The Shiki Monthly Kukai
July 2015 Kukai
Dear Friends,
Here are the results for the July 2015 Kukai, wherein our Kigo subject was HOT/TROPICAL NIGHT, and our Free Format subject was QUIET. If you find any errors, please let me know so I can correct them online.
Congratulations to ***POLONA OBLAK ***, winner of our Kigo section and to ***BILL KENNY***, 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 indicated by "**"
POETS' comments are indicated by "^^"
July 2015 Results
Kigo Theme:
HOT/TROPICAL NIGHT
----------------------------------
First Place - 24 Points
----------------------------------
hot night...
every bump
of the hotel bed
polona oblak
(2,2,14) = 24 pts
**Maybe lump, not bump? Anyway, I like the physicality of this.
----------------------------------
Second Place - 16 Points
----------------------------------
the heat . . .
a silent fountain
drenched in moonlight
Bill Kenney
(1,4,5) = 16 pts
AND
tropical night
the wet smell
of loneliness
Oddbjørn Aardalen
(0,4,8) = 16 pts
----------------------------------
Third Place - 14 Points
----------------------------------
the faint curve
of a bare shoulder-
tropical night
Anonymous
(2,2,4) = 14 pts
AND
muggy night
a chorus of frogs
throat singing
Devin Harrison
Vancouver Island - Canada
(0,4,6) = 14 pts
----------------------------------
12 Points
----------------------------------
mango moon . . .
the brown-skinned woman
swimming through my dreams
Bill Pauly
(1,3,3) = 12 pts
**What do you suppose is the color of the dreamer's skin? A teaser, this one.
----------------------------------
11 Points
----------------------------------
hot night
even her ice tea glass
sweats
Edward
(0,3,5) = 11 pts
hot night
another splash
in my tonic
Ann K. Schwader
(0,3,5) = 11 pts
tropical night
nobody
on facebook
Dorota Ocińska
Karin
(0,2,7) = 11 pts
**"tropical night" is an exotic beginning (Tondelayo, anyone?) leading to that funny anticlimax. Is there anything less exotic than Facebook?
----------------------------------
10 Points
----------------------------------
hot night --
a paper fan
is not enough
James Dobson
Prudhoe, UK.
(0,4,2) = 10 pts
hot night
a butterfly hatches
out of its chrysalis
Kaiser K.
(0,3,4) = 10 pts
too hot to sleep
– the squeal of a train
on the curve
Hugh Waterhouse
(0,1,8) = 10 pts
----------------------------------
9 Points
----------------------------------
hot night -
getting cold
his tea
Ana Drobot
Bucharest, Romania
(1,2,2) = 9 pts
old rocking chair
a gecko swings on
the ceiling fan
Barbara A, Taylor
Mountain Top, NSW
Australia
(1,1,4) = 9 pts
melting heat ~
china doll waves her
hand-held fan
Pat Geyer
(0,2,5) = 9 pts
hot night
the scent of jasmine travels
on our clothes
Beverley George
(0,2,5) = 9 pts
----------------------------------
8 Points
----------------------------------
lingering heat
barrio rhythms quicken
with the moonrise
Ellen Compton
(0,3,2) = 8 pts
fountain -
the wet dress of a woman
shapes the moon light
Lavana Kray
Romania
(0,3,2) = 8 pts
July night
more and more heated
our discussion
Barbara Campitelli
(0,2,4) = 8 pts
hot night
the window's too small
for our air
Barbara Snow
(0,2,4) = 8 pts
----------------------------------
7 Points
----------------------------------
hot summer night
a storm flickers its way
across the sky
Gerry Bravi
(Canada)
(1,1,2) = 7 pts
**"Flickers its way" is so expressive and well observed.
tropical night -
fleshy petals
fall to the earth
-Priscilla Cook
(1,0,4) = 7 pts
the novice monk
unlocking an inner door…
steamy moonlight
Alegria Imperial
(0,2,3) = 7 pts
brassiere hooks
not known when the summer night
loosens itself
Ajaya Mahala,
Pune, India
(0,2,3) = 7 pts
**This is FUNNY!
a line of
the traffic lights turns red -
hot night
Israel López Balan
Mexico City, Mexico
(0,1,5) = 7 pts
**"the" could be dispensed with, and lineation is a bit awkward, but the ku catches the kind of moment that can take a night from hot to hellish.
