June 2015 Kukai

Kigo Theme:

SCREEN 

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First Place -  22 Points

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autumn dusk

a cat-shaped darkness

at the screen door

Ignatius Fay

(1,6,7) = 22 pts

**Immediately attractive and a clear mental picture.

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Second Place -   20 Points

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stitched by a spider | the screen door hole

Svend A. Doggfall

(2,3,8) = 20 pts

** The waste-free ecology of life’s great round.

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Third Place -   19 Points

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window screen -

the sound of crickets

fills the room

Israel López Balan

(1,2,12) = 19 pts

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 17 Points

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wind in the maples

only shadows come and go

through the screen door

Garry Eaton

(2,1,9) = 17 pts

**Ah, so wonderful how this poem captures a moment and then another and another with those shadows coming and going against the backdrop of blowing maple leaves keeping time. A strong sense of waiting… for what, for whom… Beautiful haiku!

mosquito night

the sudden slap

of a screen door

Bill Kenney

(0,5,7) = 17 pts

**I really enjoy the reverse “slap” in this poem – very unexpected and a nice surprise!

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 16 Points

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gathering moths

. . . the moon

in the screen door

Michael McClintock

(0,4,8) = 16 pts

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 15 Points

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window screen

the thin connection

between our kisses

Ernesto P. Santiago

Solano, Philippines

(0,5,5) = 15 pts

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 14 Points

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dawn...

on the window screen

sunlit dew

Tony Nasuta

(0,5,4) = 14 pts

**A privileged moment beautifully caught.

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13  Points

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bedridden

through the window screen

scent of fresh cut hay

Phlo Ryan

(0,3,7) = 13 pts

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 12 Points

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bits of moon

through the screen

she waits. . .

Samar Ghose

Australia

(1,3,3) = 12 pts

a luna moth

beating against the screen

moonless night

Natalia Kuznetsova

Russia

(0,4,4) = 12 pts

**There is such a yearning in this poem. Unfortunately, I ran out of points.

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11  Points

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a meshed moon

through the hospice window-

last few days

-Kashinath Karmakar

India

(0,3,5) = 11 pts

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10  Points

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old wooden door

we leave mother

alone

Ken Sawitri

Jakarta, Indonesia

(1,2,3) = 10 pts

**struck a deep chord from my childhood and brings an unexpected twist to the kigo. Protective screening - my siblings and I knew what a closed door meant!

between me

and the jasmine-

the screen door

Vidya S Venkatramani,Chennai,INDIA

(0,2,6) = 10 pts

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 9 Points

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screen twilight

the baby turns to

the other breast

Roberta Beary

(1,1,4) = 9 pts

hospice light

another moth

plucks the screen

Michele L. Harvey

New York, USA

(0,2,5) = 9 pts

one of us

on the other side -

screen door fly

Sandi Pray

USA

(0,1,7) = 9 pts

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8  Points

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blind side

of the screen door

all of her

Paul Hodder

(1,1,3) = 8 pts

**gave me a chill down my spine!

first light through shoji

the splash of spring water

on white pebbles

Beverley George

(1,1,3) = 8 pts

**I think I have been there...!

^^ A real moment. I love waking up in rural Japan

Dad's golden years-

more holes than screen

in the old front door

Laurene

(0,2,4) = 8 pts

** The alchemy of aging at home with the familiar even as the dross of separation melts away.

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 7 Points

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midnight whispers

leaning on my window screen

a clematis vine

Ajaya Mahala,

Pune, India

(1,0,4) = 7 pts

shadows in the playroom

I miss the bang

of the screen door

Harvey Jenkins

(0,2,3) = 7 pts

castanets...

raindrops do a tap dance

on the screen

Gautam Nadkarni

(0,2,3) = 7 pts

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6  Points

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junebugs

my cat stationed

at the screen door

Beth Powell

(1,1,1) = 6 pts

on the Wurlitzer

the sound of Elvis skipping

through the old screen door

-Priscilla Cook

(0,3,0) = 6 pts

some things in

some things out

window screen

Barbara Campitelli

(0,2,2) = 6 pts

new window screen --

I only see

the squares of moon

James Dobson,

Prudhoe, UK.

