Congratulations to Catherine J.S. Lee, winner of our Kigo section and to Melissa Spurr, winner of our Free Format section!
September 2009 Results
Kigo Theme:
Fog
First Place -- 38 points
evening stillness
the fog creeps in
pine by pine
Catherine J.S. Lee
(4,5,16) = 38 pts
This one really creates a mood and picture for me. Pick of the litter this month.
I like this one, but it would be improved for me if the personification of "creeps in" was changed to something like "approaches" or "moves in".
Second Place -- 36 pts
autumn fog . . .
the river knows
the way
Francine Banwarth
(2,7,16) = 36 pts
This one stood out on the first and every subsequent reading . . . a haiku I'll remember.
Really like this one. A river's path is not swayed by the fog.
Third Place -- 16 pts
somewhere in the fog
of my mother's memory
my name
Tom Genovese
(1,4,5) = 16 pts
Powerfully sad.
a gray cat glides
in and out of the fog...
autumn stillness
Janice Hornburg
(0,2,12) = 16 pts
Since "fog" is widely accepted as an autumn kigo, the word "autumn" is probably unnecessary, but I like it anyway.
The grey on grey creates an interesting image.
Fourth Place – 14 points
low-lying fog
the houseguests outstay
their welcome
Jennifer Corpe
(1,2,7) = 14 pts
Could be an early scene in a gothic tale, or merely an uncomfortable situation. Works either way.
I like the juxtaposition here . . . the heavy feeling of fog and too-long visits by even the best of friends.
foggy night
the dog keeps leaving
me behind
Roberta Beary
(0,1,12) = 14 pts
The line break is effective, and the animal-human relationship, combining companionship and contrast, is nicely delineated.
I'd have given this more points if L2 read 'the dog leaves', but still . . . it's a lovely haiku.
Fifth Place – 13 points
dense fog
the whinny
of a wild pony
Carolyn Coit Dancy
(2,1,5) = 13 pts
I like the alliteration in this one as well as the contrast of icons, whinny/dense.
morning fog -
the old radio
still works
Israel Lopez Balan
(1,4,2) = 13 pts
The hope in this one appeals to me.
fall lake --
a kayak paddle slices
the fog
Ruth Powell.
(0,4,5) = 13 pts
Sixth Place – 11 points
still arguing
whether it's mist or fog
rear ended
-- andrea
(0,3,5) = 11 pts
All too believable.
Why am I chuckling when it's so sad?
ghostly fog ...
silence between clangs
of the buoy
Carol Raisfeld
(0,2,7) = 11 pts
Very atmospheric. Had I never encountered American buoys, I would not have known what this haiku is all about -- as it is, I find it very evocative indeed.
patchy fog
the palm reader conjures
a future
Meggy
(0,2,7) = 11 pts
I passed over this one on the first run-through, but "conjures" makes it work.
Seventh Place – 10 points
foggy fields -
my mother walks
no path
Gosia Zamorska
(1,2,3) = 10 pts
foggy day market -
the fishmonger
shouted louder
olga neagu
(0,4,2) = 10 pts
Eighth Place – 9 points
morning fog clears-
the mountain reappears
in a poem
gillena cox
(0,2,5) = 9 pts
Perhaps this haiku would be better without "clears".
cold fog --
the balcony moss
all the greener
Isabelle Prondzynski
(0,2,5) = 9 pts
fogbound stream
the duck family
keeps formation
Paul Hodder
(0,1,7) = 9 pts
Ninth Place – 8 points
morning fog
he sips a second coffee
to clear it
Warren Gossett
(0,2,4) = 8 pts
tule fog
swathes the valley--
the cry of a calf
Terri L.French
(0,2,4) = 8 pts
Tenth Place – 7 points
blowing fog
the great nose of the bull
in the pasture
Michael McClintock
(1,2,0) = 7 pts
foggy morning
to see the lighthouse,
not to see it
Rita Odeh
(1,1,2) = 7 pts
roadside mist
all thoughts of the journey
set aside
Jim Swift
(0,1,5) = 7 pts
drawing up
the blanket
morning fog
Bill Kenney
(0,1,5) = 7 pts
afternoon fog
the sky
drifts away
Melissa Spurr
(0,1,5) = 7 pts
drifting asleep...
