Congratulations to Elinor Pihl Huggett, winner of our Kigo section and to Ann K. Schwader, winner of our Free Format section!
November 2009 Results
Kigo Theme:
Cold/Flu
First Place — 24 points
mid-winter thaw
even the snowman
has a runny nose
Elinor Pihl Huggett
(0,7,10) = 24 pts
Second Place — 23 pts
cold—
the aspen leaves
shake with me
Maria Tomczak
(0,6,11) = 23 pts
Third Place — 18 pts
autumn morning—
a street dog
also sneezes
Israel Lopez Balan
(1,4,7) = 18 pts
Fourth Place — 14 points
Indian summer
a fly keeps buzzing
near my headache
Harvey Jenkins
(0,3,8) = 14 pts
Fifth Place — 13 points
sneezing fit
the dog retires
to another room
Carmel Lively Westerman
(0,3,7) = 13 pts
I can see the dog and the room -- what a great scene! The word "retires" is very well chosen here.
Sixth Place — 12 points
first snow —
vitamin C added
to the grocery list
Mike Montreuil
(0,2,8) = 12 pts
Seventh Place — 11 points
city square —
startled by my sneeze
a dove takes wing
Gautam Nadkarni
(0,4,3) = 11 pts
I love the simplicity of this. A true observation -- no desk haiku could go like this!
a night of fever —
clouds brush the face of
a smouldering moon
jon davey
(0,3,5) = 11 pts
fever dream
the falling snow
swirls into stars
Catherine J.S. Lee
(0,1,9) = 11 pts
Eighth Place — 10 points
cold autumn —
the warm days move away
with the cough
Jordi Climent
(0,3,4) = 10 pts
the rolled-up sleeves
of the night shift
flu shots
Deborah P Kolodji
(0,1,8) = 10 pts
Ninth Place — 9 points
flu season...
even my car coughs
all the way
Jacek. M
(0,3,3) = 9 pts
flu season
the rush of heat
up the chimney
Tom Painting
(0,3,3) = 9 pts
Tenth Place — 8 points
frog chorus
in line
for the vaccine
Alan S. Bridges
(1,0,5) = 8 pts
Eleventh Place — 7 points
flu season
teaching grade one
the elbow cough
Beth Powell
(0,2,3) = 7 pts
Twelfth Place — 6 points
The old throat
A flu jumped in
Atchoo!
Anne Zooey Lind
(1,1,1) = 6 pts
snow moon
asking if the scarecrow
may catch a cold
Rita Odeh
(0,2,2) = 6 pts
finally
the world is as one ...
by flu
Tom Maretic
(0,2,2) = 6 pts
Thirteenth Place — 5 points
cold season -
the kindergarten classroom
still and quiet
freddy gier
(1,0,2) = 5 pts
By far the strongest of the bunch, I felt. I loved the punch it carries - the realization of "oh! no, a K classroom *shouldn't* be quiet..."
howl of dogs
and my nose running
into the moonless night
Sabine Tamarinda
(1,1,0) = 5 pts
floor tile
of my nun's cell
cold comfort
Donna Bauerly
(0,1,3) = 5 pts
flu symptoms
nothing seems to slow
the spin of a maple seed
Cindy Tebo
(0,1,3) = 5 pts
feverish —
the short walk to the doctor
so long
Isabelle Prondzynski
(0,0,5) = 5 pts
Fourteenth Place — 4 points
H1N1
the temperature
at the sun's centre
Garry Eaton
(1,0,1) = 4 pts
swine flu…
the dog ignores
my scratchy voice
Barbara A Taylor
(0,1,2) = 4 pts
a hot brick
tucked under the quilts —
Spanish flu
Janice Hornburg
(0,0,4) = 4 pts
rattle of dry leaves —
moonlight deepens
on the sickbed
Penny Harter
(0,0,4) = 4 pts
Fifteenth Place — 3 points
my brother
struggling to breathe —
swine flu
Harrison Mwangangi
(1,0,0) = 3 pts
I found this one very moving. So, so simple but such a real situation and emotion.
autumn mist
the frog jumps into the sneeze
martin
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
sneezing
down the aisle to the
cans of chicken soup
Washi
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
early dusk
the stifled cough
wins out
Ann K. Schwader
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
med school
lecture punctuated
with coughs
Nancy Smith
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
Sixteenth Place — 2 points
first one sneeze, then two
the cats and the dog all look
what? no gesundheit?
todd eddy
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
Mar’s launch . . .
a sneeze echoes back
from the canyon
Ron Moss
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
Intriguing verse.
