May 2007 Kukai

Kigo Theme: 

Dandelion

First Place -- 32 pts

dandelion fluff

a new mother caresses

her baby's head

Carmel Lively Westerman

(4,5,10) = 32 pts

Second Place -- 23 pts

sharing my plan

to travel the world —

dandelion

Cherie Hunter Day

(2,6,5) = 23 pts

Third Place -- 22 pts

either side

of the privacy fence

dandelions

tom painting

(0,4,14) = 22 pts

Fourth Place -- 21 pts

dandelion

a butterfly stops

anyway

Ann K. Schwader

(2,4,7) = 21 pts

I enjoyed this. Nature knows best.

A very light touch to this one.

Fifth Place -- 13 pts

on both sides

of the train whistle —

dandelions

Boris Nazansky

(0,3,7) = 13 pts

Sixth Place -- 12 pts

no matter

where I look...

dandelions

Ana Cadarin

(0,4,4) = 12 pts

sister-in-law

she tells me dandelion

is a weed

Roberta Beary

(0,4,4) = 12 pts

morning light

a dandelion bouquet

on my pillow

Beth Powell

(0,2,8) = 12 pts

Seventh Place -- 11 pts

dandelions gone to seed

mind full

of afterthoughts

Francine Banwarth

(1,3,2) = 11 pts

dandelion wine

the grandfather

retells his story

bre 

(1,1,6) = 11 pts

dandelion wind

a child's laughter

crosses the meadow

Bill Kenney

(0,3,5) = 11 pts

what else to say...

a dandelion

beside the road

Israel López Balan

(0,2,7) = 11 pts

Earth Day

the neighbor shares

her dandelions

George Hawkins

(0,2,7) = 11 pts

Eighth Place -- 10 pts

palsied man by window —

in a spider web

dandelion seed

Dorota Pyra

(1,2,3) = 10 pts

seedless dandelion . . .

a child blowing it

anyway

Collin Barber

(1,0,7) = 10 pts

at the zoo

a little girl stoops

to pick a dandelion

Ben Gieske

(0,4,2) = 10 pts

Ninth Place -- 9 pts

finger to her lips —

dandelions in

a paper cup

Tish Davis

(2,0,3) = 9 pts

noonday sun

a dandelion galaxy

in the vacant lot

Barbara Snow

(1,1,4) = 9 pts

love necklace

a dandelion trembles

on her heartbeat

This fine haiku gave me goosebumps.

Ron Moss

(1,1,4) = 9 pts

after so many years

lower than the mower blades

dandelion flowers

Bill Hudson

(1,0,6) = 9 pts

May Day —

small fistful of

dandelion flowers

Nancy Nitrio

(0,2,5) = 9 pts

Tenth Place -- 8 pts

after dad's funeral

his dandelions

in full bloom

soji

(1,0,5) = 8 pts

"his dandelions" tells us a lot about the dead father's personality.

spring date

tasting the down

of dandelion

Lech Szeglowski

(0,3,2) = 8 pts

sun rise —

the dandelions flowering

among the ruins

miorita

(0,2,4) = 8 pts

dandelion fluff

parachuting seeds

over enemy lawns

Neil Muscott

(0,2,4) = 8 pts

last week of school —

not a single dandelion

in right field

DeVar

(0,2,4) = 8 pts

Eleventh Place -- 7 pts

sunny day —

the dandelion undoes

without haste

Jordi Climent

(1,1,2) = 7 pts

pushing up

through a pavement crack

dandelion

Ruth Powell

(0,3,1) = 7 pts

You can't keep a good dandelion down.

truck

a dandelion

so bald

Jacek M.

(0,3,1) = 7 pts

in the meadow —

dandelions

and a windmill

Marica Kolcheva

(0,3,1) = 7 pts

traffic jam —

dandelions and cow parsley

in full bloom

max verhart

(0,2,3) = 7 pts

Nothing else to do but admire whatever scenery there is.