the distant sound
of fog horns
Andre Surridge
(0,1,5) = 7 pts
picking apples
a deer and I
share the morning fog
A. Dharma Bum
(0,1,5) = 7 pts
The sentimentality of "share" weakens an interesting haiku.
morning fog
the milk float's jingle
fading
Fara Kamaza
(0,1,5) = 7 pts
The poem captures me enjoying the disappearing jingling as I stand holding my full milk bottle.
foggy morning
clothes on the line
undrying
April Serock
(0,1,5) = 7 pts
Ilove the irony.
dense fog--
the slight slurping sound
of the cat
Dorota Pyra
(0,1,5) = 7 pts
sunlit fog...
the sassafras drops
a mitt leaf
jennie townsend
(0,1,5) = 7 pts
I have a number of sassafras trees on my property and the leaf differences have always fascinated as does the root as tea and spring tonic. Mitt leaf is brilliantly descriptive.
Eleventh Place -- 6 points
foggy evening
the full moon
even fuller
Rafal Zabratynski
(1,0,3) = 6 pts
dense fog
the pale red pulse
of a neon martini glass
ed markowski
(0,3,0) = 6 pts
I liked this one so much that I plan on having one tonight!
foggy morning...
I play with her darker nipple
Kameshwar Rao
(0,2,2) = 6 pts
I was surprised to see how well this stands up to repeated readings. "darker nipple" There speaks the man who knows.
fog horn--
still no word
of ferry survivors
aom (tim)
(0,0,6) = 6 pts
Ferris wheel
the smell of fish guts
in the fog
martin
(0,0,6) = 6 pts
An effective discord, nicely alliterated. And somehow the fog makes the smell more intense.
Twelfth Place -- 5 points
walled in
by fog
fog
Alan S. Bridges
(1,0,2) = 5 pts
nightfall
quiet slap of waves
the foghorn
jill
(1,0,2) = 5 pts
early awake--
slowly, as the fog clears
forsythia
Ellen Compton
(1,0,2) = 5 pts
main street
the fog muffled footsteps
of ghosts
Terry O'Connor
(0,1,3) = 5 pts
over the hill
a river of fog
flooding the valley
Ben Gieske
(0,1,3) = 5 pts
rolling fog ...
the youngest child
clings to my chest
Colin Stewart Jones
(0,1,3) = 5 pts
out of the clouds
and into fog--
final approach
LGD
(0,0,5) = 5 pts
kayak in fog
I take the wrong cut
into the chute
Garry Eaton
(0,0,5) = 5 pts
September stars
fog settles in & around
chrysanthemums
Pamela A. Babusci
(0,0,5) = 5 pts
Thirteenth Place – 4 points
package of bulbs
my wife disappears
into the fog
Harvey Jenkins
(0,1,2) = 4 pts
a foggy morning -
all men walk today
with their heads in the clouds
Iga
(0,1,2) = 4 pts
shoreline fog —
her cell phone interrupts
a haiku moment
Collin Barber
(0,1,2) = 4 pts
mountain fog
the echo of laughter
across the lake
Sjs Stevie Strang
(0,1,2) = 4 pts
Fourteenth Place – 3 points
cold earth, warm air
fog heralds the spring
Aalix Roake
(1,0,0) = 3 pts
night fog
anyway I remember
you moon
Lech Szeglowski
(1,0,0) = 3 pts
The evening fog:
invisible her hand
on my shoulder
R.K.Singh
(0,1,1) = 3 pts
barks in the fog
collect the bells on the pasture
back into the village
Tomislav
(0,1,1) = 3 pts
The fog makes us blind, but we can still "see" the scene with the sounds.
chill fog
a cricket’s lament
at summer’s end
soji
(0,1,1) = 3 pts
out of the fog
sounds of geese arguing
over flight plans
Shelley Krause
(0,1,1) = 3 pts
10 a.m.
a forest of buildings
swallows the fog
Chandra Bales
(0,1,1) = 3 pts
foggy city...
