January 2011 Kukai

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.