Dear Friends,
Here are the results for the January 2011 Kukai, wherein our Kigo subject was Dawn and our Free Format subject was Loss.
Congratulations to Svetlana Marisova, winner of our Kigo section and to Iokua, winner of our Free Format section!
The haiku are listed in order of total points received from voters. The numbers reflect the number of voters who gave the haiku either three points, two points, or one point -- followed by the total points for all votes.
Those who were given less than three points and who requested anonymity in such a case are so noted.
In the listing below, after each poem the author is listed, and then a three digit code revealing how many 3-point, 2-point, and 1-point points were cast for this poem by the other participating poets.
(2,1,4 = 12) would indicate that the poem above received two 3-point votes, one 2-point vote, and four 1-point votes.
Voters comments are in italics below the respective poems.
January 2011 Results
Kigo Theme:
Dawn
First Place - 19 Points
first light ...
out of the shadows
a deer
Svetlana Marisova
(1,4,8) = 19 pts
Second Place - 16 Points
winter dawn . . .
humming along
with the furnace
Cara Holman
(1,3,7) = 16 pts
**full of hope for a new day!
Third Place – 15 Points
dawn--
the weight
of the coming rain
David Grayson
(0,3,9) = 15 pts
**Glances at the future ("coming rain") in haiku are often frowned on,
but "weight" keeps us in the moment.
Fourth Place - 14 Points
we talk in circles
the earth's slow turn
towards dawn
Paul Hodder
(1,3,5) = 14 pts
**Been there, done that! I get a sense of talking well into the night,
likely to settle a disagreement - hopefully before dawn. But that can
seem like a very long time.
Fifth Place - 13 Points
dawn clouds
the tiger's shape
dissolves
Giselle Maya
(1,2,6) = 13 pts
**The tiger, known for hunting at night, seems to be a perfect cloud
shape for disappearing into the light of dawn. Besides, this is a
different take on the theme, which makes it a pleasure to read.
** great imagination
snow angels
at dawn
filling with light
Bill Pauly
(1,1,8) = 13 pts
**Lovely image.
dawn
the huddled birds
face east
April Serock
(0,2,9) = 13 pts
Sixth Place - 12 Points
edge of light
my fishing pole
across the handlebars
Donna Bauerly
(1,3,3) = 12 pts
late for work
dawn
everywhere
c pearce-worthington
(1,2,5) = 12 pts
Seventh Place - 11 Points
dawn
the smell of
fresh brewed coffee
Bill Hudson
(0,4,3) = 11 pts
**The moment the words are read, the aroma of coffee is unavoidable.
Suddenly it is early morning and you anticipate that first cup.
dawn
unwrapping
the horizon
vishnu p kapoor
(0,2,7) = 11 pts
**There were several "big sky" haiku that I considered before settling
on this one as the most direct.
first light
my little fears back
in the box
Roberta Beary
(0,2,7) = 11 pts
night shift--
the rhythm of your sleep
just before dawn
aom (tim)
(0,2,7) = 11 pts
**Says "homecoming" gently and powerfully.
Eighth Place - 10 Points
arctic dawn
a brief band
of light
carmel lively westerman
(1,3,1) = 10 pts
matins -
the first dawn shadows
cast on the snow
Cristina-Monica Moldoveanu
(1,0,7) = 10 pts
redder
in the rising sun...
