May 2009 Kukai

Kigo Theme: 

Berry

First Place — 34 points

raspberry patch

the neighbor boy

red-handed

tom painting

(3,7,11) = 34 pts

Second Place — 26 points

the taste of the dewdrop

before I bite

blueberry

Dorota Pyra

(2,4,12) = 26 pts

Third Place — 24 points

touring the farms

the sun sets in a glass

of elderberry wine

Garry Eaton

(4,3,6) = 24 pts

Fourth Place – 23 points

eye to eye

an ant on a blackberry

in my spoon

Barbara Snow

(2,6,5) = 23 pts

Fifth Place — 17 points

two mouths —

just a strawberry

between

Virginia Popescu

(1,4,6) = 17 pts

Sixth Place — 15 points

midnight sun

a handful

of cloudberries

Jon Espen Vassbotn

(1,2,8) = 15 pts

Seventh Place — 14 points

first green fruit

on the strawberry plant

next week's exam

andrea

(1,3,5) = 14 pts

I like the juxtaposition of this one — so very like the wandering of my thoughts! And as the green fruit will probably turn red, the exam will probably lead to success and certification.

This entry marks a beginning and an end, something to look forward to and something to dread. All realized at this moment of seeing the new fruit. In the case of the strawberries, there is a sure reward for enduring the passing time. Let's hope the exam also had a sweet ending.

strawberry festival —

a swarm of bees

circles the garbage can

Laurene Post

(1,3,5) = 14 pts

Eighth Place — 11 points

wasted berries . . .

a nurse unclips dad's photograph

from the wall

Ron Moss

(1,2,4) = 11 pts

wild strawberries

tumbling me headlong

into summer

Ruth Powell

(1,1,6) = 11 pts

Ninth Place — 10 points

red berries

all the lies

they told me

Ella Wagemakers

(0,2,6) = 10 pts

Tenth Place — 9 points

elderberry flowers

bees buzz

my wine

Lorraine Margueritte Gasrel Black

(1,2,2) = 9 pts

from under the fence

the wild strawberries spread

I butter my toast

Eddie Merkel

(1,2,2) = 9 pts

first strawberries

trying not to remember

the taste of his kiss

polona

(1,1,4) = 9 pts

strawberry —

his pink cheeked face

with freckles

Gautam Nadkarni

(0,2,5) = 9 pts

Eleventh Place — 7 points

blueberry pie

just like mother

never made

Roberta Beary

(1,1,2) = 7 pts

silent forgiveness —

washing the mud off

the ripe strawberry

Elena Naskova

(0,2,3) = 7 pts

Twelfth Place — 6 points

under twig arches

a blueberry in his beak

the bowerbird stalks

Barbara A. Taylor

(1,1,1) = 6 pts

Wild strawberries...

on her visage

after the kiss

Vasile Moldovan

(1,1,1) = 6 pts

a tuft of fur

in the strawberry patch

. . . open gate

Susan Constable

(0,2,2) = 6 pts

frozen promise

last summers sun

berry-shaped

Erling Larsen

(0,2,2) = 6 pts

escape artist

the fox stares at the

blackberry brambles

Edward

(0,2,2) = 6 pts

Green berries —

she crushes lunch

in the doll's kitchen

Ralf Broker

(0,1,4) = 6 pts

strawberry stains

on our hands

the empty sugar bowl

Mike Montreuil

(0,1,4) = 6 pts

last night storm-

the black berry tree spreads

its mauve carpet

vishnu kapoor

(0,1,4) = 6 pts

a ripe strawberry-

the toddler's lips

just before a kiss

DeVar

(0,1,4) = 6 pts

barefoot child

strawberries creep

between her toes

Beth Powell

(0,1,4) = 6 pts

waning moon

below the blackberry bush

fine footprints

Lech Szeglowski

(0,1,4) = 6 pts

Thirteenth Place — 5 points

Blackberry parfait

So luscious and so tempting;

Antidote to stress!