----------------------------------
6 Points
----------------------------------
extreme fire rating
though I try my best to sleep
smoke gets in my dreams
Deirdre Godwin
(2,0,0) = 6 pts
a golden sunset
sets the night on fire
one more time
Judi Honiker
(1,1,1) = 6 pts
tropical night . . .
I bathe in a twinkling
black lagoon
Michael McClintock
(0,2,2) = 6 pts
Windows open
A gathering of moths
Around the lamp shade
Ellen Romano
(0,2,2) = 6 pts
hot night --
a mosquito humming
outside my net
~ Mercy Mukosia (Kenya)
(0,2,2) = 6 pts
hot night;
respect, mosquito
respect
oga
(0,1,4) = 6 pts
hot tropic night
the parrot in the next condo
mutters gibberish
Garry Eaton
(0,0,6) = 6 pts
**The randomness of the chosen detail seems to me precisely appropriate to the theme.
----------------------------------
5 Points
----------------------------------
hot night...
she puffs softly
on my face
Shrikaanth
(0,2,1) = 5 pts
a rum punch
and the swaying palms . . .
sultry night
--Kirsty Karkow
(0,1,3) = 5 pts
steamy night
my dog moves away from me
to her own pillow
Donna Bauerly
Dubuque, IA
(0,1,3) = 5 pts
rosé wine
my dog wants to sleep
in the cellar
Ralf Bröker
(0,1,3) = 5 pts
high humidity -
all night our skin
sticks together
Carmel Lively Westerman
(0,1,3) = 5 pts
----------------------------------
4 Points
----------------------------------
falling dusk --
the neighbours' laughter
in the balmy air
~ Isabelle Prondzynski
(0,1,2) = 4 pts
tropical night
the yellow moon simmers
on my hot plate
Gautam Nadkarni
(0,1,2) = 4 pts
sleepless night -
our air conditioner
sweating too
Juhani Tikkanen
(0,1,2) = 4 pts
sultry night
a ship cuts through
the smell of salt
Jayashree Maniyil
(0,1,2) = 4 pts
steamy summer night —
my attention is drawn to
this trickle of sweat
Shelley Krause
(0,1,2) = 4 pts
tropical night
a moonbeam sucking
her wet navel
Svend A. Doggfall
(0,0,4) = 4 pts
----------------------------------
3 Points
----------------------------------
hot and humid
even at dusk
the question hangs
Ignatius Fay
(0,1,1) = 3 pts
----------------------------------
2 Points
----------------------------------
Revelers dancing
to the steelpan rhythms…
tropical night
Keith A. SIMMONDS
Rodez, FRANCE
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
hot night
the moon
smiles at my sweat
Purush
india
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
Thick with mosquitoes
Independence fireworks
shorts and loose blouses
Horst Ludwig
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
a hot, damp night’s dawn-
even the annoying bugs
are feeling tired
Cristian Mocanu
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
steamy night
one last splash
of gin
Anonymous
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
entangled all night
they forgot the heat
by making their own
Dan Brook
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
iced tea glasses sweat
a chain-song of cicadas moves
from dark tree to tree
Rose Marie Stutts, EdD
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
searing heat
cross-hatch marks on skin
from a lawn chair
Alan S. Bridges
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
small town carnival
melting in the sizzling heat
a three year old
Adelaide B. Shaw
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
**(In this last one: Boy or girl? That's important, not only to
give the text some decent 5-7-5 form that it could stand very well.)
hot night -
sudden breeze lulls
the fight
Shalini Sunkuru
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
searing night
bone-dry river bed filled
with searching tongues
krw
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
tropical night...
