May 2006 Kukai

Kigo Theme: 

Long Day

First Place -- 26 pts

long day— 

she washes tomorrow's rice

in the dark

Scott Metz

(2,6,8) = 26 pts

Second Place -- 19 pts

long day

the dog's chain wrapped

around the tree

Earl Keener

(0,4,11) = 19 pts

Third Place -- 16 pts

long day— 

grandma takes

a second nap

Zhanna P. Rader

(1,3,7) = 16 pts

Fourth Place -- 15 pts

long day— 

the snake curled

in a rooster's shadow

dustin neal

(1,3,6) = 15 pts

a long day

the spider's web

begins to sag

doris kasson

(0,2,11) = 15 pts

Fifth Place -- 14 pts

his last shingle covers

a spot of moonlight...

the long day

ed markowski

(1,3,5) = 14 pts

Comment: wish I had more points to give to this one. It is totally excellent! Perfect ah-ha moment

Sixth Place -- 12 pts

the long day

in the widow's eyes

longer still

Darrell Lindsey

(0,2,8) = 12 pts

Seventh Place -- 11 pts

long day

the lover's share a pull

of saltwater taffy

Tom Painting

(1,3,2) = 11 pts

Eighth Place -- 10 pts

long day— 

the night cricket

on all channels

Lorin

(1,3,1) = 10 pts

another long day

only the coolness of

a snail track

angelee deodhar

(0,3,4) = 10 pts

Ninth Place -- 9 pts

long day

the edge of the road

blurred by rain

Laryalee Fraser

(1,1,4) = 9 pts

long day . . .

my neighbor's off-key song

crystal clear

Kala Ramesh

(1,0,6) = 9 pts

a long day— 

still I dream

of more light

Linda Marucci

(0,3,3) = 9 pts

long day...

dragging the lawn chair

to the last bit of sun

Paul R

(0,2,5) = 9 pts

Tenth Place -- 8 pts

long day

counting pearls

on her string

Denise Lizarraga

(1,2,1) = 8 pts

after a long day

coming out of the subway

the scent of lilacs

Kate Creighton

(1,2,1) = 8 pts

long day

cabbage butterflies

in pairs

susan delphine delaney

(1,0,5) = 8 pts

after the long day

crumpled wedding dress

lies on the floor

Maria Kowal

(0,2,4) = 8 pts

long day

the milk bottle

sweats

Allan Burns

(0,2,4) = 8 pts

long day

summer flowers all over

her dress

max verhart

(0,1,6) = 8 pts

Eleventh Place -- 7 pts

long day

grape tendrils reach 

and curl

Mark Hollingsworth

(1,2,0) = 7 pts

long day

the road goes on

and on

Grzegorz Sionkowski

(1,1,2) = 7 pts

long day

shadows fade

into twilight

Bill Kenney

(0,2,3) = 7 pts

long day

the first lawnmower

at dawn

-- ushi

(0,2,3) = 7 pts

long day

swallows inspect

their old nest

lucindab

(0,2,3) = 7 pts

long day ...

shadows stretch

to touch the dusk

shanna

(0,2,3) = 7 pts

broken mower

a long day

gets shorter

Dave Bacharach

(0,2,3) = 7 pts

the long day

two gardeners chatting

over the fence

Ruth Franke

(0,1,5) = 7 pts

long day— 

a melted popsicle

on the sidewalk

Israel López Balan

(0,1,5) = 7 pts

Twelfth Place -- 6 pts

longest day— 

the faded blinds

of the old people's home

Paul Hodder

(0,2,2) = 6 pts

one hatched egg

a long day

begins

smzang

(0,1,4) = 6 pts

long day— 

the sun goes to bed

after I do

Vaughn Seward

(0,0,6) = 6 pts

Thirteenth Place -- 5 pts

long day—

happy to see my old friends,

the earthworms

--Irene Golas

(0,2,1) = 5 pts

long day

the first kick

of the evening drink

RaV

(0,2,1) = 5 pts

stick by stick

the house sparrows knit

the minutes of the long day

Suzume Shi

(0,2,1) = 5 pts

long day . . .

the sun dips

into the sea

Kathy Lippard Cobb

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

a long day — 

from eaves to the ground

spider's thread

---Derwisz

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

long day — 

the snail finally reaches

an iris bloom

Warren Gossett

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

the long day

our house finch

sings an encore

Barbara Campitelli

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

long day—

the night air smells

of skunk

Paul Hunter

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

long day

her lilac skirt falls

over hot stone

j blain

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

long day

poplar seeds drift past

the office window

polona o.