Twelfth Place -- 6 pts

I spin in the sun

dandelion in my hands

a child once again

Deirdre Godwin

(1,0,3) = 6 pts

raven hair

a dandelion seed halts

just for a moment

RaV

(0,2,2) = 6 pts

dandelion

I make a wish

and blow

Meredith Stern Cavalieri

(0,2,2) = 6 pts

dandelions

the little girl blows

soap bubbles

Petar Tchouhov

(0,2,2) = 6 pts

The thought of this little girl grown up fills me with dread.

city commute

when did the daffodils

become dandelions?

Dan Schwerin

(0,2,2) = 6 pts

windy evening

among the tufts of grass

bald dandelions

Mateusz Sionkowski

(0,1,4) = 6 pts

windless afternoon —

dandelion seeds

on her lips

majka

(0,1,4) = 6 pts

gusts of wind

now in the neighbor's yard

my dandelions

Kate Creighton

(0,1,4) = 6 pts

The pivot nicely suggests the kind of movement the haiku is about, and "my dandelions" is amusing.

Thirteenth Place -- 5 pts

before he reaches me

the dandelion fluff

gone

w. f. owen

(1,0,2) = 5 pts

southern breeze

the dandelion seeds drift

across the lawn

RD McManes

(0,2,1) = 5 pts

lone house in moonlight —

dandelions' lamps shed light

over the yard

D.V. Rozic

(0,2,1) = 5 pts

it has all led

to this autumn moon —

dandelion wine

Thomas Heffernan

(0,2,1) = 5 pts

twilight

blowing dandelions

at the Big Dipper

Alison K

(0,2,1) = 5 pts

bright stars

the bold dandelions

staring back

Audrey Downey

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

dandelion greens

the wooden bowl

glistens with oil

Patricia Boutilier

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

Very simple yet evocative.

dandelion clock — 

an old lady's

careful hairdo

Kathy Earsman

(0,0,5) = 5 pts

peeking up

through the formal garden —

a dandelion

Barbara Campitelli

(0,0,5) = 5 pts

Fourteenth Place -- 4 pts

Mother's Day

a few dandelion leaves

in the salad

Alice Frampton

(1,0,1) = 4 pts

sins forgiven...

a dandelion clock lifts

from the cathedral lawn

ed markowski

(1,0,1) = 4 pts

dandelion ghosts . . .

your kiss

before the lie

Kathy Lippard Cobb

(1,0,1) = 4 pts

Dandelion gift —

my young son sees flowers

not weeds.

Shelley Krause

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

A nice tribute to children.

my toddler —

even a dandelion puff-ball

ends in his mouth

Zhanna P. Rader

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

lawn mowing done —

on a missed dandelion

a butterfly alights

Tom Maretic

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

mud season

the road ditch brightened

by dandelions

Bruce Ross

(0,0,4) = 4 pts

new subdivision —

dandelions greet

the neighbours

Mike Montreuil

(0,0,4) = 4 pts

lank washing line

cobwebs and towels gather

dandelion seeds

Jamie Edgecombe

(0,0,4) = 4 pts

lost friendship —

after flowering, how bitter

the dandelion milk

Nancy Smith

(0,0,4) = 4 pts

Fifteenth Place -- 3 pts

granddaughter sits down

to face a dandelion

unaware of weeds

Harvey Jenkins

(1,0,0) = 3 pts

dawn after the ball

only one dandelion

between the wind

MarKo

(1,0,0) = 3 pts

over the fence

how democratic it is

~dandelion fluff

doris kasson

(1,0,0) = 3 pts

she searches a quiet

field for dandelions —

her mother wears black

Sherry Weaver Smith

(1,0,0) = 3 pts

shamelessly yellow

May's dandelions

unhinge the orchard

~Ed Higgins

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

breezy afternoon...

a blown dandelion

returns to dust

Rita Odeh

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

those summer breezes…

being carried away

with dandelions

arkady elterman

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

Blooming meadows

with yellow "stars"

Dandelions in all their glory

Edith

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

far ,far away

not even a dandelion —

the prisoner

Maria

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

the magic

in a dandelion clock

fairy godmother

Susan Constable

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

dandelion milk

little circles

all over your bare back

shanna

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

her skirt

changes from green to white

a dandelion day

Pris Campbell

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

The dandelions

wave like white paper lanterns

in a green night.

