November 2015 Kukai

after the elm tree

was cut down

...silence

Sondra J. Byrnes

(0,5,5) = 15 pts

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 14 Points 

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migrating swallows

the pull of home

from both directions

Terri L. French, US

(0,3,8) = 14 pts

a mallard paddles

into it

autumn mist

Scott Mason

(0,2,10) = 14 pts

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12 Points 

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afternoon tea

the crow dodges 

a croquet ball

Kirsty Karkow

(0,3,6) = 12 pts

**Truly the observation of a moment -- I can see the scene so clearly!

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 11 Points 

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finally seeing

how it’s done...

swallows’ nest

Jo McInerney

(0,3,5) = 11 pts

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 10 Points 

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abandoned house

a swallow building

a nest

Diana Petkova

Bulgaria

(0,2,6) = 10 pts

**Beautifully understated, this covers a wide range of experience and feelings.

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 9 Points 

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morning rainbow

a peacock

struts his stuff

Edward

(1,2,2) = 9 pts

who can say

what is true love —

thornbird

Vinay Leo R.

(0,3,3) = 9 pts

an eastern bluebird

on the rusted fence…

autumn deepens

--Tzetzka Ilieva

(0,3,3) = 9 pts

equinox

the robin tugs 

an earthworm

Carolyn Coit Dancy

(0,2,5) = 9 pts

**I love the equinoctial (?) struggle. I'm rooting for the worm.

a koel's song

fills the crib--

stillbirth

Yesha Shah

Surat, India

(0,2,5) = 9 pts

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 8 Points 

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a thousand cranes

sway above the heating vent

her hospital room

David C. Kopaska-Merkel

Tuscaloosa, AL

(0,2,4) = 8 pts

now birds

are changing the colors

of the trees

Andrei C. Szava

(0,2,4) = 8 pts

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7  Points 

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returning robins

all the dreams carried

in their feathers

Jane Reichhold

(1,2,0) = 7 pts

^^(In November and December robins arrive in California, leaving the colder places)

^^I sent this in honor of Gene.

He always dreamed of making a bird book.

morning in the garden...

playing my flute --

a mocking bird returns the song

rose marie Stutts

(1,1,2) = 7 pts

snowflake lilies...

a black swan

takes off

Leanne Mumford

(0,3,1) = 7 pts

last flutter . . . 

the fledgling still

in my palm

Kala Ramesh ​

Pune, India

(0,3,1) = 7 pts

^^In memory of the child Gene lost

almost dusk —

a redbird’s song wraps

around itself

Paresh

(0,2,3) = 7 pts

glassy lake surface

a swan's wake

halves the mountain

Rafał Zabratyński

(0,2,3) = 7 pts

little shore birds

chasing the waves out

waves chasing them in

Bill Hudson

(0,1,5) = 7 pts

**Lovely observation and a beautiful scene.

autumn shadows

a cloud of crows bursts out

of the old elm

Tore Sverredal

(0,1,5) = 7 pts

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 6 Points 

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time does fly

lawn flamingos already

in Santa coats

maxianne

(1,1,1) = 6 pts

**A little early but very seasonal ;)

hush now, little bird —

we two are in no hurry

for this night to end

Shelley Krause

(1,1,1) = 6 pts

light flurries …

snow buntings settle

on the spruce

Ruth Powell

(0,2,2) = 6 pts

the trail he left

unfolds with every branch…

a robin’s song

Mary Davila

(0,2,2) = 6 pts

saving daylight

the rooster

over sleeps

Nancy Smith

(0,2,2) = 6 pts

flying cranes -

the months I wait

for their return

Ana Drobot

(Bucharest, Romania)

(0,1,4) = 6 pts

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5 Points 

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season change waiting for a junco

Donna Bauerly

Dubuque, IA

(1,0,2) = 5 pts

^^Note: the junco is a dark gray bird with a white underbelly--very distinctive movements and the first bird of winter's arrival in our part of the USA. Sometimes call the "Dominican" bird because those monks wear a habit of gray/black and white.

mid-November

the urgency in her voice

in the geese

--Diane Mayr

(1,0,2) = 5 pts

that strange awareness

of the first day

without swallows

Jon Espen Vassbotn

(0,2,1) = 5 pts

languid lagoon-

a streak of kingfisher blue

in my daydreams

Vidya S Venkatramani, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, INDIA

(0,2,1) = 5 pts

smearing the sunset a deluge of muttonbirds

Jayashree Maniyil

(0,2,1) = 5 pts

morning Mass -

from the cloister

a pigeon's responses

John McDonald

Edinburgh Scotland

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

autumn chores

a crow watching

our every move

Beth Powell

(0,1,3) = 5 pts

letter home -

a winter goldfinch

at the feeder

Laurene

(0,0,5) = 5 pts

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 4 Points 

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bird

I ask you who could make

that up

Garry Eaton

(1,0,1) = 4 pts

synchronized

headstanding on the lake

two wild ducks

Yukiko Yamada

(0,2,0) = 4 pts

filling the bowl

for the red-breasted nuthatch

her constant chatter

Chandra Bales

(0,2,0) = 4 pts

crow

alone now

birch

oga

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

a line of geese

white ribbon

I tie letters with

Dorota Ocińska

( Polska)