a swarm of skeeters
picnic poolside
S.E. Buffington
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
this short night sweat beads pooling our touchiness
Samar Ghose
Australia
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
**Makes effective use of the one-line format's built-in ambiguity, and "touchiness" is a delightful last word.
the curtain strums the guitar sultry night
Anonymous
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
----------------------------------
1 Point
----------------------------------
box fan whirs
another drop of sweat
runs into my eye
assu
(0,0,1) = 1 pts
sheet lightning
playing hide and seek at dusk
broken ceiling fan
Tom Conally
Gibsonville, NC
(0,0,1) = 1 pts
tropical night
the puddle around
my tropical drink
Billy Hudson
(0,0,1) = 1 pts
**This would be even better if a specific kind of drink were named, such as a margarita.
sapped -
a cool, damp towel
brings on sleep
Laurene
(0,0,1) = 1 pts
hill top
panoramic quiet
in many hues
Binnoo
India
(0,0,1) = 1 pts
hot night
i sleep on roof terrace
hugging stars
Ramesh Anand
Bangalore, India
(0,0,1) = 1 pts
hot night at hospital
echo through the corridor
woman's sobbing
Yukiko Yamada
(0,0,1) = 1 pts
**At first I thought this is just a narrative, then I started to ponder on the temperature of eyes pricked with heat and the tears trying to cool them and then the comparison of the heat of grief with general climate heat.
still night…
air is hazy with
drops of sweat
D W Skrivseth
(0,0,1) = 1 pts
sultry night
the glistening wake of ice
on skin
Michele L. Harvey
USA
(0,0,1) = 1 pts
sleepless tropical night
lights burn late
gecko stalks an insect
Laura Quindt
Woodinville WA
(0,0,1) = 1 pts
Sultry night
the plucked cloves in the barn
scented green
Ken Sawitri
Jakarta, Indonesia
(0,0,1) = 1 pts
**'green cloves' intrigued me as I had always assumed they ripened on the twig. My grandmother used to pierce a whole orange with cloves and leave it in a bowl on a table all winter so I usually associate the scent of cloves with winter. (This habit probably originated with the plague in England . Citrus oil is a flea and insect repellent and I knew many old folk who carried
orange peel in their pockets. Not sure what cloves repel, maybe moths?)
hot night –
my cat refuses
the food
Miorita
(0,0,1) = 1 pts
hot night --
I sit on the veranda
in a white vest
~ christine akosa (Kenya)
(0,0,1) = 1 pts
heat wave
tonight cricket chirps
instead of sheep
--Diane Mayr
(0,0,1) = 1 pts
midnight jog
sweat soaked shirt
sneakers squeak
Anonymous
(0,0,1) = 1 pts
Florida crackers
everyone's animal tales
waiting for Bigfoot
Anonymous
(0,0,1) = 1 pts
heat lightning
the beagle whines
nonetheless
Doris
(0,0,1) = 1 pts
tropical night
my mind is tangled
in your panty drawer
--iokua
(0,0,1) = 1 pts
--------------------------------------
No Points This Time, Sorry.
---------------------------------------
hot night boils
the dingy slum-
hell on earth!
Munia Khan
Dhaka, Bangladesh
sultriness
even the fishes in the brook
are sweating
(Ramona)
hot night --
insects and gecko
drawn to the lamp
Tomislav
night heat --
sweat from my armpits
wets the mattress
~ Patrick Wafula
"can't sleep!"
all he knows about
hot nights
maxianne
the hot night ends
yesterday’s stars and bars leave
a cooling flag pole
Anonymous
tropical night
the sun sends its greetings
with a warm wind
Starbear
walk-in freezer
warehouse’s tuque and mitts worn
this hot summer night
Harvey Jenkins
mosquitoes
and his snoring dog -
heat spell nocturne
Natalia Kuznetsova
Russia
midnight swim
simply to cool off
summer camp
Anonymous
hot night
sweat beads across her brow
moonlit
Bernard Gieske
Having a bath
in cool water lake -
a full moon
Virginia Popescu
PHOENIX
hot moist night
gushing through underpass . . .
made graffiti cry
eric p
desert heat-
cool evening hope
turns to dreams
Darrell Byrd
hot night --
people outside a bar
drink cold soda
~ Michael Cosmas (Kenya)
Stalwart forest monarch
Prostrated by storm’s fury--
May yet know hot nights
James Thoune
Bowling Green, KY USA
sultry silence
the fan makes whisky waves
melting the rocks
Jon Espen Vassbotn
2AM reading
single drop of sweat
rolls down my back
Hazel
palpable relief -
hurricane force winds subside
blessed silence returns
Jane DeJonghe
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
General Comments:
**It was pleasure to read through some very good haiku. Thanks again for this chance to vote on my favorites.
**I've just returned from Santa Fe's dry heat to New York's humidity. Hot nights are not all created equal.
**Not so many are truly haiku, this time?
**We had an Antartic Vortex last week, with snowfall to many parts. Not me, but it has been and is still very cold.
Roll on spring!