Reni Bg

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

first spring —

she plucks a dandelion crown

from my beard

Colin Stewart Jones

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

Dandelion fluff

scatters as she speaks

without punctuation

Paul Pfleuger, Jr.

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

winter dust

and pressed dandelions

fall from my bird guide

- frederick gier

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

dandelion

on the dirt road

tire tracks

Sjs

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

looking at the sky

dandelions with haircuts

oh, that wind, that wind

Jasminka Nadaskic Diordievic

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

plucked

one by one...

dandelions

David Boyer

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

Free Format Theme:

Of the Animal World

First Place -- 26 pts

old dog

up the stairs

in my arms

Roberta Beary

(2,6,8) = 26pts

Second Place -- 24 pts

his guide dog

bolts from room to room —

funeral day

Mary Davila

(1,5,11) = 24 pts

Third Place -- 23 pts

bird song

the motionless shadow

of the cat

Petar Tchouhov

(1,4,12) = 23 pts

Between the potency and the act .

Fourth Place -- 19 pts

wolf's howl

the heat of the campfire

on our faces

ed markowski

(1,5,6) = 19 pts

Fifth Place -- 16 pts

dead baby bird

floating in my pond

one eye on the sky

Yositaka

(2,2,6) = 16 pts

Sixth Place -- 15 pts

in the mouth

of my puppy the tongue

of my expensive shoe

Ana Cadarin

(1,2,8) = 15 pts

Nice echoing of the two tongues.

Seventh Place -- 14 pts

animal shelter 

again

I leave alone

arkady elterman

(1,3,5) = 14 pts

** I know this feeling

Eighth Place -- 12 pts

Before death

the old cat

sharpens her claws

Paul Pfleuger, Jr.

(1,3,3) = 12 pts

dusty morning —

four sparrows splash

in car wash water

~ Isabelle Prondzynski

(1,1,7) = 12 pts

morning light —

a stray sheep returns 

to the pasture

Rita Odeh

(0,1,10) = 12 pts

Ninth Place -- 11 pts

spring rain

the high stepping trot

of a young deer

Bruce Ross

(2,1,3) = 11 pts

a flying crow

has something in its beak 

the silence

DeVar

(1,1,6) = 11 pts

door chime 

the dog's tail finds

our glasses

George Hawkins

(0,3,5) = 11 pts

Tenth Place -- 10 pts

my pansies —

their sweet colors disappear

in a deer's mouth

Zhanna P. Rader

(2,1,2) = 10 pts

afternoon sun

the season's first black snake

curls in my palm

-- Karen Cesar

(1,2,3) = 10 pts

Gray whale — 

we both gasp for air

then he's gone

-- LGD

(1,2,3) = 10 pts

in the sunset surf

flinging wet sparks...

an Irish setter

Barbara Snow

(1,1,5) = 10 pts

dinosaur track —

I walk the same stretch

ages later

max verhart

(0,2,6) = 10 pts

Stretches the topic in an entirely legitimate way. Walking in the track of the dinosaur ages later nicely encapsulates the theme of unity and diversity in a universe at once vast and intimate. A touch of Zen.

Eleventh Place -- 9 pts

mockingbird 

earthworms the color

of tilled soil

jblain

(1,2,2) = 9 pts

** I can almost taste the earthworms. Powerfully sensuous, a real winner. following

the cat's gaze...

a yellow sickle moon

--Kameshwara Rao

(1,1,4) = 9 pts

flies buzzing . . . 