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

turning leaves

under the beech a chaffinch

turning leaves

polona

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

november magpies

make no sound--

cattails in the ice

DeVar

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

into the sunset a red cardinal sings

Bernard Gieske

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

bare tree against morning sky

all the birds

are black

deanna tiefenthal

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

taking a bough

on the evergreen...

cardinals

S.E. Buffington

(0,1,2) = 4 pts

a desert wren

in a spot of shade . . .

the enormous sky

Michael McClintock

(0,0,4) = 4 pts

snow on roof—

a seagull slithers

into flight

Gael Bage

(0,0,4) = 4 pts

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 3 Points 

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autumn love...

a thrushsong lipping

the moon

Anonymous

(1,0,0) = 3 pts

Malava Forest --

a red-headed woodpecker

balances on a twig

~ Antony Waswa

(1,0,0) = 3 pts

the carrion

of my darkest dream

picked at by a crow

Alan S. Bridges

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

spring cleaning

twisted spider legs dangle

from sparrow's beak

Vishnu P Kapoor

Chennai, India

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

** maybe if there was an article before "sparrow's"

below the half moon, a baby bird

Svend A. Doggfall

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

eyes meeting

a cardinal tips his head

to the poet

Carol Raisfeld

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

new housing

wild pigeons self-allot

the tenements

Ajaya Mahala,

Pune, India

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

first day of autumn

the bird feeder

missing the robin

Adelaide B. Shaw

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

**Here is my kigo entry in memory of Gene.

flags at half mast -

the starlings scribble

a farewell

Arvinder Kaur

Chandigarh, India.

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

they have gone,

to bring back the spring-

migratory birds

Tuvshinzaya Nergui

Tsetserleg, Mongolia

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

cloudless dawn –

the blackbird waiting

at a tree's top

Miorita

(0,1,1) = 3 pts

piled leaves

a sparrow-shaped vacancy

at the bird feeder

Ignatius Fay

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

almost dark

from somewhere in the thicket

a few simple notes

Gerry B.

(Canada)

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

cemetery quiet

a robin

stops to listen

Michele L. Harvey

USA

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

All Souls’ Day

up above father’s grave

the cries of wild geese

Eleonore Nickolay 

(France)

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

first frost—

where is the songbird

of yesterday?

Carole MacRury

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

a forest walk -

woodpecker's drum now

from other place

Tomislav

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

two doves balance

on an electric wire --

cold morning

~ Antony Joseph

(0,0,3) = 3 pts

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2  Points 

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Winter...

again the curlew

with it's lonesome cry

John Byrne

Ireland

(0,1,0) = 2 pts

silent noon

the cuckoo's song echoes

from my daughter's room

Shalini Sunkuru

(0,1,0) = 2 pts

oh nightingale!

hidden in the darkness whom

do you sing?

Kumarendra Mallick

Hyderabad India

(0,1,0) = 2 pts

jagged sunlight

between high rise units

cry of a currawong

Dawn Bruce

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

ferment

in the Concords

tipsy robins

Barbara Snow

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

an early frost...

the red ribbon of a cardinal

into the horizon

Rebecca Drouilhet

Picayune, Mississippi

USA

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

an owl hooting -

above the smooth sea

the fleece of stars

(Ramona)

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

soft feathers

cannot make

a cruel bird kind

Munia Khan

Dhaka, Bangladesh

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

audacious starling

lands on the hood of my car

demanding French fries

Deirdre Godwin

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

hollyhock skeleton trembles:

ghost of a hummingbird visits

ghost of a flower

F.J. Bergmann

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

November bird walk --

the guessing complexities

of who would be me

Ernesto P. Santiago

Athens, Greece

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

late fall

crisp echo

of robin song

Paul Rainville

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

birdbath

a sparrow pecking 

a bit of corn moon

Kaiser K.

(0,0,2) = 2 pts

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1 Point 

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waterless birdbath

on his usual visit

a robin

Barbara Campitelli

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

bird call

in melodious tune

morning sickness

purush-nolensvilleTN

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

larger than his host

the Storm Bird chick

demands more food

Barbara A. Taylor

Mountain Top, NSW

Australia

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

^^Refers to Koel or Channel-Billed Cuckoo.

sunlight on new snow

crows shoulder their way

through winter’s chill

Harvey Jenkins

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

lost

while pilfering

such blue feathers

jill

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

canada geese

over the parking lot

drilling in formation

- ru, canada

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

flight of crows --

an Advent landscape

in black-and-white

~ Isabelle Prondzynski

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

A sack of black oil seed

and a brick of suet

time to feed my dinosaurs

Robert C.Howard

Belleville IL

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

red-winged blackbird

atop metal sculpture --

art in the park

Jane DeJonghe

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

two white egrets

pick ticks from a grazing cow --

Maasai herd

~ Arnold Echenje

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

**i love the first two lines and with a minor tweak this would be a winner. if only L3 contained a juxtaposed image rather than an explanation of the previous lines (at least as i read it)!

in the tree

in the air

37 turkey vultures

David Watson

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

rooster’s approaching –

hens in the yard

stopped scratching

Krzysztof Kokot

Poland

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

death notice . . .

a fantail flitting

between worlds

Hansha

(0,0,1) = 1 pts

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No Points This Time, But Thank 

You So Much For Participating. 