I return again
in the same place
Jacek M
(0,1,1) = 3 pts
fog over paddy fields-
some of it skimmed away
by the owl's wings
AD
(0,1,1) = 3 pts
banjo roll
through the fog
in some dark holler
Beth Powell
(0,1,1) = 3 pts
morning fog —
a toot as the ferry crosses
the strait
Gautam Nadkarni
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
land's smell -
on the lawn rests
the thick fog
Jordi Climent
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
in his fog-cloaked car
the drowsy policeman
licks his fingers clean
mechaieh
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
scenic highway
we turn to the sound
of a foghorn
Susan Constable
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
sleepy hollow-
grape pickers emerging
out of the fog
Dejan Pavlinovic
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
Hauntingly appropriate for this time of year!
night fog
our teen drives away
to his first job
Joann
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
Fifteenth Place – 2 points
misty memories
rise like a faint morning fog
bringing back...the day
dragonfly
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
September fog
vanishing - the steam of
gunpowder green tea
Merrill Ann Gonzales
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
the slow rise
of the fog patches
a deep stillness
Bruce Ross
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
pea-soup fog
rises from the river…
reaches the highway
Ida Freilinger
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
leaving wormhood behind
fog
cocooning
carol pearce-worthington
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
furtively daylight
pulls its bridal veil of fog
over the hillside
Gabriele
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
fog-bound freeway
I drive lost
in thought
Jan O'Loughlin
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
I like the juxtaposition.
Montana sunrise
he wades through chest deep fog
his fly rod held high
Edward
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
Autumn half term--
catching the fog
with a butterfly net
Ralf Broker, Germany
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
Line 3 is an amusing twist.
thick fog
swallows the cottage . . .
the edge of the cliff
Marylouise Knight
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
shallow water bay - -
emerging from the early mist
a common crane
Ramona Linke
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
This may be better without "emerging".
Village in fog –
only the church tower
raising from a lake
Petru-Ioan Garda
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
secret touch
fog drips from her
stone fingers
Elena Naskova
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
rising fog
mom's smile as she
hangs up the phone
anonymous
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
patchy fog
a whitetail fawn sprints
across the road
DeVar
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
Sixteenth Place – 1 point
My mind's in a whirl -
Am I coming or going?
This confounded fog!
Tanja Cilia
head and shoulders
out of the fog
white-tailed deer
Tom Painting
milky fog -
the wind turbines,
silenced
anonymous
My boat disappears
into the September fog.
Morning angelus.
Horst Ludwig
windscreen wipers
swaying from side to side
night fog thickening
Keith A. Simmonds
grandmother
putting on her glasses
didn't clear up the fog
Bill Hudson
ship's siren
hoots its lonesome call
somewhere in the fog
Frances McCarthy
cataracts--
through the fog
she looks much younger
J. J. Cushman
through the fog
mourning dove's blues
and her red feet
Diane Mayr
San Francisco
fog and radio static
take me home
Junkyardrose
morning fog
the empty can
of his shaving foam
Petar Tchouhov
canceled flight -
noses of the silver colossi
in the deep fog
Krzystof
chaos and creation –
through fog and trees
crepuscular rays
Daniela Bullas
fog blankets the strait
cut by eerie, eldritch trails
as ferries pass through
Deirdre Godwin
painting the sign of fall
the cat moves its ink
through the fog
Jon Espen Vassbotn
wedding day-
waking up
to a wall of fog
Devika
rising fog
drawn sunrays dripping
down the windowpane
Boris Nazansky
behind fog
the sun in drag
as the moon
Bill Gottlieb
morning mist …
in the ditch
I found the way
Johan Bergstad
full moon
diffused by the
drifting fog
Allen McGill
Swirling fog
shadows in the clouds.
Where are you?
Trevor Camp
Primary colors
Bold orb mounts triangled peak
Backlit fog rising.
Valerie Hanada
shrieks and squabbles
rising out of the fog
estuary birds
Barbara Snow
in the thin space
between fog and breakwater
a thickness of galls
anonymous
from out of the fog
cry of an osprey
unending grief
Renee
ten minutes later
she again takes the dog out
evening fog
anonymous
a startled deer
skipping up the bank
in fog headlights
Barbara A Taylor AU
No points this time, sorry.
a sail
appearing in the fog
lighthouse malfunction
Tom Conally
sweater-weather
fog....... fog.........big red barn
miriam chaikin
dense morning fog
on the lake, behind my eyes
—grope for the coffee
if
Recession ridden
pay rolls now look more thinner
as I T fogs cloud
Purush
Fluffy landscape
fog spreading
my foot ice cold
Ashi
rising fog
in the parachute
holding rainbows
anonymous
White spectre
fog enshrouds
weeping angel
Lorraine Margueritte Gasrel Black
city view
wrapped in smoke and fog
on my photograph
K.