the robin's breast
Liz Rule
(0,2,6) = 10 pts
dawn
pulling at the pond
a dragonfly
C.P.Harrison
(0,2,6) = 10 pts
rising tide
the stars recede
into the dawn
Elaine Riddell
(0,1,8) = 10 pts
**I think the second "the" is superfluous. Otherwise lovely image.
dawn
a carrot at the foot
of the snowman
og_a
(0,1,8) = 10 pts
dawn
a dagger of sunlight
divides our table
J Blain
(0,1,8) = 10 pts
early dawn-
jellyfish umbrellas
drift with the tide
Carol Raisfeld
(0,0,10) = 10 pts
Ninth Place - 9 Points
finally at dawn
the widower
falls asleep
Leslie Montgomery
(1,2,2) = 9 pts
** this one really got to me
dawn
blackbirds alight
on the fountain's stone rim
Tom Painting
(1,1,4) = 9 pts
**I love the coolness of this poem (I'll have to revisit it in the
summer!), the hooligan feel of what the blackbirds are up to, and the
parallels with our own morning activities. I love the whole scene
these few words create in my mind, from the light on the stone, to the
action that might soon be in the fountain, to the people soon to be
milling around. This is a great example of showing not telling, and I
also like that the author didn't bow to a certain structure or use any
poetic devices. A very organic poem. Cool and refreshing!
sleepless night -
darkness in the window
become a tree
Israel López Balan
(1,0,6) = 9 pts
chill dawn
butter melts on the
fresh cornbread
Allen
(0,3,3) = 9 pts
**Like the contrast of "chill" and the butter melting.
dawn
my mountain pose
not quite at its peak
Terri L. French
(0,2,5) = 9 pts
Tenth Place - 8 Points
streaks of first light
across the barren ice
an owl's silent glide
Elinor Pihl Huggett
(1,2,1) = 8 pts
**The image reaches out and chills me with its cold and its silence. I
am alone with the fleeting mute owl.
enormous dawn . . .
children on the hilltop
opening their arms
Michael McClintock
(1,1,3) = 8 pts
dawn
looming from the shadows
a tree
Ted van Zutphen
(1,1,3) = 8 pts
dawn
a whiff of hot coffee
from the widow's balcony
john tiong chunghoo
(1,1,3) = 8 pts
rising at dawn . . .
a heron's reflection
in the still pond
Margaret Dornaus
(0,3,2) = 8 pts
**There are many heron/pond haiku, but I like the contrasts and
ambiguities in this one. Who is rising: the poet? the heron? Maybe
both . . . as well as the dawn light.
Eleventh Place - 7 Points
dawning -
the cemetery's
serenity
Zhanna P. Rader
(1,1,2) = 7 pts
**clever contrast with a feeling of resolution and a spark of hope
dawn . . .
the apple branches that
survived the storm
Rita Odeh
(0,2,3) = 7 pts
dawn -
the sound of a snow plough
roiling my tea
Kaiser Kahn
(0,2,3) = 7 pts
Wintry dawn--
sleeping under a car
a stray dog
R.K. Singh
(0,1,5) = 7 pts
dawn . . .
flower beds
quilted with snow
Susan Constable
(0,1,5) = 7 pts
Twelfth Place - 6 Points
dawn...
perfect, the Earth is still
on the orbit!
Petru-Ioan Garda
(0,2,2) = 6 pts
dawn -
another day
without you
natalia kuznetsova
(0,1,4) = 6 pts
halfway to dawn --
I finally realize
I can't go back
Melissa Allen
(0,1,4) = 6 pts
dawn at her place
her magnetic heart
on the icebox
Lechaiku
(0,1,4) = 6 pts
summer dawn...
a butterfly caught
in its own glow
Keith A. Simmonds
(0,0,6) = 6 pts
dawn, the puppy
barks at what is left
of the moon
Bouwe Brouwer
(0,0,6) = 6 pts
dawn
a skylark
sings itself
Dorota Pyra
(0,0,6) = 6 pts
Thirteenth Place - 5 Points
saluting the dawn
the Maasai chieftain
lifts a cup of blood
Kirsty Karkow
(1,0,2) = 5 pts
call of a muezzin
entangles with my dream...
crack of dawn
Kala Ramesh
(0,1,3) = 5 pts
dawn
the robins song
is glowing
Oddbjørn Aardalen
(0,1,3) = 5 pts
dawn
waiting for her
at Arrivals
Marleen Hulst
(0,1,3) = 5 pts
dawn
a gar severs night
from day
Earl r. Keener
(0,1,3) = 5 pts
**good imagination and very decisive
Fourteenth Place - 4 Points
gulf oil spill-
everglades flamingos
pinker than the dawn
if
(1,0,1) = 4 pts
again this morning
magpies fill the tree
above the cat
DeVar
(1,0,1) = 4 pts
** I had to laugh when I read the last line. No doubt the magpies were
laughing too.