Tanja Cilia

(1,1,0) = 5 pts

new rose trellis

a scrawny blackberry

peeks through

Brenda Roberts

(0,2,1) = 5 pts

past midnight —

a dishwasher rinses away

strawberry stains

aom (tim)

(0,2,1) = 5 pts

a country road

another rocky field burnt

for blueberries

Bruce Ross

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

strawberry hearts —

the sweet caramel bubbles

in a saucepan

Gillena

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

family picnic

daughter's first lipstick —

raspberry red

Boris Nazansky

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

bumblebees buzzin'

in the strawberry patch

an empty basket

John Daleiden

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

love memories...

today's strawberries

are tasteless

Nelson

(0,0,5) = 5 pts

Fourteenth Place - 4 points

summer sun, blackberry bush

drinks the coolness

of the mountain stream

Stella

(0,2,0) = 4 pts

cranberry bogs

drizzle, then more drizzle —

Cape Cod sunshine

Stephen Rojcewicz

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

heat wave ...

ants in the blackberry bush

welcome the shade

Carol Raisfeld

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

in the back of the freezer

the last bag

of berries

April Serock

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

rising moon

blackberry blossoms brighten

the forest clearing

Jacek M

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

the end of the day

a bucketful of blueberries

a thrush serenades

Erik Boye

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

the curve

in a shadow —

the red strawberry

ARW

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

Fifteenth Place — 3 points

birds chirping

the blueberry patch blooming

by my dream cabin

Audrey Downey

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

Strawberry harvest,

bounteous gift of summer,

feel taste buds tingle

Jean M. Lewis

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

a sparrow

pecking holes in the ripened fruit

strawberry patch

Sjs (Stevie)

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

in the strawberry patch

red

in the bluejay's eye

Ben Gieske

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

tropical berries

scent of the Islands

on my cereal

John Healey

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

sun melting the frost:

one red, another still white —

dogrose berry

Tomislav

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

among blackberries

again the morning sun

casts a look

Ioan Marinescu-Puiu

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

strawberries and cream —

another temptation

i cannot resist

natalia kuznetsova

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

bumble berry pie

my teenage son trips

on the kitchen floor

Harvey Jenkins

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

Free Format Theme:

Umbrella

First Place — 27 points

sudden rain —

umbrellas mushroom

on the street

Gautam Nadkarni

(1,6,12) = 27 pts

A very apt verb

Second Place — 25 points

paper parasol

a soft rain

of cherry blossoms

Nancy Nitrio

(1,3,16) = 25 pts

Love it!

Kawaii!

Third Place — 16 points

the magic of rain

under one large umbrella

three strangers

gerry bravi

(1,1,11) = 16 pts

lightning —

her grip on his umbrella

tightens

Zhanna P. Rader

(0,4,8) = 16 pts

Delightful! Describes the mood very well.

It's so gripping. Haiku renders feeling sans hashing it out. And wordless showing of her coming to grips with her fear (and/or fascination?) just before the bang. The woman also has a good grip of their coming noisy thunder situation. But silence lasts — not sure how long.

Fourth Place - 14 points

cherry tree umbrella petals in her hair

Terry O'Connor

(1,3,5) = 14 pts

umbrellas

a total eclipse

of the beach

Garry Eaton

(0,2,10) = 14 pts

I was a bit slow in getting the joke, here.

Fifth Place — 12 points

sudden cloudburst.

a weeping willow

my umbrella

A. Dharma Bum

(0,2,8) = 12 pts

Any tree might have fit the poet's need for protection, but here is a nice use of the shape of this species of tree to conjure the umbrella. And I love weeping willows anyway.

Sixth Place - 10 points

sudden drizzle —

the divorced couple go

under one umbrella

Rita Odeh

(1,2,3) = 10 pts

watched

through umbrella silk

raindrop trails

Paul Hodder

(1,1,5) = 10 pts

setting sun —

from under the beach umbrella

red feet

John Holt tori inu

(0,4,2) = 10 pts

spring rain

umbrellas drip

in the waiting room

Beth Powell

(0,2,6) = 10 pts

A very good image.

one umbrella

our heart-to-heart

inside the drip line

tom painting

(0,1,8) = 10 pts

Nicely visual implication of intimacy.

Seventh Place - 9 points

after goodbye

her silver umbrella flows

into the night

Jacek M.