Free Format Theme:
QUIET
----------------------------------
First Place - 24 Points
----------------------------------
fireworks over . . .
the silence
of the stars
Bill Kenney
(0,6,12) = 24 pts
----------------------------------
Second Place - 19 Points
----------------------------------
alone —
a water drop
echoes
Vinay Leo R.
(1,6,4) = 19 pts
----------------------------------
Third Place - 15 Points
----------------------------------
into the well
an old rose moon
tiptoes
Alegria Imperial
(1,3,6) = 15 pts
----------------------------------
14 Points
----------------------------------
sculpture garden -
the quiet heroes
under the rain
Israel López Balan
México City, Mexico
(1,2,7) = 14 pts
**What an interesting thought/image!
**that word 'quiet' applied to heroes made me stop and think.
----------------------------------
13 Points
----------------------------------
beach walk...
the waves breaking
our silence
Shrikaanth
(1,2,6) = 13 pts
**The line break is clever, but not merely clever. It helps to catch the moment, and, in it, the difference between silence and quiet.
night shift
a bat traverses
our silence
(Ramona)
(0,1,11) = 13 pts
----------------------------------
11 Points
----------------------------------
quiet
from beginning to end
white butterfly
Barbara Snow
(0,4,3) = 11 pts
hospice--
leaving her
quiet smile
oga
(0,3,5) = 11 pts
the quietness
of the huge old trains --
Railways Museum
~ Isabelle Prondzynski (Kenya)
(0,2,7) = 11 pts
**Second line "the" is not needed, otherwise a fine poem.
----------------------------------
10 Points
----------------------------------
quiet hour...
the toddler whispers
tales to teddy
S.E. Buffington
(0,3,4) = 10 pts
----------------------------------
9 Points
----------------------------------
silence
on the cat's whiskers
snow
Dorota Ocińska
Karin
(0,2,5) = 9 pts
**Masterful!
the quiet beyond the midnight chimes
James Dobson
Prudhoe, UK.
(0,2,5) = 9 pts
all quiet …
the groom lifts
my daughter's veil
Roberta Beary
(0,1,7) = 9 pts
**A very touching haiku. I can feel the scene...
temple path
the distant chime
of a wind bell
Carolyn Coit Dancy
(0,1,7) = 9 pts
**This is a truly quiet ku; quiet is not the same as silent, and a wind bell is just the right sound
----------------------------------
8 Points
----------------------------------
distant lightning
my puppy and I wait
in silence
charlie smith
raleigh,nc
(1,1,3) = 8 pts
mountain mist ...
a cow's moo stirs
the morning calm
Jayashree Maniyil
(0,3,2) = 8 pts
quiet dawn...
watching the day unfold
blue by blue
~Devika
(0,1,6) = 8 pts
----------------------------------
7 Points
----------------------------------
she sleeps
I hear each tick
of the clock
assu
(1,0,4) = 7 pts
between
crows caws
a ceased wind
Juhani Tikkanen
(0,3,1) = 7 pts
between trucks…
quiet tips
into the quarry
Hugh Waterhouse
(0,2,3) = 7 pts
throwing a big stone
in the abyss --
silence
Tomislav
(0,1,5) = 7 pts
----------------------------------
6 Points
----------------------------------
around the corner
a breeze wakes up a shadow
wrapped in silence
Bernard Gieske
(1,1,1) = 6 pts
night drizzle
the village awaits
the baby's birth
Kanavu Nila
Bangalore, India
(1,0,3) = 6 pts
preparing itself
for the dawn-
the quiet lake
Ajaya Mahala,
Pune, India
(1,0,3) = 6 pts
deep home quiet
old dog just buried
in my garden
Donna Bauerly
Dubuque, IA
(0,2,2) = 6 pts
**All pet lovers will know this sad quiet.
an owl’s hoot
with no reply...