(0,2,2) = 6 pts

twilight dawn...

last evenings Luna

still on the screen

S.E. Buffington

(0,2,2) = 6 pts

window screen-

a cloud leaves a doodle

of rain

sanjuktaa

(0,1,4) = 6 pts

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 5 Points

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shadow puppets —

that what is seen

is not what is

Vinay Leo R.

(0,2,1) = 5 pts

dancing leaves

baby's first glimpse

of summer breeze

Shalini Sunkuru

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

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 4 Points

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shaft of sunlight-

as one door closes

another opens

Arvinder Kaur

Chandigarh,India

(1,0,1) = 4 pts

the third week

the old screen door falls

off its hinges

Nancy Smith

(0,2,0) = 4 pts

Evening class late

a fat moth keeps fluttering

at the window screen

Horst Ludwig

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

disentangling

the cat from the screen

...mockingbird

Diane Mayr

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

new window screens--

how loud the sound of one

mosquito inside

Bridget Cougar

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

old letters

insects jewel

the window screen

Earl Keener

(0,0,4) = 4 pts

the howling

of the screen door's hinge ...

ghosts of summer

S.M. Abeles

Washington, DC

(0,0,4) = 4 pts

** Shades of Norman Rockwell.

porch light glow

two June bugs mating

on the screen door

Stevie Strang

(0,0,4) = 4 pts

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3 Points

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breaking through the screen

saving my pet cat from dogs

four summers ago

Tanja Cilia

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

hole in my screen

mosquito has freedom

to hunt me

Mike Warner

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

dark night

Bogongs banging

on the screen door

Barbara A. Taylor

Mountain Top, NSW

Australia

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

sudden rain --

net curtains wafting

in the windows

~ Isabelle Prondzynski

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

**This lovely picture reminds me of a childhood illness when I had only to feel and watch the elements aflutter until mother healed me.

street fight...

the window b l i n d s

no longer blind

Shrikaanth Krishnamurthy

Birmingham, UK

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

all-night vigil

June bugs thwack

the window screen

Terri L. French, US

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

bedroom…

the box elder bugs mate

on the window screen

Cyndi Lloyd

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

behind closed doors

the old prospector sieves

a summer breeze

Hansha

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

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 2 Points

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new screen door

sweet breeze

of summer

Bill Pauly

(0,1,0) = 2 pts

retracted screen door

the widow’s chignon

unloosens

Alegria Imperial

(0,1,0) = 2 pts

**There is something mysterious and sensual about this haiku.

closed door-

the Hermit singing

his loneliness

Rita Odeh

Haifa, Israel

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

summer moon at the screen mosquitoes

Carol Pearce-Worthington

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

screen door

the teen couple

takes a "selfie"

Dawn Apanius

USA

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

rain-dappled lake

child presses his face

onto the cabin screen

Doris

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

new window screens

his back porch becomes

a nightly hotspot

Edward

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

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 One Points

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The mist of dusk

fell like a pastel scrim

over the crystal peaks.

Robert C. Howard

Belleville IL

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

poignant memories

of a screen door

from my youth

Tom Conally

Gibsonville, NC

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

screen

a scream thru

the nite

oga

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

car wash

dad commends

newspaper

Ralf Bröker

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

no screen-

the oldsters unwilling

to strain their voices

Kirsty Karkow

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

knocks on the window –

the first of cherry blossoms

of my dear old tree

Daniela Bullas

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

summer, the angry slam

of the screen door

over and over

Bill Hudson

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

my dog's faith

the swing

of a screen door

Alan S. Bridges

Littleton, Massachusetts

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

a bug looks at me

left wide open

window screen

Yukiko Yamada

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

summer sunlight

dancing upon the screen...