(0,0,5) = 5 pts

Fourteenth Place -- 4 pts

long day . . .

frustration wrinkles

across his forehead

Marie Summers

(1,0,1) = 4 pts

a long day...

in the rubbish heap

her ginger braid

---baldhead

(1,0,1) = 4 pts

a long rainy day— 

petals of our cherry

blossom in the grass

D.V.Rozic

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

a long day

two small morels

sizzle in butter

Edward

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

long rainy day — 

a snail reaches the tip

of the iris leaf

Origa

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

Fifteenth Place -- 3 pts

spring wedding

a cold, gray drizzle

makes for a long day

soji

(1,0,0) = 3 pts

above the road

a raven plays the thermal

end to a long day

Chandra Bales

(1,0,0) = 3 pts

waiting...

my friend will die

...the longest day

Rose Marie Stutts, EdD

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

long day

the ball a bit bigger

than the sun

Petar Tchouhov

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

long day

the Narwhal swims

belly up

martin

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

long day

flashes of sunlight

on a cyclist's shorts

Mary Stevens

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

long day — 

a bee lingers near

the apple blossoms

Bruce Feingold

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

Comments:

"Just thought I'd say that this was the best bunch of kigo haiku I've seen from the list in a long time. Hard to vote!"

"It was really difficult this month, lots of wonderful haikus (and at times, a decidedly western take on the kigo "long day"). It took some time to pare my choices down ..."

"Thanks guys, a very interesting mixture of ideas..."

"Thanks. This kigo produced a lot of good poems."

"tough choices as always"

"All of these are great ..."

Free Format Theme:

Bucket or Pail

First Place -- 29 pts

sand pail . . .

the toddler scoops the sea

with a teaspoon

Kathy Lippard Cobb

(3,4,12) = 29 pts

Second Place -- 25 pts

day's end

a bunch of daisies

in his bait pail

Tom Painting

(0,7,11) = 25 pts

Third Place -- 23 pts

temple gate —

a blind beggar’s pail fills

with blossoms

Kala Ramesh

(1,6,8) = 23 pts

Fourth Place -- 21 pts

old pea field —

the rusted bucket full

of grandpa's shadow

dustin neal

(0,7,7) = 21 pts

Fifth Place -- 18 pts

sheet lightning

the upside down bucket

starts drumming

RaV

(1,4,7) = 18 pts

"Very best of the bucket turned musical instrument ku, show don't tell"

Sixth Place -- 17 pts

an empty pail

I too

am lonely

smzang

(0,4,9) = 17 pts

old bucket

new

mosquitoes

William M. Gottlieb

(0,4,9) = 17 pts

"Wonderful... gets the point across! Awesome!"

Seventh Place -- 16 pts

carwash —

a butterfly circles

the yellow pail

Israel López Balan

(0,3,10) = 16 pts

"Good example of show, don't tell. Butterfly looking for water."

Eighth Place -- 13 pts

Hong Kong market —

the scraping of crab claws

in the pail

Beverley George

(1,3,4) = 13 pts

adobe bucket

mosquitoes rise

out of the sun

martin

(1,1,8) = 13 pts

Ninth Place -- 12 pts

new moon

the old pail

empty

Petar Tchouhov

(1,1,7) = 12 pts

Tenth Place -- 10 pts

after the vet's

squeaky toys silent

in the red pail

roberta beary

(2,0,4) = 10 pts

"...sad, but well written"

hard rain

tadpoles in the pail

grow legs

Melanie Alberts

(1,0,7) = 10 pts

night rain

the waning moon slips

into the bucket

polona o.