Yellow headlamps glow,
autumn cars immersed in fog,
ghostly spectres pass.
Jean Lewis
free concert
the rhythm of the fog horn
accompanies the ocean sound
anonymous
The way is lonely
a lot of thoughts cross my mind
the fog is my mate.
Maria Griselda Garcia Cuerva
from, deep in slumber
low lying fog
slowly rises
Elinor Pihl Huggett
almost there
coming through the fog
—scent of barbecue
doris kasson
vague contours
beckon through a dense fog…
Alzheimer’s
Shernaz Wadia
the sun rises
through a curtain of fog
the bridge white with ice
Elaine Riddell
a cloud merging
the mountain and the sky --
I lose my way
Patrick Wafula
fog covered lighthouse
the sight –
clears my mind
Jyothirmai Gubili
crackle of pyre flames...
and then silently
the rolling fog
sanjuktaa
funeral --
drooping eyelids feel
the dawn fog
David Caleb Mutua
my brain in a fog
college statistics on a
three by five card
anonymous
The grand tree whimpers
As the chainsaw reechoes -
Fog on open waters
Nalini Hebbar
vending quilt-makers
fiddle dunais in the fog--
thinning cotton
nirukowa
Foggy afternoon.
No shadow in the room,
not a single sound.
Beacon
the sun burning up
the morning fog --- memories
of last night's debauch
Conrad Sienkiewicz
employees scurrying
in from the parking lot
the executive floor still in fog
Deanna Tief
lost in the fog
a twisting forest path--
an owl hoots
John Daleiden
thick morning fog
backlighted by the sun
a golden moment
Eric
after the roar
a groan in the tule fog
one hundred cars deep
Karen J. McClintock
a weeping willow
shrouded in morning mist,
cranes' farewell calls...
natalia kuznetsova
fog in the valley –
the photographer looking
of the window
Miorita
river colors
bleed through fog . . .
songs of the trumpeter swans
Bill Pauly
ocean fog
maya cries with the voice
of a gull
anonymous
sandstone butte
looks like a tall ship
in morning fog
Jim Applegate
church steeple -
gracefully ascending
fog descending
Jeff Hanson
sunset ride
fog pours down the palisades
filling the river
Hazel
Free Format Theme:
Back to School
First Place -- 36 pts
September wind
a school bus pulls away
from summer
Melissa Spurr
(3,8,10) = 35 pts
I like the juxtaposition of the wind and the moving bus.
I'd like this better if line 3 were dropped, line 2 were broken into two lines, and line 1 became line 3.
The sound of the bus stopping to pick up the kids across the street then working against the slight rise of our street, and the combined wills of the children aboard, is our official notice that summer is over.
Second Place -- 21 pts
same gum
under the same desk
repeating the class
Warren Gossett
(1,4,10) = 21 pts
Third Place -- 20 pts
joint custody
trying to figure out
the bus schedule
Diane Mayr
(2,4,6) = 20 pts
Not a situation I've ever been in, but, with the help of this fine senryu, I can imagine it.
and first day of school
his backpack
filled with summer
David Grayson
(0,5,10) = 20 pts
Fourth Place -- 18 points
slow grin...
taller this fall
than his teachers
Ruth Powell
(0,3,12) = 18 pts
Finally, in my Senior year…well, a few of the teachers anyway.
Fifth Place -- 15 points
back to school -
in a small, transparent box,
his spider
Zhanna P. Rader
(0,3,9) = 15 pts
Sixth Place -- 14 points
jumping in puddles
on the way to school
new shoes
Bill Hudson
(1,3,5) = 14 pts
Well observed, and an amusing little surprise in the third line.
back to school
standing outside
the same clique
Beth Powell
(1,3,5) = 14 pts
Love it even more!