jubilant voices

Keith A. Simmonds

Rodez, FRANCE

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

twilight

behind the roman blind

shrill swift's calls

Marta Chocilowska

Poland

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

still images

move 'cross the screen...

a critic is born

Pat Geyer

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

training the new girl--

the fretting wasp caught

behind the screen

Chandra Bales

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

a hole in the screen

my son goes in search

of duct tape

Ruth Powell

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

Stained-glass windows -

the gentle storm of

Gregorian chants

(Ramona)

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

mosquitoes

cling to the window screen…

thunder rolls

D W Skrivseth

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

my night work -

an Io moth on the door screen

for company

Anonymous

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

window shopping --

I vision her

in every neck halter

Kumarendra Mallick

Hyderabad India

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

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No Points This Time, Sorry.

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family meeting -

the sliding door screen

comes in-between us

Ana Drobot

(Bucharest, Romania)

seepage through screen

scented air fans in silence

liquid moonlight

Binnoo

India

jailed raindrops

consoling her home-prisonment

window screen!

Munia Khan

Dhaka, Bangladesh

june morning

even the door screen

has green laughter

Oddbjørn Aardalen

a hungry kitten

hangs from the twisted

screen door

Anonymous

all day the screen door slams

told you a thousand times

sneaker thunder fading shrieks

F.J. Bergmann

climbing ivy

clings to the screen

peeping in

Bernard Gieske

kittens wanting in

their silhouettes

climbing the screen door

rose marie Stutts

 he reaches for the cookie-jar -

she smiles

behind a screen of tears

John McDonald

Edinburgh Scotland

bird song at dawn

warm breeze through tent screen

no snooze button

Mark A. Fisher

clinging to the screen

orange cat peers in window

unlikely insect

Deirdre Godwin

standing behind

the window bars observes

shapes in fog

--Ram Krishna Singh

Dhanbad, India

a fight outside

the mosquito screen

who will have the first first?

purush-nolensvilleTN

fly on the window

of the dentist’s chair

just a pane, freedom

Donna Bauerly

Dubuque, IA

screens

keeping insects out

and me inside

Gerry B.

(Canada)

screen door

flies come in

but not out

DeVar

on the windshield rainbow of sunflowers

Ramesh Anand

opening the door –

my father gives me a bouquet

of corn flowers

Miorita

 stormy night

sliding door shields

sun-ripe tomatoes

Frances O'Keeffe

morning or evening

reach my opened window

summer fragrances

Dorota Ocińska - Karin (Łódź, POLAND)

light brightens

peeping from screens

kind soul

-- Nimi Arora

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General Comments:

 **Many types of screen (and none) appeared in this competition. It is always good to be reminded that there are many more kigo and topics for haiku, and this one was a (welcome) challenge!

 **Some good kukai in this batch but quite a prevalence of "telling" instead of "showing", too. Thanks again for this chance to read and vote on a few haiku,

 **Excellent entries, hard to "screen."

 **I've refrained from jokes about screening the entries.

 **Thank you for always challenging us!

Free Format Theme:

INSECT METAMORPHOSIS 

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First Place -   28 Points

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butterfly

where do I

begin

Bill Kenney

(3,6,7) = 28 pts

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Second Place -  23 Points

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dragonfly nymph

my friend begins to speak

about her past

polona

(1,6,8) = 23 pts

**Love the dynamic of time beginning and the time that’s already past but also beginning by the sharing of it. Also, a hint of mystery. Beautifully rendered!

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Third Place -  18 Points

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mulberry dawn --

the silkworm reaches

its last leaf

James Dobson,

Prudhoe, UK.