dreary as the day
I lie in my bed and read
without much interest
Deirdre
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
stormy autumn night
he cuts an onion in two
against her earache
Ralf Broker, Germany
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
season greeting
with the mail
a sneeze
Ben Gieske
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
Charming.
crossing the street
to avoid a sneezing
pig
gourdman
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
black medicine
morning
begins to shine
shanna
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
dry cough
the crunch of cherry
drops
Terra Martin
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
november morning park
a group practising
aaahh chi
Jon Espen Vassbotn
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
The first line could be more compact, but I love the idea!
fevered night
between wheezing coughs
an erection
Carol Raisfeld
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
H1N1 pandemic
I choose to not panic
and write a poem instead
Stevie Strang
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
counting coughs
on the airplane
flu season
Terri L. French
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
I fly a lot and this really hits home!
Seventeenth Place — 1 point
Cough, sneeze and snuffle
Warm lemon-carob julep;
Lozenges and mints.
Tanja Cilia
swine flu alert...
the bride and the groom
wearing their masks
Keith A. Simmonds
my pig’s fluttering his ears —
i’m afraid it has
bird flu
Petru-Ioan Garda
waiting room —
almost everyone coughs
into their sleeves
Laurene
best type of flu —
though too sick to go to work
well enough to read
Elaine Riddell
Red noses gleaming,
brilliant beacons glowing,
winter cold gripping.
Jean Lewis
terrible cold —
a sneeze at the
tip of my nose
Narayanan Raghunathan
cold afternoon —
the rhythm of sneezing
in our classroom
Jedidah Nduku
paper walls
my neighbor’s cough
awakens me
Meredith Stern Cavalieri
No points this time, sorry.
sore biceps
yearly flu shot —
picking the last peas
if
Fit of sneezes
no winter allergy —
thinking of sex
R.K.Singh
Pain, achingly cold
Frozen hard
Bullets of ice
James Sawers
headache and sore throat.
body aches, chills, and the cough
human flu symptoms
purush
hysteria rises
as the needle pricks
flu season
Susan Sanchez-Barnett
writing unsparingly
to spare
my sore throat
A Dharma Bum
Was mass extinction
caused by the virus just found
in ancient ice ?
Lorraine Margueritte Gasrel Black
first thing grandma touches
my sleeping daughter's forehead
though I told her not to
John Thompson
head in hand
staring at dinner
my stomach turns over
Bill Hudson
Scholarly meeting
high in the snowy mountains
with flu absences
Horst Ludwig
forecast -
another fire/throat
begins the season
Merrill Ann Gonzales
your stormy sneeze —
hardly seen, hardly heard
migrating storks
oana posnaies
my throat a desert
raw with viral grit
i flood it with salt
mechaieh
Liquid eyes spill streams
Rivulets carve throat canyons
Kleenex, cough drops, hot tea, ahhhhh!
Pat Lammers
nonstop runny nose
in each room of the house
two boxes of tissues
Edward
mother's back turned
toddler's tongue catches
his nose drips
Diane Mayr
my dog and i
both shivering with cold -
autumn blues
natalia kuznetsova
Falling snow,
my nose feels the cold -
I must sneeze.
Trevor Camp
blocked nose —
just humming
We are the Champions
Krzysztof
he hawks a loogie
that splats on the street
and coughs on by
Eric
grandma stirs
hot lemon and honey
for my cough
Ruth Powell
long underwear
my second skin
guards against ah-choo!
Marilyn Hazelton
The chilly morning
coughs up a long line
for vaccination.
Beacon
rivulets of rain
cloud the windows—
a sore nose
Marylouise Knight
a sneezing student
wipes mucus with her hand --
quiet exam room
Stephen Macharia
sneezing aloud —
mucus drips into
my handkerchief
Elkana Mogaka
stinking handkerchief —
a student's nostril flooded
with mucus
Stephen Nzomo
chilly morning —
mucus flowing from
my sore nose
Kilunda
aromatic liniment —
my aunt dabs at her
swollen tonsils
Beryl Achieng
my grandmother
with a soaked handkerchief —
peeling nostrils
Vivian Adhiambo
my mother washing
a slippery handkerchief —
sniffs from a running nose
Erick Mwange
a drop of mucus
on my exam papers —
cold morning
Patrick Wafula
streaking snot
from elbow to wrist
the sniffling schoolboy
Terry O'Connor
winter colds
ongoing attempts to
dam head canals
Frances McCarthy
back and forth
from nose to mouth
a snotty finger
Dejan Pavlinovic
a damp cold —
honey and lemon
soothe the throat
DeVar
First snow fall —
I sneeze violent
and the cat throbs
Miorita
body shivers —
into the frozen ear
her hot words
Orbi
surgically masked
by the only free chair
at the clinic
andrea
General Comments:
A difficult choice this time. Interesting how the latest epidemics and the latest warnings have spilled into these haiku!