dawn-
driving into
the sunrise
Barbara Campitelli
(0,1,2) = 4 pts
winter dawn...
a cold cat and the man
in the moon
Li Ree
(0,1,2) = 4 pts
dawn--
it's all about
the snow
Ami
(0,1,2) = 4 pts
sun-up
small bits of fluff
stuck to fresh eggs
Michele L. Harvey
(0,0,4) = 4 pts
Fifteenth Place - 3 Points
white rabbit -
at the beginning of the year
beside me at dawn
alex serban
(1,0,0) = 3 pts
Radiant dawn
painting pastel veils
across the sky.
Robert C.
(1,0,0) = 3 pts
dawn.....
a new day that
will end
Marili
(0,1,1) = 3 pts
frosty breath
Milky Way disappears
crack of dawn
charlie smith
(0,1,1) = 3 pts
Beautiful pink dawn
did not foretell disaster
which claimed many lives.
Jean Lewis
(0,1,1) = 3 pts
faint echo
of a cock's crow--
dawn breeze
Brian Etole
(0,1,1) = 3 pts
**This is so lovely and ethereal! I don't think you need the word dawn
here, as it's implied by the cock's crow. Maybe add a season word to
the breeze and you have a wonderful, classic, timeless haiku. Really
nice.
dawn...
after the snowstorm
crows regroup
Diane Mayr
(0,1,1) = 3 pts
pale winter dawn
two hearts begin to blush
in the bus window dew
Jon Espen Vassbotn
(0,1,1) = 3 pts
The old stairway
takes another turn.
New Year's dawn
Beacon
(0,1,1) = 3 pts
dawn...
cold nose on my toes
under the down comforter
Aalix Roake
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
sunrise
casting a walleye spoon
with everything I've got
Alan S. Bridges
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
the crack of dawn
I never get to see
night owl
Merrill Ann Gonzales
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
January dawn
snowflakes scatter
what little light
Mike Montreuil
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
that glance
as he walked out the door--
the chill before dawn
Seren Fargo
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
a text message
illuminates a cat's yawn
daybreak
Lucas Stensland
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
**good combination of 3 openings and 2 illuminations
early dawn
the orange light
from a snowplow truck
Tore Sverredal
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
winter dawn –
crimson sky behind
the bare trees
moT
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
Sixteenth Place - 2 Points
oyster skies for months
then one April dawn aglow
with pink and azure
Ida Freilinger
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
Dawn haze
a warbler
begins
Anonymous
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
New life begins each day
In my daughter's eyes
Dawn
Mary E. Gray
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
darkness all around
seeking the dawn
where none exists
James Sawers
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
winter dawn . . .
sorting out
my feelings
Bill Kenney
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
dawn -
red
of the cockerel's comb
John McDonald
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
**lovely
dawn -
skylark's roll
releasing the day
Manuela Dragomirescu
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
dawn chorus--
the rhythmic whistles
of a weaver bird
~ Kevin Asava
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
**rhythmic makes me want to hear these whistles
fishing trip
my rowboat is filled
with dawn's light
Harvey Jenkins
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
winter wind --
dawn sparrows
born for this
--Peter Newton
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
Seventeenth Place -1 Point
swirling mist
candy-cotton clouds
another pink dawn
Tanja Cilia
wintry dawn --
some more fully matured
icicles
Juhani Tikkanen
unfolding dawn
a spider checks out
strands of pearls
Barbara A Taylor
** I like the way this is expressed.
late dawn --
even a grey sunrise
raises the sun
~ Isabelle Prondzynski
dawns colors
shimmering on the floor
finger painting
Ben Gieske
dawn...
emerging from the mist
two roe deer
Anonymous
back home
after the funeral
silent dawn
tito A.
fragile dawn...
early gulls
pierce the stillness
James Dobson
**very penetrating
8:08 a.m. and the curtain still closed.