(0,5,8) = 18 pts

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17 Points

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emerging

into a short dream...

the monarch

Rita Odeh

Haifa, Israel

(1,3,8) = 17 pts

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16 Points

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even before

she gets her wings

katydid

Carol Pearce-Worthington

(0,4,8) = 16 pts

**I like the writer's trust in the unsaid.

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14 Points

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imago...

the silent birth of wind

on wings

Alegria Imperial

(2,1,6) = 14 pts 

the closed door

of my daughter's room

chrysalis silk

Paul Hodder

(0,3,8) = 14 pts

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12 Points

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a cicada shell

full of night...the emptiness

that lingers

sanjuktaa

(0,3,6) = 12 pts

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11 Points

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empty chrysalis

all the dreams

we never fulfilled

Phlo Ryan

(0,2,7) = 11 pts

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10 Points

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Coming storm -

mosquito larva squirm

in the rain barrel

Laurene

(1,1,5) = 10 pts

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9 Points

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before my eyes

her gown slips away...

painted lady

Pat Geyer

(1,1,4) = 9 pts

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8 Points

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caterpillar

climbs the stone Buddha…

Mt Fuji

D W Skrivseth

(1,1,3) = 8 pts

**Such great images of varying scales represented in this haiku. I picture a huge stone Buddha, a Mt. Fuji to the caterpillar. This haiku really makes me stop and think about how we perceive things, especially those hurdles in life to overcome.

chrysalis —

the endlines of a lullaby

lost in a dream

Ajaya Mahala,

Pune, India

(0,2,4) = 8 pts

** Beautiful use of “l” alliteration in this haiku. That /l/ sound carries me right along into the dream. And of course, that splendid dream will end once the chrysalis breaks open.

cocooned by what I know these wings

Samar Ghose

Australia

(0,2,4) = 8 pts

**Oh yes, that “what I know for sure.” That faith in what is. Aptly put! Wish I had more points to give.

** A child’s innocent misconceptions about the mystery of life, death and lose. It reminds me of my professor father’s considerable annoyance when, as a very young child, I insisted on teaching him the correct words to the Christmas carol about the round young virgin.

**This one achieves lift-off and takes me along.

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7 Points

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a child laughs with glee

as I change a paper scrap

to a butterfly

Tom Conally

Gibsonville, NC

(1,2,0) = 7 pts

a chrysalis

still on the branch...

so late in the year

Tony Nasuta

(1,1,2) = 7 pts

** so poignant.

Milky Way’s light

a dung beetle guards

its brooding ball

Harvey Jenkins

(1,1,2) = 7 pts

planetary shift -

I look at the birthplace

of a stonefly

(Ramona)

(1,0,4) = 7 pts

flower bed --

a caterpillar unfolds itself

on a yellow leaf

~ christine akosa

(0,2,3) = 7 pts

still water --

the tadpole chases the shadow

of a dragonfly

Kumarendra Mallick

Hyderabad India

(0,2,3) = 7 pts

**I love how this poem captures a moment of possibility. Yes, when the water is still, there’s always a chase, happening either physically or in our minds. I wonder if the wording could have been reduced and line 2 ended on “chase” to more fully capture such an elusive pursuit. Perhaps something like this:

still water—

the tadpole chases

a dragonfly’s shadow

Overall, a wonderful haiku!

**From stillness through potential across species to fulfillment, and it all turns beautifully on "shadow."

** I do really like [this one].

despite its slightly overlong line 2

garden wedding

little girls chasing

butterflies

-Priscilla Cook

(0,1,5) = 7 pts

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6 Points

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reading in the garden

she becomes

a cocoon

Ken Sawitri

Jakarta, Indonesia

(0,2,2) = 6 pts

in a cocoon

waiting

for daylight

Barbara Campitelli

(0,2,2) = 6 pts

in from recess

the shy girl cradles

a monarch pupa

Bill Pauly

(0,1,4) = 6 pts

a full moon

more and more mosquitoes

out of the pond

DeVar

(0,1,4) = 6 pts

the butterfly

slips from the chrysalis

how soft my skin used to be

Cyndi Lloyd

(0,0,6) = 6 pts

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5 Points

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chrysalis

all that was left

in a nutshell

Ernesto P. Santiago

Philippines

(1,0,2) = 5 pts

chrysalis

the gypsy foresees

a mysterious journey

Anonymous

(1,0,2) = 5 pts

Monarch---

to think once it was a

caterpillar

--Kashinath Karmakar

India

(0,2,1) = 5 pts

** A twist on: the ants—former indras all.

sharing it

with the growing grubs --

last mango

~ Isabelle Prondzynski

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

**Wonderful feel of Issa in this poem! It made me think of all the times I’ve shared food bits with other species and how sacred it is “breaking bread” with others.