the hush
--Kirsty Karkow
(0,1,4) = 6 pts
first anniversary
her different types
of quiet
Paul Hodder
(0,0,6) = 6 pts
quiet children -
suspicious mother
Carmel Lively Westerman
(0,0,6) = 6 pts
----------------------------------
5 Points
----------------------------------
the tick-tick
of my quartz watch --
midnight quiet
~ Patrick Wafula
(1,1,0) = 5 pts
the sound of silence:
a non-existent haiku
never created
Dan Brook
(1,1,0) = 5 pts
quiet sunset --
the rising song
of crickets
~ Peter Kimuli (Kenya)
(0,1,3) = 5 pts
----------------------------------
4 Points
----------------------------------
quiet evening-
a sunflower turned towards
the shorter one
Rita Odeh
Haifa, Israel
(1,0,1) = 4 pts
summer night…
sleeping pills quiet
the traffic noise
D W Skrivseth
(1,0,1) = 4 pts
new-cut stone
a different kind of quiet
in his old room
Ellen Compton
(1,0,1) = 4 pts
end of our talk -
I restart
my computer
Ana Drobot
Bucharest, Romania
(0,1,2) = 4 pts
stepping out
into the jasmine scent
hot night
Binnoo
India
(0,1,2) = 4 pts
awake early
how silent the wood
when no bird sings
Gerry Bravi
(Canada)
(0,1,2) = 4 pts
solstice
the quietness of
snow covered beehive
Gabriel Sawicki
(0,1,2) = 4 pts
midnight
\ \ \\\ \ \\
only the street lamps casting shadows
dsnake1
(0,1,2) = 4 pts
**a fresh way to express silence, it reminds me a bit on Guillaume Apollinaire...
rolling wheat fields-
the fragrance of noonday
quiet
Anonymous
(0,0,4) = 4 pts
**The sight and the scent, not only the sound (or absence thereof); an imaginative variation on the theme.
3 am
the silence between pages
reading in bed
Doris
(0,0,4) = 4 pts
mobile phone call --
everyone at the concert
stares at someone else
Beverley George
(0,0,4) = 4 pts
----------------------------------
3 Points
----------------------------------
sunrise paints
the labyrinth path
with pink
Rose Marie Stutts, EdD
(1,0,0) = 3 pts
summer's grace
in the hush of evening
a doe and her fawn
maxianne
(0,1,1) = 3 pts
after the boat races
and crowd . . . ripples
and a firefly
Michael McClintock
(0,1,1) = 3 pts
**Unlike most of the entries (including my own) this one works without recourse to words like "quiet" and its near synonyms. And I love the lineation, with that nice last line coming almost as an afterthought.
grandkids’ visit…
the bliss of silence
after they’ve gone
Barbara A. Taylor
Mountain Top, NSW
Australia
(0,1,1) = 3 pts
listen, do not speak
let words of trees and water
whisper their wisdom
Deirdre Godwin
(0,1,1) = 3 pts
ah! the pipe lit. . .
I watch star after star
enter the billabong
Samar Ghose
Australia
(0,1,1) = 3 pts
still lanterns ...
afloat on the quiet
of the night
Pat Geyer
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
A clap of thunder
in the quiet of the night…
dogs begin to howl
Keith A. SIMMONDS
Rodez, FRANCE
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
nest in the field -
the rustle of a distant scythe
closer and closer
Lavana Kray
Romania
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
quiet
zigzagging the tea house
a fly
Svend A. Doggfall
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
**I read line 2 as a pivot, which gives me "quiet zigzagging".
predawn stillness
the last raindrop wakes
the sun
Nancy Smith
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
cloud peaks
out of the afternoon lull
a blue emperor
- polona
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
*Anax imperator, a large European dragonfly
opening the door
stepping out
from quiet to quiet
helge t.
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
quiet night
a mayfly through
my chemo ward
Kaiser K.
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
----------------------------------
2 Points
----------------------------------
fireworks -
any memory of quiet
escapes me
Laurene
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
climbing Mount Fuji -
striders in a quiet night
walking on water
Daniela Bullas
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
Sunday afternoon
the empty hammock beckons
to be full
Adelaide B. Shaw
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
whether frost
or hawk,
morning stillness
Michele L. Harvey
USA
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
extinct
in the city
a moment of quiet
Billy hudson
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
birdsong
the young widow nurses
only silence
Gautam Nadkarni
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
naming a flower
the silence in its answer
wisteria moon
Devin Harrison
Vancouver Island - Canada
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
student teacher...
losing control
she yells " QUIET!"
Edward
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
morning prayers
striving to enter into
a quiet place
Hazel
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
**Thank you for this. I know the feeling, and you have expressed it beautifully.
----------------------------------
1 Point
----------------------------------
evening
abruptly empty
without crickets
Ignatius Fay
(0,0,1) = 1 pts
houses boarded-up
a rope swing stilled
by blackberry vine
Garry Eaton
(0,0,1) = 1 pts
quiet exam hall-
distracted student writes
about teacher’s sneeze
Munia Khan
Dhaka, Bangladesh.