Sunlight
might melt this poem.
William M. Gottlieb
disappearing behind
a wall of sky
dawn moon
Angela Terry
chilly dawn;
dusting snow off the cap-
the crow too !
manoj saranathan
rising with
the steamy dawn...
a blue morpho
Bruce H. Feingold
**A beautiful image, but without the inversion you only have the
phrase " a blue morpho rising with the steamy dawn". Removing the
distracting poetic device and adding a fragment to the phrase would
give you the opportunity to make a lovely image even more meaningful.
pale moon
somewhere in the tree top
the first chirping bird
Boris Nazansky
lemony yellow sky
night escapes
in pink and blue
Christine Howard
fresh snowfall
a softer glow
at dawn
Ruth Powell
snowmelt
a flowering quince greets
the dawn
Anonymous
before dawn,
the glow of fresh snow
on the railing
Christopher Pickslay
before dawn
faint pink horizon
baby cries
James M. Thompson
No points this time, sorry.
form throughout
the formless void -
beautiful dawn ...
Patricia Lidia
dawn
a voluminous rain
plunders the street
--gillena cox
dawn
sun's eyelids
closed
Kalina Trendafilova
sighting first light
from her perch in a cypress
bulbul chirps me awake
miriam chaikin
i sip my tea at dawn
its leaves dark
as those outside
mechaieh
flyover
Night's lost stars
embraced by the dawning
Lorraine Margueritte Gasrel Black
dawn
a teacher finishes off
shifts from her chair
Anna Carene
day begins
with a symphony orchestra
dawn chorus
Jill
at dawn in the spring
the Happy Planet Index -
Green Revolution
STOPSY
five friends on dawn beach
float warm iridescent swells,
swim pastel currents
Sandra Friedlander
awaken by the flare
dawn
my room is bright red
Ashi
dawn sky -
blood spills over
the horizon
Gautam Nadkarni
dawn clicks.
turtle hatchlings glides
off the coast
Ramesh Anand
crack of dawn…
behind the park ranger hut
red rowan berries
Svein Lie
dawn--
in same sky but a memory
at winter twilight
Alegria Imperial
two hearses
so silent -- grey dawn
and the rose
Maxianne
** "so silent" is unexpectant and is an excellent calling up of the
cemetery scene. A lot of meaningful color.
snow on snow
in the dawn light - chaste
a new week
Marylouise Knight
fire engine's whine
the draperies glowing
at dawn
Barbara Snow
**such brilliant sound and sight
first hint of dawn
a lost duckling disappears
in a massive swirl
Edward
**sad when one thinks of a new day dawning but not for this duckling
dawn...
loud gabble of
few wet seamen
Reza-Iran
New Year's dawn-
coffee aroma rises
before I do
Angelee
january dawn -
the mountain peaks
red and orange
Andrzej Dembonczyk
first dawn -
an invisible bird
sings above
Anonymous
summer dawn...
a zirconia glints
in his dark lobe
Jo McInerney
pale dawn
a dead sparrow freezes
in melting snow
Petar Tchouhov
dawn
dinner leftovers reheated
for breakfast
c t doebler
dead sycamore tree
huge black crow perched on top
silhouette's of dawn
Dorothy j. Kazmierzak
Dark grey dawn,
We awake to noise.
