, but I like the moment.

stormy night -

refreshing her to do list in life

after mammogram

Lavana kray

Romania

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

sleepless night

the pebbly eggshell

of my ceiling

kawazu

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

**As long as I'm guaranteed anonymity (I'll deny everything) I confess I hear a woman's voice wondering whatever possessed her to choose that ceiling. "pebbled eggshell" is lovely – and, again, her knowing the name suggests that she is the one who picked it out.

window moon -

the face of my unborn

all along

Arvinder Kaur

Chandigarh,India

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

full moon --

I crush one more mosquito

in my palm

~ Catherine Njeri Maina

(Kenya)

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

**Ah, those male mozzies, which tend to be the ones who make the noise, can keep us up late into the night and early morning.

sleepless night

the icicles dripping

like a broken tap

L.Csilla

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

one eye

open all night -

crescent moon

John McDonald

Edinburgh

(0,0,5) = 5 pts

**I enjoy the mirror image of the crescent moon and an eye half closed.

sleepless night

gravitational waves

open my eyes

Hansha

(0,0,5) = 5 pts

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4 Points

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moonlight

leaves keep falling...

...five.....nine.....twenty...

Vishnu P Kapoor

Chennai, India

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

**Nice turn from the “counting sheep” cliché. If only sleep would come as gently as the falling leaves.

sleepless

a dog’s whimper circling

the moon

Anonymous

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

**I like the cosmic reach of the familiar, tiny sound. It's the reverse of the dog whistle that can be heard only by dogs. The whimper can be heard only by insomniacs, but we know it's meant for us.

sleepless night

thoughts of Donald Trump

haunt the night

DeVar

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

**I laughed out loud when I read this.

**My goodness -- that is indeed enough to frighten one into a sleepless night!!

sleepless night

my favorite crime show

on demand

MR PC

(0,0,4) = 4 pts

sleepless night

the smell of smoke

draws closer

Barbara A. Taylor,

Mountain Top, NSW

Australia

(0,0,4) = 4 pts

through the night

holding her

my child's fever

Rose Marie Stutts

(0,0,4) = 4 pts

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3 Points

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silence is a question...sleepless night

Sondra J. Byrnes

(1,0,0) = 3 pts

busy mind

vacation starts tomorrow

no sleep tonight

Tom Conally

Gibsonville, NC

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

who...who...who

the owl at 3: a.m.

me...me...me...at 4

Adelaide B. Shaw

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

not even a moon

how blue the black that fills

this sleepless night

Gerry B.

(Canada)

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

sleepless night ―

her slightly slurred

what ifs

Roberta

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

insomnia-- again

the train whistle

at two a.m.

Brenda Roberts

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

sleepless night--

the fits and starts

of the nightingale's song

Kevin Knezevic

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

a wobbly stance

our new colt learns to stand

long past midnight

Harvey Jenkins

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

counting sheep

the flock keeps folding in

on itself

Stella Pierides

Neusaess, DE &

London, UK

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

sleepless night

losing count of

the gecko's chirps

Billy Antonio

Laoac, Pangasinan, Philippines

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

oh please, full moon

distant barking dog

and erratic moth!

Anne Zooey Lind

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

**another haiku with a tinge of senryu. The exclamation, the surprise effect for the reader-I  loved it!

**Not a haiku, of course, of course, but who can resist this heartfelt cry in the night?

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2 Points

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The stars sing gently

as I pace beneath the moon

tomorrow I wed.

Robert C. Howard

Belleville, Illinois

(0,1,0) = 2 pts

stranger in the night

Frank Sinatra too quiet

outside window

hawktalk

(0,1,0) = 2 pts

cats in heat

the sound of sirens

outside my bedroom

Barbara Kaufmann

(0,1,0) = 2 pts

cold night

between us

seven empty cup of coffee

Andrzej Dembonczyk

Silesia

(0,1,0) = 2 pts

deadline approaching:

identical coffee mugs

their Valentine’s gifts

Cristian Mocanu

(0,1,0) = 2 pts

sleepless night

she can still hear

the baby crying

quamrul Hassan

(dhaka, bangladesh)

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

sleepless night -

another thousand sheep

on the other side

Norsto

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

only my breathing

and the green glow of the clock

in the night

dsnake1

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

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One Point

----------------------------------

Starless New Year's night -

in my father's old Bible

two, three moving tales

Horst Ludwig

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

one more sleepless night -

a white owl hangs on a breeze

to halt or to hike...?