I remember that feeling well.
lecture theatre
the crack of new spines
from each textbook
Harvey Jenkins
(1,1,9) = 14 pts
I can hear those spines cracking!
September rain
the sound of corduroys
on the school bus
martin
(0,4,6) = 14 pts
Nothing says cooler weather like the “whit-whit” of corduroy.
Seventh Place -- 11 points
the yellow slicker
of the crossing guard
summer's end
Tom Painting
(1,2,4) = 11 pts
One of autumn's colors, "yellow" is nicely inserted.
first day of school,
that sinking feeling
as he steps in line
Charlie Rossiter
(0,3,5) = 11 pts
Wonderful memory!
first day of school
the softer voices
of birds
Francine Banwarth
(0,2,7) = 11 pts
Eighth Place -- 10 points
my cherry tomato
skipping through the lunch room
--new school
carol pearce-worthiington
(1,2,3) = 10 pts
I think this must be read as a memory-ku rather than the in-the-moment variety. It's the kind of moment you never forget, even after you can laugh at it.
SO embarrassing, right when you want to make a good impression!
wild geese
the professor leads his freshmen
around the lake
Mary Stevens
(0,4,2) = 10 pts
There is a nice intimation here of the start of discipline.
back to school -
she sharpens a pencil
until there's nothing left
Andre Surridge
(0,1,8) = 10 pts
Man, do I remember kids that did that repeatedly!
Ninth Place -- 9 points
September rain
a matchbox school bus
left on the floor
Petar Tchouhov
(2,1,1) = 9 pts
Tenth Place -- 8 points
Her first
school locker; the spider
moves out
Elena Naskova
(0,2,4) = 8 pts
Really nice. Poor spider booted out by a new arrival.
first day of school
the apple ipods
on the teacher's desk
Sjs Stevie Strang
(0,2,4) = 8 pts
first day of school
a bunch of sparrows twitter
on the playground slide
Rafal Zabratynski
(0,1,6) = 8 pts
Eleventh Place -- 7 points
high-rise flats --
a school shirt drips
onto another
David Caleb Mutua
(0,1,5) = 7 pts
I imagine the scene well and appreciate that it's not cliched. A suggested change is to replace "a" with "one".
first school day
the nun's ruler peeks
from her sleeve
Roberta Beary
(0,1,5) = 7 pts
Nuns sometimes get a bad rap. Pun not intended. Really.
Twelfth Place -- 6 points
new perfume
at the teacher's desk
chrysanthemums
Origa
(1,0,3) = 6 pts
French class--
her pencil lost
in Paris
Ralf Broker, Germany
(0,2,2) = 6 pts
first day
a freshman sizes up
the competition
Catherine J.S. Lee
(0,2,2) = 6 pts
sleepless night --
a mewing cat watches as
I pack my books
John Mwangi
(0,2,2) = 6 pts
back to school
the flaming leaves
upon the path
Gautam Nadkarni
(0,1,4) = 6 pts
back from spring break
the school bully
taller
Paul Hodder
(0,1,4) = 6 pts
way to school
every sunflower
to the right
Lech Szeglowski
(0,1,4) = 6 pts
back to school -
retired teachers
gather for golf
Jim Swift
(0,0,6) = 6 pts
Thirteenth Place -- 5 points
geese flying south
over the school bus
a perfect V
Ben Gieske
(1,0,2) = 5 pts
back to school -
double-park cars
under the rain
Jordi Climent
(0,2,1) = 5 pts
leaving the dorm
each hug longer
than the last
Meggy
(0,1,3) = 5 pts
first day of school--
still stooped in the field
brown children
J. J. Cushman
(0,1,3) = 5 pts
Back to school -
Guys still the same
but girls – wow!
Petru-Ioan Garda
(0,1,3) = 5 pts
first day back
a smell of new sneakers
in the change room
Susan Constable
(0,1,3) = 5 pts
crossing guard
a string of kids
. . . trailing
Carolyn Coit Dancy
(0,0,5) = 5 pts
all the way home
from school
the smell of golden rods
Jacek M
(0,0,5) = 5 pts
Though this is in the free form section, the golden rods make it a special and specific time.