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autumn's end

among the birds at the feeder

a single nuthatch

sakyu

Blue rock thrush - merill

Nesting in the Maltese cliffs

Tweeting for a mate

Tanja Cilia

trodden path

scattered all along

my(na's) wings

Vandana Parashar 

India

shimmering river -

two grebes in winter plumage

in the full moonlight

Daniela Bullas

Sunday in the park

the sparrow snatches a crumb

from a cardinal

Bill Kenney

A yellow bird

shimmers in the sunlight…

summer synergy

Keith SIMMONDS

Rodez, France

no tailgate in sight

yet trills of "Rocky Top" --

Tennessee mockingbird

mechaieh

garden sparrows

peck on frozen ice cream ...

morning delight

Anonymous

summer morning

my fickleness mixes

with the robin's song

Oddbjørn Aardalen

traveling on--

buzzard rumps 'round

a roadside carcass

Anonymous

^^Was schooled once by Gene about the difference between vultures and buzzards.

yawning owl perched on barn roof sinking into rising flood waters…

kw

 dazed

in zipped air…

hummingbird and I

Alegria Imperial

November

The last hummingbird

gone.

John Hubbard

our chicken

attacks the injured raven—

wilting jonquil

Myron Lysenko

millet farm --

a quail path leads us

to its nest

~ Patrick Wafula (Kenya)

pair of crows

taunt the red-tailed hawk

neighborhood watch

Doris

Along the highway

fiery red the sumach,

shrill the birds above. 

Horst Ludwig 

first bird

the mangy one awaiting

last night's rice

Miriam Borne

NYC

crows pepper Fall skies

teals swim lines through Puget Sound

waters that won't ice

Sandy Friedlander

zen garden

getting closer to

golden-crowned sparrows

Bruce H. Feingold

Berkeley, CA

USA

calling flip 

the lovebird flips ...

light rain

Ramesh Anand

snowbird 

heading sunwards - 

melting wings

Juhani Tikkanen

no bird

but in wings

carlos

Anonymous

morning chill

the rash of phone calls 

about an eagle flown

Samar Ghose

Australia

 ^^My verse in honour of Gene:

birds crouch in nests

along the snow clad path--

wheezing silence

--R.K.Singh

a red cardinal

sparkling new snow

counterpoint

Tom Conally

Gibsonville, NC

 picnic with family -

a crow is smashing nut

on the mother in-law's head

Petru-Ioan Garda

beyond her song

the mockingbird

resembles me

Bill Pauly

sad hoots

from the bullfinch in our rowan

where have all the berries gone?

Anne Zooey Lind

the robin swells --

embers in the

winter fire

James Dobson

Prudhoe, UK.

thrush lullaby

zhweee, zhweee

spirals

Jone Rush MacCulloch

Portland, OR

Now leafless tree

A dozen silent nests

Hazel A. Witherspoon

choughs

thicken the blackbutt

approaching winter

Marietta Jane McGregor

Australia

is the cat

in love with the pigeon

this long gazing

Giselle Maya

France 

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General Comments:

**Oh, so many good ones. Hard to narrow to 6 with only 1 point each.

**So many deserve to be cited!

 **It was hard to choose 1–6 poems. I found 27 of them to be worthy of points!

**There were several more entries that would easily find a home in a haiku journal but finally my selection came down to these:

**Thanks again for this chance to read and vote on some excellent haiku.

  ** I enjoyed reading so many wonderful bird poems.

**So many wonderful verses here - people have really dug deep! In my choices, I have tried to keep both haiku aesthetics and sentiment in mind but hope to be forgiven for letting the latter rule my head a little in honour of Gene.

**This brought in many fine haiku -- and many birds I had never heard of! This kukai is very educational.

  **Best ever entries! It was hard to leave so many good ones out, but I had no more points.

**The Kigo this time brought in some real good ones ! Enjoyed reading !

 **This was an absolutely spectacular group of poems and a great joy to read! It was very hard to winnow down to a few winners. Congratulations to all the entrants!

 ** With so many fine poems, it was very hard to choose three. 

**Thank you for… the opportunity. I enjoyed reading about all the birds.

**Wish I had thanked Gene for his kind words as well as his harsh criticisms...

**I'm sorry to learn of the death of Gene Murtha. A few years ago we collaborated on tan renga which were later published. He was only 60 years old.

** So sorry to learn of Gene's passing. He was an inspiration.