(1,3,0) = 9 pts

Not quite flawless perhaps but for me the poetic imagery in lines 2 and 3 make this the 'pick of the litter' this month.

spring drizzle

a profusion of blooms

on her umbrella

Susan Constable

(1,2,2) = 9 pts

Eighth Place - 8 points

spring squall

tulips and umbrella

inside out

Andre Surridge

(1,0,5) = 8 pts

sharing the umbrella

an excuse to hold his arm-

first date

Leslie Montgomery

(0,3,2) = 8 pts

rust stains

on an old umbrella -

family quarrel

Laurene Post

(0,3,2) = 8 pts

May rain —

an old man repairs

an old umbrella

~ Felister Peacock

(0,2,4) = 8 pts

I like the repeat of 'old.' And also the back story suggested here — old as in too poor to get a new one, old as in brought up in times when thrift was taught, old as in there may be no point in buying a new one at his age.

beach umbrella —

just enough shade

for the dogs

ARW

(0,2,4) = 8 pts

pouring rain — 

the statues in the public garden

without umbrella

Constantin Stroe

(0,1,6) = 8 pts

eulogy ends

our umbrella grows heavy

as the rain begins

Harvey Jenkins

(0,1,6) = 8 pts

Ninth Place - 7 points

rain showers —

a drop on the umbrella makes

a baby smile

~ Mourine Peacock

(1,1,2) = 7 pts

All of the haiku submissions were really good. The most memorable one is the baby laughing at the raindrop reminds me of my son. Congratulations to all the winners.

the black umbrella

tears roll down her face

anyway

Sjs (Stevie)

(1,0,4) = 7 pts

for a while

sharing an umbrella

with her shadow

Lech Szeglowski

(0,3,1) = 7 pts

under the umbrella

a shower

of shade

Bill Hudson

(0,1,5) = 7 pts

Tenth Place - 6 points

fresh day —

a discarded umbrella

gleams in the sun

~ Isabelle Prondzynski

(1,0,3) = 6 pts

cloudburst —

no newspaper

for an umbrella

aom (tim)

(0,2,2) = 6 pts

spring training

a pale legged jogger runs

under an umbrella

Audrey Downey

(0,2,2) = 6 pts

Eleventh Place — 5 points

endless rain —

one rainbow umbrella

after another

Nelson

(1,0,2) = 5 pts

public meeting —

people under umbrellas

in the hot sun

~ Khadija Rajab

(0,2,1) = 5 pts

lost in thought ...

step by step my umbrella

becomes a parasol

Tomislav

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

I like how the passage of time is marked by the wording.

umbrella —

wind from the sea

captures the shadow

Iga

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

school bus stop — 

all the crayon-colored

umbrellas

Carol Raisfeld

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

Twelfth Place — 4 points

tightrope walker

the frail lady's umbrella

proceeds her

Brenda Roberts

(0,2,0) = 4 pts

my umbrella

next to his

in the stand<

- has he noticed?

miriam chaikin

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

sudden showers —

he struggles to open

his old umbrella

Sunil Uniyal

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

London shower

newspapers quickly become

bus stop umbrellas

Edward

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

school girls

waving umbrellas —

kaleidoscope

Max Zontini

(0,0,4) = 4 pts

on the beach

woman with parasol -

the sea in her eyes

Virginia Popescu

(0,0,4) = 4 pts

Two young girls whisper

beneath an umbrella to

keep their secrets dry.

Conrad Sienkiewicz

(0,0,4) = 4 pts

Thirteenth Place - 3 points

thunder blast —

two lovers jealously each another

under the same umbrella

Vasile Moldovan

(1,0,0) = 3 pts

tatty brolly

propped on scarecrow

flapping wings

mechaieh

(1,0,0) = 3 pts

Heavy rain,

broken parasol.

Wet chipmunk

Trevor Camp

(1,0,0) = 3 pts

couple in the rain

their umbrellas

prevent closeness

If

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

homebound...

new black umbrella

never opened

Roberta Beary

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

under the umbrella tree

shades

of your embrace

Ben Gieske

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

wicked wind

turning up umbrellas

turning up collars

Jenn McSweeney

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

Gracefully formed with the use of alliteration and repetition of line pattern.

an umbrella

blowing in the wind...

spring downpour

Keith A. Simmonds

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

on a coat stand

jacket and umbrella

forgotten

Dejan Pavlinovic

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

Great image. We are left wondering, what happened to the owner/s of the items? How long have the items been left there? I think the key word here is "forgotten".

sun shower

umbrellas fold

unfold

h. gene murtha

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

spring rain — 

between black umbrellas

a yellow one

Israel Lopez Balan

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

my umbrella lasts

for a hailstone or two —

time to run

— LGD

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

father and son

walking under one umbrella —

rainy day

~Maxwell George Onsembe

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

my thoughts find shelter

in the bluebell´s

umbrella

Filip Fairytale 

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

General Comments:

To presenters: I can't fault the topics this month, yet strangely contestants seem to have found 'berries' strangely uninspiring.

Free format poems this month were the best ever!

This month produced a wonderful offering of kigo poems! I enjoyed them.