Three black crows
Trevor Camp
early morning light
on the cusp of night and day
my dog and I wake
Deirdre Godwin
first rim of light--
a chickadee stirs
snow falling from pine
jill
cock crows
at the balcony--
dawn chorus
~ Esther Obwamu
rhubarb dawn on Thistle Lane
bikes, bats, big vans
patio jibes at vespers
Jim Sullivan
grey skies
flurries but still
dawn
gourdman
dull winter dawning
memories of flowers bright
a Rose is still in my heart
dragonfly
rose-fingered
centuries a reason
to get up
Horst Ludwig
New Year
on a white horse -
in dawn it becomes grey
Radu Ignatescu
dawn's purple haze--
farther away from
the spring of my life
Francine Banwarth
dawn lights
the track of coyote--
a hen house
John Daleiden
last night's storm
drip drip dripping
misty dawn
Stevie
harvest day dawn
driblets of jaggery
stirred in the milk
sanjukta
sleepless night
a melon sherbet dawn
fills the window
Hazel A. Witherspoon
small sunbeams pierce
through the mist at dawn...
diamonds dance in dew
Amicus
General Comments - Kigo:
**Again, this month there were so may poems I liked.
**My short list was longer than usual this month.
**Another good theme, with plenty of entries!
**I found it extremely difficult this time to vote. There were so
many excellent haiku and no way to credit all those which deserve
recognition.
**I had a very difficult time narrowing the choices down to these.
There were several more I would have included if I had had more
points!
**Many excellent haiku, if "dawn" in itself can count as a kigo.
Free Format Theme:
Loss
First Place - 24 Points
only moonlight
in the little dog bed
winter deepens
Iokua
(3,2,11) = 24 pts
**Bittersweet and lovely. Good kigo too.
Second Place - 19 Points
a last touch -
his ashes become
the sea
Carol Raisfeld
(0,4,11) = 19 pts
**Very evocative, yet avoiding sentimentality. I like the hint of
double meaning with 'become' . . . a lovely thought.
frozen river -
she keeps silent
about her past
Dorota Pyra
(0,4,11) = 19 pts
** 'frozen river' is evocative of the state of a long ago loss as in
'frozen in time'.
**a very strong statement. No way to unfreeze this one.
your words
before you left...
craters on the moon
Polona
(0,3,13) = 19 pts
**There are many things that can make us feel lost and alone . . .
including words. Although we don't know what his/her last words were,
the juxtaposition with craters on the moon tells us all we need to
know about this sense of loss for the one left behind.
** A very good jux. The desolate ambience of "craters on the moon"
mirroring the emotional loss.
Third Place – 16 Points
empty sleeve
flapping in the cold wind
a soldier returns
Jill
(0,4,8) = 16 pts
** I also liked #s 29 and 94
**I like the way the poet makes us feel the loss without either
mentioning the word, itself, or naming what's been lost. If there'd
been punctuation at the end of L2, to avoid the possible pivot of L2,
I'd have added another point to this one.
Fourth Place - 15 Points
just a little
depression
where you once lay
Donna Bauerly
(0,3,9) = 15 pts
** I like the double meaning of 'depression' in this one - as if time
passing since the loss has lessened both the emotional impact and the
dint in a physical surface.
Fifth Place - 14 Points
distant explosion-
the quick click of her
knitting needles
Rita Odeh
(0,3,8) = 14 pts
Sixth Place - 13 Points
yahrzeit candle
the gentle pull
of the flame
David Grayson
(1,3,4) = 13 pts
**I was unfamiliar with yahrzeit, but now I've looked it up, it feels
perfect here. The gentle pull affects not only the flame, but the
emotions of the poet and this reader.
out walking the leash
og_a
(1,3,4) = 13 pts
**no mistaking this even with these few words
hands
open
and close
Johannes S. H. Bjerg
(0,5,3) = 13 pts
Seventh Place - 11 Points
one by one
the roofs lose their colour --
summer sunset
Isabelle Prondzynski
(1,2,4) = 11 pts
and still
we listen for your footsteps . . .
second winter
Susan Constable
(1,1,6) = 11 pts
raindrops
merging with tears -
the loss of my son
Zhanna P. Rader
(0,4,3) = 11 pts
**There is no pain greater than losing a child…I’m sorry for your loss.
Eighth Place - 10 Points
a black grape rolls
beneath the kitchen stove...
the kitten's paw
Kirsty Karkow
(1,1,5) = 10 pts
**I found #19 to be a refreshing break from all the dreary entries,
and it's such a great image. I want to cheer the little guy on.