Free Format Theme:
Decorations
First Place — 22 pts
snow fills
the pumpkin’s grin
November
Ann K. Schwader
(1,6,7) = 22 pts
Second Place — 13 pts
enough,
just one orchid in
the bamboo vase
Narayanan Raghunathan
(2,2,3) = 13 pts
Minimalism in haiku. . . how effective.
The starkness of this haiku reflects perfectly the beauty of the one orchid in the bamboo vase. Enough -- well said!
hoarfrost
her embroidery needle
in and out
Terra Martin
(2,2,3) = 13 pts
I can see grandma's hand's moving and her contented face and feel the chill in the air.
Third Place — 12 pts
ah! the midnight moon
sprinkling sequins again
on the old pond
Anne Zooey Lind
(0,4,4) = 12 pts
Fourth Place — 11 points
New Year's Day
the homeless man decorates
a discarded Christmas tree
David Grayson
(1,1,6) = 11 pts
winter jays
decorate the one pine
left standing
Beth Powell
(0,3,5) = 11 pts
The image is startling, the sound beautifully alternating with harsh and soft.
Fifth Place — 10 points
holiday home
a bittersweet wreath
on the barracks door
Catherine J.S. Lee
(0,4,2) = 10 pts
I love the play on the word "bittersweet"
"bittersweet" is the right word in the right place; "barracks" a wrenching contrast with "holiday home"
surprise visitor
I place one more gourd
in the centerpiece
Harvey Jenkins
(0,2,6) = 10 pts
Quite warm and pleasant.
Sixth Place — 9 points
leaves gone
a tree's bare black limbs
decorate the sky
miriam chaikin
(1,2,2) = 9 pts
coffee table book
an opening at the end
of the universe
Garry Eaton
(1,1,4) = 9 pts
trick-or-treat
a spider finds
the spray-on web
Alan S. Bridges
(0,2,5) = 9 pts
Christmas morn
a flock of crows festoons
the old pine
Warren Gossett
(0,2,5) = 9 pts
deep frost —
the moon decorating
snow flakes
Petru-Ioan Garda
(0,3,3) = 9 pts
Seventh Place — 8 points
office party
a sprig of mistletoe
in her cleavage
Carol Raisfeld
(0,2,4) = 8 pts
smashed pumpkins
litter the street —
a biting wind
Marylouise Knight
(0,0,8) = 8 pts
Eighth Place — 7 points
a glint of tinsel
in a high corner web
epiphany
Barbara Snow
(1,0,4) = 7 pts
The inclusion of the kigo "Epiphany" greatly adds to the beauty of this haiku.
Green Beret
red roses decorate
the coffin
Carmel Lively Westerman
(0,2,3) = 7 pts
Grandma’s lacy shawl
decorates the empty
rocking chair
Lorraine Margueritte Gasrel Black
(0,1,5) = 7 pts
Ninth Place — 6 points
rotting jack-o-lantern
the menacing grin
now befuddled
Meredith Stern Cavalieri
(1,1,1) = 6 pts
Graphically and amusingly evocative.
the tree sways
from side to side
last piece of tinsel
Susan Sanchez-Barnett
(0,2,2) = 6 pts
hometown
garland trims
the parking meters
Tom Painting
(0,1,4) = 6 pts
student house
a tinselled traffic-cone
atop the tree
Terry O'Connor
(0,1,4) = 6 pts
Tenth Place — 5 points
old man's beard
adorns his tree —
the hermit
Ruth Powell
(1,1,0) = 5 pts
What a marvelous image and a great haiku.
childless at Christmas . . .
my love places an angel
on the tree
Ron Moss
(0,1,3) = 5 pts
Eleventh Place — 4 points
under mistletoe
the young girl waits hopefully
I sip my eggnog
Deirdre Godwin
(1,0,1) = 4 pts
decorations
strewn about —
the wedding's off!