(0,3,4) = 10 pts

window cleaning

the bucket lands

before I do

-- lucindab

(0,1,8) = 10 pts

"cute and funny"

Eleventh Place -- 9 pts

corner florist —

last lily in his pail

sold for a kiss

~Devika

(0,1,7) = 9 pts

murky day —

the garden bucket

upside down

Origa

(0,2,5) = 9 pts

Twelfth Place -- 8 pts

home from vacation

the ocean's smell clings

to the toy pail

Agnes Eva Savich

(0,3,2) = 8 pts

two earthworms

in the compost bucket —

moving day

--Irene Golas

(0,2,4) = 8 pts

"Delightful! Reader gets put into the composter's position of seeing the earthworm's as having a forced moving day."

late afternoon —

a hungry cat circles

my fishing pail

Tristan Coleridge

(0,2,4) = 8 pts

Thirteenth Place -- 6 pts

end of day

pink sand pail

floating in the tide pool

Denise Lizarraga

(1,0,3) = 6 pts

enchanting

the moon tonight quietly rests

in my pail

john tiong chunghoo

(0,3,0) = 6 pts

dinner in a bucket . . .

preferring breasts

over legs and thighs

Marie Summers

(0,2,2) = 6 pts

stopping to rest —

clouds settle

in the water pail

Paul Hodder

(0,2,2) = 6 pts

old wishing well —

an echo as the wooden pail

strikes deep water

Nancy Smith

(0,2,2) = 6 pts

Fourteenth Place -- 5 pts

cat tails following

the milk bucket

trail of anticipation

shanna

(0,2,1) = 5 pts

grandpa's farm

the first pail of milk

filled before sunrise

soji

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

fresh paint

a bucket of daisies

by the hearth

-Deborah P Kolodji

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

patchy grass

under the rain gutter

a dusty bucket

doris kasson

(0,0,5) = 5 pts

family picnic —

a pailful of melons

cools in the stream

angelee deodhar

(0,0,5) = 5 pts

Fifteenth Place -- 4 pts

bathing with a bucket

and a cup —

leader of the coup

citygirl

(1,0.1) = 4 pts

"Absolutely fantastic. Definitely a "show don't tell", and concise! How the mighty have fallen! I can't say enough good things about this one."

first light

a loaf of snow

in the garden trug

susan delphine delaney

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

the bucket hits

against the well wall —

scattered stars

Tom

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

dented pail

still causing ripples

in the well

max verhart

(0,0,4) = 4 pts

Sixteenth Place -- 3 pts

little sand pail shako

pretend trumpet... marching

I watch her not the band

Rose Marie Stutts, EdD

(1,0,0,) = 3 pts

fishing boats climb waves

deck hands bend over tin buckets

clouds wear black robes

Carole A. Borges

(1,0,0) = 3 pts

the gardener holds

a pail of tadpoles

April clouds

Bruce Ross

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

beside his shoes

a bucket of green frogs

seeking shade

Chandra Bales

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

vernal equinox

the rust-eaten bucket

half full of water

-- Derwisz

((0,1,1) = 3 pts

phone call —

my grandson finds

the paint bucket

Laryalee Fraser

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

roadside fruit stand —

buckets of peaches stop

passing motorists

Zhanna P. Rader

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

home from the picnic

with empty pails

and blueberry smiles

Paul R

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

"Says it all. Best of the berry picking haiku."

a frog inhabits

the waterspout bucket —

spring rain

Warren Gossett

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

summer night

the Moon hiding the stars

in a bucket of water

Zeljka Vucinic-Jambresic

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

three day rain

the ash bucket

overflowing

Rap

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

grandpa’s house —

standing on a pail

to reach a water glass

aom (tim)

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

Comments:

"...a lot of smiles in the free format section.... I think we'll have chicken and beer for dinner tonight!"

"...this excellent batch of poems!"

"Another good subject."