Ninth Place - 9 Points
all these flowers
the things
I should have said
Paul Hodder
(0,3,3) = 9 pts
**" Regret" very well described.
loss of a life
one memory
at a time
Bill Hudson
(0,1,7) = 9 pts
**Yes, Alzheimer’s takes its toll so slowly that it takes a while to
wake up to what is really happening.
still birth...
she never sees
that first smile
James Dobson
(0,1,7) = 9 pts
winter night
his diary's
blank pages
Petar Tchouhov
(0,1,7) = 9 pts
Tenth Place - 8 Points
white drifts . . .
the snowman-maker
writes from Kabul
Michael McClintock
(1,1,3) = 8 pts
as he is dying
the breathtaking view
from his window
Stevie
(1,1,3) = 8 pts
afterwards...
a shopping list becomes
proof you were
Jo McInerney
(0,2,4) = 8 pts
too late
for apologies
graveside
Allen McGill
(0,1,6) = 8 pts
Eleventh Place - 7 Points
silent vigil ...
i ache for the shudder
of your loins
Svetlana Marisova
(2,0,1) = 7 pts
gaps between
the hockey player's teeth--
another loss
DeVar
(0,3,1) = 7 pts
**this one made me smile with all my teeth!
the morning after
searching for my socks
Ben Gieske
(0,2,3) = 7 pts
long night
the smell of home
in the waiting room
tito A.
(0,1,5) = 7 pts
Twelfth Place - 6 Points
small heap of dust
in the silent chapel
I remove my hat
Maxianne
(1,1,1) = 6 pts
after the funeral
she brings home
an Easter lily
Terri L. French
(1,0,3) = 6 pts
**I'm completely won over by the resonant simplicity of this.
morning fog -
in the empty bedroom
the cold slippers
Gautam Nadkarni
(0,0,6) = 6 pts
** I also liked this one
falling cherry petals -
the black hearse leaving
a little lighter
Lech Szeglowski
(0,0,6) = 6 pts
**I like the imagery that is created here.
Thirteenth Place - 5 Points
deleting
her name from my
Contacts list
gourdman
(1,0,2) = 5 pts
late night rain
across from your empty armchair
I try to read
April Serock
(0,1,3) = 5 pts
puppy
sniffs the basket
where the old dog lay.
Aalix Roake
(0,1,3) = 5 pts
**touching
late autumn -
shadows separate
on forest ground
Cristina-Monica Moldoveanu
(0,1,3) = 5 pts
the chickadee
still crying for his mate
fallen petals
Barbara Snow
(0,1,3) = 5 pts
i throw snowballs
at your ghost
missing you
mechaieh
(0,1,3) = 5 pts
**I think this would be better without the last line. Maybe as a
oneliner: "Throwing snowballs at your ghost".
car keys in hand
I travel room to room
to find my glasses
Harvey Jenkins
(0,1,3) = 5 pts
death at Christmas--
what to do
with the gifts
Christopher Pickslay
(0,1,3) = 5 pts
discussing
viable pregnancy -
again
C.P.Harrison
(0,1,3) = 5 pts
**a whole story in 4 words
ice skims the pond
only the broken-winged duck
remains
Lynda True
(0,0,5) = 5 pts
starting the year
with a full box
of sympathy cards
Francine Banwarth
(0,0,5) = 5 pts
**I only wish I had more points to give out. This one is sad in what
it doesn't say
Fourteenth Place - 4 Points
loss-
heavier than the coffin
draped with his country's flag
Leslie Montgomery
(1,0,1) = 4 pts
dusting his room
the graduation photo
doesn't chat
Ruth Powell
(0,2,0) = 4 pts
the empty chair:
a flood of memories
for Mother's Day
Keith A. Simmonds
(0,1,2) = 4 pts
mourning card
he plucks grey hairs
from his eyebrows
Ted van Zutphen
(0,1,2) = 4 pts
**The honesty of the image or its unabashed presentation got for it this vote.
the dream
we shared
only you awake
Lucas Stensland
(0,1,2) = 4 pts
donor forms
while his body
is still warm
if
(0,0,4) = 4 pts
**a chilling reality
from the second pew
he watches his mother
remarry
Diane Mayr
(0,0,4) = 4 pts
**This evokes a definite picture, preferably of a young child.
frozen pond
a fancy jersey glove
under the surface
Tore Sverredal
(0,0,4) = 4 pts
war vet
worn each day
his untold story
Peter Newton
(0,0,4) = 4 pts
poppy day -
a kid counting the names
on the plaque
Kaiser Kahn
(0,0,4) = 4 pts
**A kid counting the names makes this even more poignant.
Fifteenth Place - 3 Points
loss of you
loss of us
loss, my love
James Sawers
(1,0,0) = 3 pts
footprints in snow
the river runs black
Jon Espen Vassbotn
(1,0,0) = 3 pts
loss of faith
a boy's sullen eyes
more gray than blue
Anna Carene
(0,1,1) = 3 pts
**I particularly like the color choices in this one. Gray is a very
tired color as compared with the vivid color blue. Such a loss is like
a step toward a slow death.
hospice visit
vase full of flowers
empty bed
charlie smith
(0,1,1) = 3 pts
pouring rain
the filthy doll shivers
in the open dust-bin
Oddbjørn Aardalen
(0,1,1) = 3 pts
deep cold -
my lost cat
will have to find himself
Melissa Allen
(0,1,1) = 3 pts
spring in central park
an old afghan longing home
to nothing
Li Ree
(0,1,1) = 3 pts
water's end
his ashes cast
on retreating waves
Tom Painting
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
once upon a time....
vishnu p kapoor
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
** makes you want to hear the rest of the story
orange blossoms -
one name lost
to another
Michele L. Harvey
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
Sixteenth Place - 2 Points
all cats at a loss -
fey tweet and flutter by chick
fallen from the nest
Stopsy
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
Your gift of roses
withered as my spirit died
at the loss of you.
Jean Lewis
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
Late night thoughts
suddenly attack
in memory - my mother
Ashi
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
In her hour of loss
Sarah gently whispered
her wedding vows.
Robert C. Howard
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
broken leaves
scattered across the snow
says it all
Marylouise Knight
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
barren floor
bits of tinsel
cling to JPMorgan Chase's letter
tf
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
she looks at
the picture and weeps--
lost baby
Brian Etole
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
a slab of snow
slides from the roof--
nobody home
Ami
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
first rooster crow
relief at finding his side
empty
J Blain
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
**a loss with a twist
Lost in mirror
models in lingerie:
winter rain
R.K. Singh
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
wooden shutters
rattled by winter winds -
what have i lost
Giselle Maya
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
hand sown seeds
- all over again
a late monsoon
Anonymous
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
** I also liked this one
anniversary -
your photograph
greasy with my prints
dsnake1
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
missing key--
she walks slowly in the
thick grass
Synaidah Kalahi
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
lost in the dark...
how deep is the way
to find myself
Liz Rule
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
brown winter garden
then lived with blossoming life
now a winter death
dragonfly
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
last of the year--
lost in fog
on the road ahead
Bill Pauly
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
home team loss-
an empty coke can kicked
all the way back home
sanjukta
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
Back from holidays-
lunch time meeting with bosses
plant shutting down now
Hazel A. Witherspoon
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
**This happened to me once.
Seventeenth Place - 1 Point
empty house
after funeral
his clothes still in laundry basket
Tanja Cilia
snowman's grief
watching snowflakes disappear
one by one
Kalina Trendafilova
**I like the freshness of thought in it
**good personification of a snowman
away on business
the sun dips behind
the obstruction
Alan S. Bridges
a friend dies-
brilliant platinum on ink
is the long-night moon
Ida Freilinger
off to a bad start
unable to balance
debit and credit
Barbara A Taylor
In a nutshell
the Universe repeats
all gains and losses
Lorraine Margueritte Gasrel Black
bloodless tongue
her throat has released
it's last meow
Emma Pageot
at the grave
a lone figure in black
winter twilight
natalia kuznetsova
loss of a down -
how do I make up
for lost time
Mike Montreuil
my faded wild rose
blooming
behind closed eyes
Svein Lie
all souls day
the child's grave shimmers
like new
john tiong chunghoo
he sits in her chair...