sudden wind --

a butterfly cocoon sways

on a feeble twig

~ oscar ochieng

(0,0,5) = 5 pts

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4 Points

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pit latrine --

I step at the maggots

on the wall

~ sheila imali

(1,0,1) = 4 pts

a cocoon in the shade

swarming with ants --

the heat!

Michael McClintock

(0,2,0) = 4 pts

stagnant buzz

... the first sounds

of growing up

Vinay Leo R.

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

brand-new day

discovering the world

with brand-new wings

Barbara A. Taylor

Mountain Top, NSW

Australia

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

in the secret pocket

of your butterfly dress

an empty chrysalis

Jon Espen Vassbotn

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

the butterfly chrysalis

in the rosebud

who unfolds first?

Oddbjørn Aardalen

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

seedling dies

in the seed bed

a grub

Yukiko Yamada

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

flutter

out of a cardboard box

first butterfly

Marta Chocilowska,

Poland

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

several larvae

on the mulberry leaves –

dreaming a silk scarf

Miorita

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

mother on tour-

I cocoon myself-

in her sari

Vidya S Venkatramani,

Chennai, INDIA

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

butterfly park -

a toddler's rounded eyes

at the emerging monarch

Zhanna P. Rader

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

moving the urn

a few inches west -

ant colony

Sandi Pray

USA

(0,0,4) = 4 pts

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3 Points

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psilocybin tea

the chrysalis still

beneath the eave

Earl Keener

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

leafless trees

the fluttering

of grey moths

Ruth Powell

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

larvae curls...

not so tough my journey

from darkness to light

Arvinder Kaur,

Chandigarh, India

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

**I appreciate the spiritual feeling in this haiku.

wooly bear slithers

beneath catalpa litter--

old timers talk winter

Doris Lynch

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

**I had to find a point for those three near-rhymes, so suitable to the theme.

stagnant water --

a lone mosquito larva

wiggles up and down

~ Patrick Wafula

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

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2 Points

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time for switching clothes -

from an egg to a silkworm,

cocoon and a moth

Daniela Bullas

(0,1,0) = 2 pts

night becomes day

caterpillar disappears

moth embraces the wind

Mike Warner

(0,1,0) = 2 pts

flashing in the pond

the minnows are trapped

in a fish net

Anonymous

(0,1,0) = 2 pts

butterfly hatches

an everyday miracle

that catches my breath

Deirdre Godwin

(0,1,0) = 2 pts

tent caterpillars

tethered to lifelines of silk

they consume the green

Gerry B.

(Canada)

(0,1,0) = 2 pts

in the shadows of leaves

a chrysalis

bides its time.

dsnake1

(0,1,0) = 2 pts

a butterfly

in Fuzzy's jar...

toddler tears

S.E. Buffington

(0,1,0) = 2 pts

Samsa on my mind

spading my rich garden soil

squishin' some larvae

Horst Ludwig

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

prom dresses -

an adult butterfly's days

are shorter

Ana Drobot

(Bucharest, Romania)