Daniela Bullas

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

sleepless winter night

moon shower circles teahouse

all is not so dark

poseytoon

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

the clock chimes

a 2 am reminder -

take some pills

Darrell Byrd

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

singing rhymes

to the snow moon ...

insomnia

Archana Kapoor Nagpal, Bangalore, India

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

**Beautifully atmospheric and poetic making this a fine meld of haiku and hokku. In fact it would make for a great opening verse to a winter renga

or renku.

alone in the dark

wishing I could hear you breathe

please come home to me

Deirdre Godwin

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

a noisy bird

keeping the whole forest

awake

Juhani Tikkanen

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

counting in English,

then Spanish, then Urdu

sheep of many colors

mechaieh

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

night watch

looking out the window

shooting stars

Ramona

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

slipping rosary

so hard to catch

some sleep

Shrikaanth Krishnamurthy

Birmingham UK

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

first light at dawn -

my nightmare

disappears

Tomislav

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

counting my worries

with each tick of the clock

awake after midnight

todd eddy

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

moonshadows -

sleep dancing just

out of reach

Ruth Powell

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

**A highly evocative haiku. I like the way the shadows of line 1 are brought to life in lines 2-3. And, yes, insomnia can feel like that.

sleepless night-

missing the next episode

of my last night's dream

- Kashinath Karmakar

India

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

Sheep jumping fences

Chased by the caffeindog

Annebet

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

night falls,

she feels the heat from his skin

under the blanket.

Iffat Jahan Suchona

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

**This haiku feels very sensual, erotic; a fine reason for a sleepless night.

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No Points This Time, Sorry.

--------------------------------------- 

long night;

even the last owl's hoots

recede..

manoj saranathan

**What a beautiful sound, the owl’s hoot, stretching the night until it sleeps or perhaps until just before dawn. Lovely mood in this haiku.

at last home again

in their own soft bed

they didn't sleep at all

Anonymous

Wakeful night

clocks in house speak to each other

“tick-tock, tick-tock…”

Aziza Hena

Dhaka, Bangladesh

The leap behind silence

just before morning speaks

its glow

Lindusen

 scampering mice--

what the hell are they doing

up in the attic?

--Kirsty Karkow

 night-long drone

of the crickets

insomnia

Cyndi Lloyd

A mom’s sleepless night…

her only girl celebrates

the eighteenth birthday

Keith A. SIMMONDS

Rodez, FRANCE

parading all over my

heart and soul

the unrealised dreams

on a sleepless night.

purush

sh...the wall...

scurrying sounds | sleepless cat

me too

Svend A Doggfall

falling asleep

as the sun comes up

motherhood

Judi Honiker

 **Line 3 was unexpected. One can picture all the duties of motherhood, the all night feedings or being up all night caring for a sick child or sewing a costume, etc…

campfire camaraderie

the bamboo flute has pointed

to most of us

Sheila K. Barksdale

tossing and turning

might as well get up

and make pancakes

Donna Bauerly

Dubuque, IA

still awake

raindrops on the red tile roof

home again

Bernard Gieske

USA

 sleepless night-

her gaze at the ceiling

counting stars

Munia Khan

Dhaka, Bangladesh

nighttime's

blessed

silence

Jane DeJonghe

sleepless nights

success

sleepless nights

Ajaya Mahala,

Pune, India

gulls hunt

along low tide shores

crabs sleep

Casey Daniel

Insomnia

Under-bed monsters

Enter the mind

Tanja Cilia

sleepless night –

this night was darker.

this dark sleep...

Anonymous

chilly room

sleepless night falls

phone rings

Yukiko Yamada

coiffed hat

a stiffness in grandma’s

poached egg

Alegria Imperial

Canada

lying there awake

sleepless

dreamless night

Barbara Campitelli

"Chaos theory

She braces

Another sleepless night."

Tanzeev Haque

nights with itchy dreams

days between unease and peace

wires up and down

Mortimer Scott

meeting eye to eye

one that cannot sleep

and the full moon

D W Skrivseth

carefully snipping off

the one silver strand

sleepless night

Sreelatha Nair

India

Sleepless night -

counting the stars

of Pleiades

Miorita

Eyes wide open

dreaming of the moon –

white night

Virginia Popescu

PHOENIX

struggling to fall asleep -

the "baa, baa" of my sheep

number 9000

Anonymous

cold night --

a just-seen horror movie

rings in my mind

~ JAMES MUTULA

(Kenya)

noisy night --

loud music playing

in the village

~ SAMUEL NZUVE

(Kenya)

passing so fast

on the line overhead --

night time train

~ Isabelle Prondzynski

(Japan)

Endless images

From the flanks of creeping night

Taunt my unclosed eyes

Jim Thoune

Bowling Green KY USA

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General Comments:

**Once more, thanks for a great prompt!

 **Even tougher choice here, and for the 1st time I feel like adding some brief comments

 **A fine selection to choose from. I liked the humor in some of the entries, enjoyed this edition very much.

 **This seemed like an unusually weak collection.

 **Hard choices: If I give this one 2 points, I'll have to drop that one from the list. The six that won my votes were selected from 28 that, in my opinion, deserved consideration: a strong showing.

 **I had to distribute points to as many of the submissions as I could - I really liked them all!

 **Thank you again for challenging us with new and stimulating themes!

 **So hard to choose among many excellent haiku!

 **Lots of great senryu!