the kettle whistles louder
his toast grows cold
Edward
quick search--
a lost marble in the grass
glitters
Ceciliah Wambui
mama's last friend
a shaggy black dog
gone now
jill
no longer friends
her handwriting
on a sticky note
c pearce-worthington
the road behind me
the branch springs back
when I pluck the fruit
Earl R. Keener
reclaimed land
gulls hover above
the town hall
Bouwe Brouwer
hot tea in the street -
snowflakes melted
in many flavours
Radu Ignatescu
No points this time, sorry.
rising moon -
the sound of the water on the gravel
hides my thought
Patricia Lidia
heart-wrenching sobs-
yellow flowers
in a funeral wreath
gillena cox
same height, same walk
knowing what i'll find i yet
hurry to see the face
miriam chaikin
**I often want to see the faces of those when only seeing them from behind.
cold hands
sorry for your loss
graveside condolence
Anonymous
this survivor
who's buried a daughter
now news of her son
Merrill Ann Gonzales
deep cold -
the first stars
just barely visible
Cara Holman
old moon
another friend
has died
Bill Kenney
loss of her weight --
thinned snow cloud
disappears
Juhani Tikkanen
dropping off.
turtle hatchlings of
the existence
Ramesh Anand
him I lost once
comes back a new smile
a changed country
Alegria
Classifieds -
I lost a friend,
declare it null
Petru-Ioan Garda
moving to Italy-
all these memories
off to Goodwill
Barbara Campitelli
grandfathers' rockers
and tombstones in Winter—good
golly, Miss Molly
rocker feller
even in death
a quasar's bright light
the heart of the way
Margaret Dornaus
impaired
he wanders forgotten streets -
the signposts missing
Elaine Riddell
**this has more than one meaning of loss
This poem on the page,
that flattened squirrel
are similar, aren't they, vulture?
William M. Gottlieb
stumbling feet-
blood oozes from her
left toe
Kevin Asava
in darkness
the chimes ring four times
alone...yet still together
Tony Nasuta
first date--
his shaggy hair leaves me
speechless
Esther Obwamu
Thinning hair
racing towards old age
raging river.
Trevor Camp
should have been silver
but that your husband turned lead
I am sorry, friend
Deirdre Godwin
the Moon's cheek
over the Sun -
all upside down
Manuela Dragomirescu
Belleau Wood memorial
with stiff flowers full of hope
even now
Jim Sullivan
Violet hour.
Father used to admire
the slow snowflakes' dance.
Horst Ludwig
Shivering your soul
surrounds me, my breath vapor
bids goodbye
Christine Howard
in a cozy cradle
three hungry robinettes
in a nest for four
Elinor Pihl Huggett
letter home-
the years
that could have been
Anonymous
evening mist.
somewhere in the dark shadows
he is waiting
John Daleiden
third generation divorce
pinching
my great grandchild's face
Anonymous
fall classic -
from his death bed
the last swing
Bruce H. Feingold
Unread books
making up
for time
Beacon
old cypresses
leading me to your grave –
oh, memories!
moT
General Comments:
**Even though this is the free format/senryu section, I like to see
haiku (nature poems) with implied loss. I prefer these and generally
find them more effective than flat out statements of loss and grief.
**... if this were but an anthology or a collection of exquisite
haiku, I wouldn't have had to suffer through my voting process but ...
**Moved to comment: so many good ones, it was hard to choose. Some so
heart wrenching that one feels guilty choosing something over them –
but there you are.