Washi
(0,1,2) = 4 pts
thirty-year-old's
macaroni angel
still on grandma's tree
Diane Mayr
(0,1,2) = 4 pts
every fire truck out...
volunteer firemen hang
Christmas decorations
Elinor Pihl Huggett
(0,1,2) = 4 pts
breakfast pancakes —
the fridge is decorated
in toddler art
DeVar
(0,1,2) = 4 pts
Twelfth Place — 3 points
rustling
on a school poster
autumn leaves
Dejan Pavlinovic
(0,1,1) = 3 pts
the collage grows stronger
as the refrigerator
attracts another magnet
A Dharma Bum
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
Texas steakhouse
the rooftop Santa Claus
rings a dinner bell
Edward
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
christmas down under
snowflakes sprayed on the windows
under summer skies
Elaine Riddell
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
chopsticks and fork
Buddha illuminated
by Christmas lights
John Thompson
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
A lot of ingredients, but this one says a lot too.
greeting card garlands...
my own stack
of unsent letters
Deborah P Kolodji
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
christmas lights
dangling from the roof
another foreclosed home
Stevie Strang
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
Thirteenth Place — 2 points
High thin pointed hats
high class fashion long ago
now threat trick or treat
Horst Ludwig
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
rays of divine light
lead us to reach destined goals
decorating, thoughts
purush
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
big box store —
hob-goblins share a shelf
with Santa Claus
Janice Hornburg
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
another year
wiped away —
broken Christmas globe
oana posnaies
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
ribbons
entwine the sky
kites on a wind
Jacek M.
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
A novel approach to decorations.
birthday bash —
a blown-up blue balloon
suddenly bursts
Gautam Nadkarni
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
color-blind boy
paper turkeys
bright as peacocks
mechaieh
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
January chill —
a colourful wedding emerges
from the church
Isabelle Prondzynski
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
in an old oak
twinkling, fairy lights
midsummer night
Ellen Compton
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
in the attic —
christmas decorations and...
hidden memories
natalia kuznetsova
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
that anxious feeling
like grocery-store Christmas lights
earlier each year
freddy gier
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
empty nest
cornucopia spilling
memories
anonymous
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
late Friday night —
the thrown wine glass smashes
her favorite vase
Bruce H. Feingold
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
Fourteenth Place — 1 point
A friend's house
By the pumpkin's inner glow
Happy children
James Sawers
outdoor rice lights
multiplying rain
drop by drop by drop
Donna Bauerly shimenawa
tied to a grand cedar
in the park
Barbara A Taylor
LCD lit tree —
filling stockings
with nuts and oranges
Terri L. French
Autumn tines of trees
Raking the sky’s burnished leaves
Uncovering gray
Pat Lammers
day after halloween —
Christmas displays
at Walmart
Mike Montreuil
Late evening,
many bright stars shine —
Christmas lights.
Trevor Camp
Traditional scene,
old decorations dusted,
reused each Christmas.
Jean Lewis
ornamental gourds
arranged by the walkway
slowly blacken
gourdman
sex worker's autopsy —
the tatoo: "only for John"
over her symphisis
Tomislav
No points this time, sorry.
festive yule symbol
now just a tree with lights
day after Christmas
if
November first
candy corn sticks to the boy’s grin
martin
this year's Christmas tree
with last year's decorations...
thanks to the downturn
Keith A. Simmonds
green turkey
tiny hands with crayons
help to decorate
Bill Hudson
first almond biscuit ...
she stores away
a plastic pumpkin
Ralf Broker
soft moonbeams
asleep with lilies
dreaming into tomorrow
Ben Gieske
walking spiderman
past Christmas decorations
trick or treat
Tom Genovese
kaleidoscope
of orchard squash — too pretty
to eat
Merrill Ann Gonzales
christmas at grandma’s —
on the christmas tree still
the same decorations
Andrzej Dembonczyk
the cage door
is left open .. Wedding
Decorations
Rita Odeh
with sky for a
hat decorated by
airplanes
carol pearce-worthington
school children
look for pilgrims,
find santa
Laurene
cracks spreading
in the Easter egg —
the blue albumen
Penny Harter
i am sweet on
sugar tits and candied buns
her decorations
Eric
snowflakes fall gently to the earth
sparkling softly floating with the wind
-the best decorations in town
Jeanne Fiedler
that plastic camel
draws kids(and some adults)
to my cacti
Jon Vassbotn
To brave soldiers
a royal oak carved headstone
evenly split
Beacon
lizards struggling to
climb on a newly painted house —
sunny morning
Winslause Yamame
purple jacaranda blooms
decorate our lawns again —
the short rains
Patrick Wafula
baubles dazzle cheaply
yet child-eyes gleam
in wonder
Frances McCarthy
False fruits
decorations of beggar –
harvest home
Miorita
Thanksgiving turkey
to admire
Pine cone
Pipe cleaners
Paper
Mary E. Gray
her first pumpkin
now a snowman
andrea
annual tree trimming
the way the branches
change sizes
Judith Gorgone