Fourteenth Place -- 4 points
back to school
new name of a girl
on his arm
Dorota Pyra
(0,2,0) = 4 pts
back to school
trying on mom's
high heels
Rita Odeh
(0,1,2) = 4 pts
first day of college . . .
an upperclassman gives me
the wrong directions
Collin Barber
(0,1,2) = 4 pts
back to school
a whiff of vomit from
her breath
Mary Davila
(0,1,2) = 4 pts
back to school
twenty years late
twice as scared
mechaieh
(0,0,4) = 4 pts
Fifteenth Place -- 3 points
first day back
already
the smell of kids
DeVar
(1,0,0) = 3 pts
new term
a first-year dropped off
by her grandson
Terry O'Connor
(0,1,1) = 3 pts
back to school
at the senior center
computer class
Elinor Pihl Huggett
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
back to school--
he mistakes her shampoo
for perfume
aom (tim)
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
back to school
mom signs up
for online classes
doris kasson
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
first day of school
hair slicked with mom's spittle
against the grain
Gerald Graffe
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
back to school
holiday weather
arrives
Elaine Riddell
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
first school day
his parents do not notice
untied shoe-lace
Boris Nazansky
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
first day of term
white chalk powder on
my black trousers
K. Ramesh
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
in the coffee shop
on campus
no decaf
Deanna Tief
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
foreclosed–
their son begins
school today
Bill Kenney
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
September noon
two sets of grandparents
in the school bus shelter
Joann
(0,0,3) = 3 pts
Sixteenth Place -- 2 points
lesson planning again --
dusting the syllabus from
the bookshelf
Patrick Wafula
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
back to school
the technicolor patterns
of fresh graffiti
ed markowski
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
skipping along--
new ribbons, polished shoes
crayola crayons
anonymous
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
Past present future
Heartbeats race in fresh face time
Big hand small hand- Go!
Valerie Hanada
(0,1,0) = 2 pts
her notes
origami folded
waste can overflowing
Tom Conally
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
This paints a vivid picture of a student's frustration.
a big girl now
alone at the school bus stop
—hidden, mom watches
if
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
assembling her dorm bed
the bruises
I still have
Alan S. Bridges
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
school cleaning -
some tables with
carved names
Israel Lopez Balan
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
back to school
the thirtysomething dons
a faded tee
Jennifer Corpe
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
back to school --
a student removes
a cobweb from his shoe
Cecilia Peacock
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
Back to school
the ringing bells,
childrens' cheer.
Beacon
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
back to school
such long faces
on short buses
Conrad Sienkiewicz
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
group project-
flat on our backs
under the tamarind tree
anonymous
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
old book bag
among blunt pencils
the lost candy bar
anonymous
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
migrating butterflies
a first day for
the new teacher, too
jennie townsend
(0,0,2) = 2 pts
Seventeenth Place -- 1 point
Starched, stiff, white collars;
Squeaky shoes and scratchy socks...
Pants torn at the knee!
Tanja Cilia
Labor Day weekend
he refuses to drive
into Boston
Bruce Ross
Being from the Boston area, this one really struck a chord!
a new blister
in place of the old callus...
first football practice
Janice Hornburg
school library-- busy iPods
LGD
back in school
my classmates
so much younger
Tom Genovese
she and her granddaughter
at the same college--
back to school
Terri L. French
School crossing
the new teacher's white teeth
against her deep tan
anonymous
dissection class-
suddenly, Basho's frog
comes to life
sanjuktaa
back to school --
latecomers cleaning
the school compound
Joab N Peacock
back to school
a teen with a baby
on each hip
anonymous
Most don't slow down
in the School Zone.