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

** Love the images in this one – beautiful, colorful prom dresses and butterflies.

cracked cocoon-

the luna moth free

to mate again

Kirsty Karkow

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

water strider

in its final stage

a bullfrog's lunch

maxianne

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

moonless night

the dramatic monologue

of a bagworm

Hansha

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

classroom wall --

a brittle dead caterpillar

in cobwebs

~ javan okeyo

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

children’s eyes

on teacher’s fingertips …

metamorphosis class

Ramesh Anand

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

chrysalis

no longer any need

for the shoes

in mother's closet

Stevie Strang

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

 ----------------------------------

One Point

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

trout leap

into a hatch

first of May

Michele L. Harvey

New York, USA

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

overnight

caterpillar to pupa

reassessing

Ignatius Fay

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

butterfly-to-be

granny's satin dress

hangs in the closet

Alan S. Bridges

Littleton, Massachusetts

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

Gregor's dying wish

he could have been a grasshopper

instead

Garry Eaton

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

** Yes, love the literary reference to Kafka’s story. And how fitting to our human nature wishing to be something other than we are or wishing things to be different than they are. What a great reminder on acceptance.

**clever .. ;-) wish I'd've thought of that!

butterfly

flitting into and out of

my imprisonment

S.M. Abeles

Washington, DC

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

a pupa cover

lands on my leather coat --

gentle wind

~ dennis shakava

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

chuckles...

a butterfly emerges

from the nursery rhyme

Shalini Sunkuru

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

resurrection

from the cocoon

butterfly

Frances O'Keeffe

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

she called him a worm

the final papers release

a tiger moth

Anonymous

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

a caterpillar

dangling upon a leaf

awaits the miracle

Keith A. Simmonds

Rodez, FRANCE

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

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

No Points This Time, Sorry.

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

Does the Blue Morpho

recall the chrysalis

that tinted its wings?

Robert C. Howard

Belleville IL

a salmon jumps

nymph at the end

of the day

oga

which of two futures;

scintillating butterfly

or a squashed pupa?

Tanja Cilia

billy witch

where have you been

all these years?

Ralf Bröker

luxurious home's

of silk, stone and wood

the periwinkle's

Bill Hudson

fullness of moon

day by day phase change towards

becoming butterfly

Binnoo

India

cruel transformation-

little naive pupa

becomes a bloodsucker!

Munia Khan

Dhaka, Bangladesh

a caterpillar

crawling ungracefully...

appearances

Natalia Kuznetsova

so long

your wonderful colors

undercover

Bernard Gieske

nightmare kitchen

cockroach antennae twitch

what will _it_ become?

F.J. Bergmann

cicada husks --

he trades three ‘Double Drummers’

for one ‘Black Prince’

Anonymous

summer school terrarium

the children watch...

caterpillars becoming butterflies

rose marie Stutts

ladybug instar

red striped monster

little swan child

Mark A. Fisher

naiad

in the deep brook pool

can't see the sky

Beth Powell

newly emerged

thick-as-my-thumb bumblebee

buried in goldenbanner

Jane DeJonghe

swampy water --

brown dragonfly larvae

hidden inside

~ ASSUMPTA MUTHEU

a green caterpillar

sways with mango leaves --

Komarock fence

~ andrew odinga

at the corner shelf

I brush off cockroach eggs --

school library

~ max kutai

her 11th summer-

in our bucket, we catch

naiads and crayfish

Anonymous

underdressed —

a ladybug

without her spots

Terri L. French, US

caterpillar

a desire to fly

drives the hunger

Edward

children count

the instars on milkweed leaves

math standard met? check

Diane Mayr

Pupa content

cocooned and cared

-life calls

-- Nimi Arora

second grade

assigned the Chrysalis

longed for Butterfly

Donna Bauerly

Dubuque, IA 

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General Comments:

**Despite the fact that the theme required a lot of focused thinking there were some very nice poems ! Shows our poets like challenges !

**Quite a biology lesson contained in this topic -- thank you!

 **Thanks again for this opportunity to read some good haiku and vote on some.

 **General Comment for Free Format Section: So many outstanding haiku! It was difficult choosing which ones to give points to. And I wish I would have had more time to comment on so many others.

 **I most often chose the quirky entries! Thanks for always emerging gloriously!

 **Thank you again for all you are doing to stimulate the students' minds and their powers of observation!