the cow licks both

its nostrils

Collin Barber

(0,2,5) = 9 pts

Twelfth Place -- 8 pts

photo shoot

somewhere a deer

full of geraniums

Susan Constable

(1,2,1) = 8 pts

mountain lake

the night air fills the loon's call

martin (1,2,1) = 8 pts

afternoon heat —

up the hill, a donkey carries

its wounds and its flies

Tom Maretic

(1,1,3) = 8 pts

between

two rains

meadowlark

Ann K. Schwader

(0,3,2) = 8 pts

slap

of the beaver's tail

-dark ripples

Beth Powell

(0,2,4) = 8 pts

Thirteenth Place -- 7 pts

so far so close —

on the phone

also birds

Israel López Balan 

(1,0,4) = 7 pts

dog and cat

eat from the same plate

... my plate

jul

(0,0,7) = 7 pts

Fourteenth Place -- 6 pts

a trail of holes...

the memory

of squirrels

carol pearce

(1,1,1) = 6 pts

my pleasure

is in treetops

.....singing

miriam chaikin

(1,1,1) = 6 pts

behind the ducks

sunset

in the ripples to shore

Kate Creighton

(0,1,4) = 6 pts

amidst the cows

making kamikaze dives

a shrieking lapwing

marlène buitelaar

(0,2,2) = 6 pts

Fifteenth Place -- 5 pts

playtime

the tortoise retracts

from a toddlers fingers

Carmel Lively Westerman

(1,0,2) = 5 pts

serving time

a gorilla yawns ~

city zoo

Gautam Nadkarni

(0,2,1) = 5 pts

noon at the lake —

the quick dartings

of a lizard

P. O. Williams

(0,2,1) = 5 pts

there's no escape . . .

I must step on harmless ants

to take the nature trail

-- Richard Kay

(0,2,1) = 5 pts

afterglow

a cricket song

fills the stillness

RaV

(0,0,5) = 5 pts

no wind in the pines 

the owl's

moon cry

Francine Banwarth

(0,0,5) = 5 pts

Sunday in the park 

a pigeon ignores the dog

straining at the leash

Bill Kenney 

(0,0,5) = 5 pts

Sixteenth Place -- 4 pts

And the old man

gets on his ox again. 

Soon it'll snow.

Horst Ludwig

(1,0,1) = 4 pts

endangered species

is it cruel or kindly

to keep you encaged?

Deirdre Godwin

(1,0,1) = 4 pts

Praying Mantis

Beautiful, graceful, deadly

Eaten by Toad

-Yoshi

(0,2,0) = 4 pts

bird bath

the catbird chases away

a thirsty sparrow

Audrey Downey

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

side of the freeway ~

a horse

completely still

Paul Hodder

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

swollen nose —

the bear rips apart

each beehive

Edward

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

swarming moths

a bat pick its prey

under a streetlight

Polona

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

colt and fawn

stretching under the fence 

for greener grass

- frederick gier

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

mother's day —

the soft gaze of a doe

as she chews

ami

(0,0,4) = 4 pts

carousel —

squirrels chase each other

around the oak

Laurene

(0,0,4) = 4 pts

Seventeenth Place -- 3 pts

bald eagle family 

with or without a webcam

presents the same stare.

Harvey Jenkins

(1,0,0) = 3 pts

hurt pigeon

in the calm air a cry

of one more gull

Dorota Pyra

(1,0,0) = 3 pts

bear looks down

the last time

salmons swim upstream

Lech Szeglowski

(1,0,0) = 3 pts

horses too

follow the leader 

roadside pasture

Chandra Bales

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

Dead Butterfly —

flies by each

Breeze

Reza Aerabi

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

we brake for a doe

followed by her fawn-

the ferry road

Ida Freilinger 

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

spring exercise —

the miniature poodle

following his master

Barbara Campitelli 

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

after the rain...

two crows pick and chose

the best worms

Mike Montreuil

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

lunch break —

a gaggle of sparrows

in front of cafe

majka

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

the moist nose

of the lost Labrador

just touching

Dr. Thomas Heffernan

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

General Comments:

I was drawn especially to those entries that (1) involved interaction between animals of the same or different species or (2) absorbed the human into the animal.

Another good round, it's a heartache to eliminate some of th