They'll never learn
Bill Gottlieb
dawdling trout
rejoin their school
spawn season
Allen McGill
grandchild’s first day
that same schoolroom scent
of crayons & floor wax
soji
chemistry lesson –
the girls only have eyes
for the new teacher
Ramona Linke
the bell rings -
back to classroom
bullies
Barbara A Taylor AU
fall term's first paper
on the teacher's desk
airplane
Barbara Snow
old binder
a new backpack
on such small shoulders
Jim Applegate
opening day --
books and pens going
at double price
Jonson Malombe
cold morning --
students stranded
at the bus stop
Peter Nguribu
school again --
my dog barking for me
to wake up
Kelvin Macharia
no points this time, sorry
school will soon begin
sweaters pulled from the closet
moths learning to say goodbye
dragonfly
Students murmuring
over the class test result:
the teacher's curved lips
R.K.SINGH
start/stop/start/stop/start -
my path leads me to be
behind a school bus
Merrill Ann Gonzales
her grey hair
peeks through the crowd --
excited freshmen all
anonymous
All kids toys take rest
in neatly packed carton box
school bells ring again
Purush
Telling a student
about my hip-replacement
during the summer
Horst Ludwig
there he’s been standing
- humming his songs -
drowned out by laughter
Gabriele Brunsch
the border guard
comes out of retirement
school patrol
Garry Eaton
a new challenge:
learning to fight the swine flu
back to college
Keith A. Simmonds
back packs
at the bus stop-
back to schoolers
gillena cox
Taking steps
towards open doors
school bell rings
Lorraine Margueritte Gasrel Black
Forward, bag in hand,
greet old friends along the way,
autumn college starts.
Jean Lewis
We go back to school
nice images of holidays
are still in our minds
Maria Griselda Garcia Cuerva
bare feet and shorts
traded for a yellow vest -
safety patrol
A. Dharma Bum
morning recess
kids rush to the computer lab
to play games
Edward
autumn bus stop
scrubbed children wearing
back to school faces
Frances McCarthy
bare walls
a jumble of packed boxes—
coming and going
Marylouise Knight
burned school -
children are showing sorrow
not very sincere
Krzysztof
a handsome boy,
students, teachers and a college -
all new
Daniela Bullas
jeans so new they squeak
stiff backpack and stiff manners
facing a new school
Deirdre Godwin
back to school
no fuss –
it’s cheese cake day
Jyothirmai Gubili
empty tank --
all heads lug jerricans
to the school
anonymous
busy morning --
cars pack and unpack
at the school gate
Esther O Peacock
back to school --
a repaired dress in the
tailor's window
Hussein Haji
new uniform --
a pupil laughs at
her friend
Maurice Peacock
note writing again --
a ball pen leaks into
my new bag
Duncan Omoto
schools open --
sitting in class from
Monday to Monday
Marion M Peacock
back to school --
students with plates
full of rice
Stephen N Peacock
tears on dad's hand
"don't let them make you fight"
small for school age
andrea
Once again
return to old friends
back to school.
Trevor Camp
back to school--
waiting for the bus
on the first day
John Daleiden
restart at school
books, doors previously closed
now gladly opened
Eric
new school year -
schoolboys stares at
new teacher's legs
Andrzej Dembonczyk
back to school
left the garden gate open
hard knocks
gourdman
tough guy this fall
flunked out of
the school of hard knocks
Bill Pauly
first day of school...
under the teacher's desk
spiders playing criss cross
Dejan Pavlinovic
a truant
back to school
now running
anonymous
back to school
patinaed roof shingles
under the moon
Jeanette Blain
walking towards
the loud buzzing swarm -
school recess
Jeff Hanson
turning leaves,
back-to-school sales —
the same new colors
anonymous
holiday hangovers --
a student with unkempt hair
sent home
Vivian Adhiambo
looking for
the paraffin lamp --
homework again
Erick Mwange
fitting for new
shoes at the cobbler's --
last weekend
Carol Wanjiku
opening day --
sweeping the dust
off the desks
Martin Kamau
new term --
book-sellers selling books
at higher prices
Maxwell George
cold morning --
students in new uniforms
walking to school
Stephen Macharia
new term --
students queuing
for admission
Nassir Shaban
Monday morning --
promoted students wearing
new badges
Kevin Wansala
breezy evening--
mother patronizes as
I pack my books
James Bundi
at the corner
green chucks patiently wait
to board the school bus
Hazel
before the first class
each student takes a deep breath
- watching the pause
anonymous
General Comments:
There were so many great fog-haiku, it was hard to judge. But I think there were many so-what three-liners in the Free Format this time; and it was hard to pick out the few haiku or senryu.
I really liked this (kigo) topic choice!
So many great (kigo)choices this time!
This one (free format) was difficult for me to judge--there were many good ones!
A bit harder for me to cut (free format) than the Kigo kukai, but I made it.
I'm sorry (regrets not having more votes), many beautiful haiku! Great contest!