(0,0,1) = 1 pts
Shimmering heat
Even the distant airplane
Crosses the sky silently
Ellen Romano
(0,0,1) = 1 pts
young petals
of a yellow daisy unfolding --
it's so quiet
~ Catherine Njeri Maina (Kenya)
(0,0,1) = 1 pts
music school
students strive to hear quiet
between the notes
Harvey Jenkins
(0,0,1) = 1 pts
Quiet night -
in the cricket concert
a barking dog
Virginia Popescu
PHOENIX
(0,0,1) = 1 pts
the quiet
between owl calls
a mouse dare not move
Laura Quindt
Woodinville WA
(0,0,1) = 1 pts
siesta lane...
through the quietude
an old song
Yesha Shah
Surat, India
(0,0,1) = 1 pts
quiet flashes-
the night gives way to
booming thunder
Darrell Byrd
(0,0,1) = 1 pts
a banana frond
rustles in the breeze --
evening quiet
~ Samuel Kilonzo (Kenya)
(0,0,1) = 1 pts
can't sleep
realising how I miss
that damned cricket noise
Jon Espen Vassbotn
(0,0,1) = 1 pts
I dance slowly
to the crickets tunes --
quiet night
~ kevin akidiva (Kenya)
(0,0,1) = 1 pts
stillness
until the sparrow
in the fogdog
--Diane Mayr
(0,0,1) = 1 pts
Midsummer evening
no sound of any feast
reaching my old house
Cristian Mocanu
(0,0,1) = 1 pts
evening silence –
on the wooden cross falling
cherry petals
Miorita
(0,0,1) = 1 pts
cold and quiet
her window reflects
a sliver of moon
--iokua
(0,0,1) = 1 pts
--------------------------------------
No Points This Time, Sorry.
---------------------------------------
leaves scatter color
into the pond
garden quiets
Judi Honiker
sleepy eyes
her snoring pastime
plays havoc
purush-india
no cicadas buzzing
no katydids singing
the quiet near dawn
Tom Conally
Gibsonville, NC
High noon's heat,
a faun humming tunes
for the bees...
Horst Ludwig
the quiet
of a Saturday morning
my companion snores
Barbara Campitelli
dying embers
the sound stands empty-handed
by our coach
Oddbjørn Aardalen
sleeping baby
the silence full of -
her babbles
Shalini Sunkuru
quiet alley
buzzing only
air conditioner
Yukiko Yamada
night before marriage
he listens to
these many years
Ralf Bröker
firefly's silent flight . . .
disrupted by cicada's
hot dark buzz
eric p
Stillness ―
the hyaline butterfly wearing
the shifting sky
Ken Sawitri
Jakarta, Indonesia
her daughter
quiet
midsummer water
Bill Pauly
quiet night --
on the dormitory roof
a leaf lands
~ AUGUSTUS MUTETI (Kenya)
street lamps
form blurred shadows --
quiet evening
~ ester naliaka (Kenya)
Through my cell phone
Din of vocal babble
Soundless
James Thoune
Bowling Green, KY, USA
I glance
at the disappearing crescent --
quiet night
~ dennis shakava (Kenya)
after the fireworks
the children quiet
SUE Torres
quiet between us-
count of return flashes
from a firefly
Anonymous
Sappho's lyrics
rustle of fish wrapping, then this
museum cabinet
Anonymous
summer camp nights —
even the frogs don’t want to
quiet down
Anonymous
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
General Comments:
**It was great to read through some stand-out haiku in this batch. Thanks again for this chance to pick and vote on them.
**Funny how many of the entries on this theme turned out to be about noise.
**There were a lot of beautiful haiku there, and I could easily have given plenty more points!
**I thought the standard of this free format segment was extremely high.
Enjoyed many poems, shortlisting about 20 !
**This time, a plethora of great haiku. Very difficult to choose just six!
**Poignancy in many submitted haiku.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thank you for participating in the July 2015 Kukai!
We will announce the August 2015 Call for Submissions on Monday, August 3rd. See you then!
With much appreciation,
The Shiki Monthly Kukai Team