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The Shiki Monthly Kukai

December 2009 Kukai

Dear Haiku Friends,

Here are the results for the December 2009 Kukai, wherein our Kigo subject was "Wintering Animals" and our Free Format subject was "Breakfast".

Congratulations to Melissa Spurr, winner of our Kigo section and to Ann K. Schwader, winner of our Free Format section!


The haiku are listed in order of total points received from voters. The numbers reflect the number of voters who gave the haiku either three points, two points, or one point -- followed by the total points for all votes.

Those who were given less than three points and who requested anonymity in such a case are so noted.


In the listing below, after each poem the author is listed, and then a three digit code revealing how many 3-point, 2-point, and 1-point points were cast for this poem by the other participating poets.

(214 = 12) would indicate that the poem above received two 3-point votes, one 2-point vote, and four 1-point votes.

Voters comments are in italics below the respective poems.

December 2009 Results
Kigo Theme:
Wintering Animals
Free Format Theme:
Breakfast

First Place – 43 points
icy moon
coyote cries
crack the silence

Melissa Spurr
(3,11,12) = 43 pts

Very sharp visuals, sounds, and mood in this haiku.


Second Place – 24 points
migrating birds -
a line of traffic lights
turns green

Israel Lopez Balan
(0,6,12) = 24 pts


Third Place – 17 points
last leaf
on the dogwood
chrysalis

Barbara Snow
(2,3,5) = 17 pts


Fourth Place – 16 points
christmas mosquito
I guess you too are the last
of your generation

John Thompson
(1,3,7) = 16 pts


Fifth Place – 14 points
the year ends with the long tail of a squirrel’s shadow

martin
(1,3,5) = 14 pts

I like the resonance of the tail and year's end the year ends with the long tail of a squirrel’s shadow.

winter thaw
the stray cat moves
closer

Earl Keener
(1,3,5) = 14 pts

The different readings of the first and last lines are lovely.


Sixth Place – 13 points
withered grasses...
a field mouse
slips into the pantry

Irene Golas
(0,3,7) = 13 pts

Clever mouse! Love the touch of humor.


Seventh Place – 12 points
longest night of the year —
between the owl's hoots
silence deepens

Leslie Montgomery
(0,0,12) = 12 pts


Eighth Place – 11 points
two-foot drifts
my poodle looks at me
then pees on the porch

Terri French
(1,2,4) = 11 pts

frozen lake
some seagulls huddle
along a crack

Kathleen O’Toole
(0,4,3) = 11 pts


Ninth Place – 10 points
overwintering
the bats
in mother's attic

Tom Painting
(1,0,7) = 10 pts

frozen fields —
a flock of goldfinches
on the thistle

Tomislav M
(0,2,6) = 10 pts

A clear visual, with lovely sounds and rhythm.


Tenth Place – 9 points
Ice hole —
a deer drinks from the pond
the moon and some stars

Adina Enachescu
(0,2,5) = 9 pts

bare branches
wind slices through
the fawn's carcass

Alan S. Bridges
(0,0,9) = 9 pts

Again I like the resonance here bareness and carcass.

Great use of senses in this haiku.


Eleventh Place – 8 points
standing tall
battling wind and sleet
proud penguin papa

Washi
(1,1,3) = 8 pts

(You could drop "proud", He's already standing there, Tall?? Maybe also drop "and sleet" ??) Like it very much, though!

almost Christmas
a juvenile gull mewling
over our dumpster

andrea
(1,1,3) = 8 pts

winter drizzle
stray cat takes shelter
under my car

Jacek M.
(1,1,3) = 8 pts

Frost at noon —
on the sledge a Teddy Bear
covered with a scarf

Oprica Padeanu
(0,3,2) = 8 pts

moonlit sky —
a polar bear rests on
seamless ice

Narayanan Raghunathan
(0,2,4) = 8 pts

granite sky
the lynx’s snow-prints
across the ledge

Catherine J.S. Lee
(0,1,6) = 8 pts

I like the contrast between the hard/soft and dark/light.


Twelfth Place – 7 points
first snow
feasting on ash berries
robins

natalia kuznetsova
(1,1,2) = 7 pts

fresh snow
with a strutting swagger
the crow adds his tracks

Edward
(0,1,5) = 7 pts

I like the contrast of colour and the detail in the description of the motion.


Thirteenth Place – 6 points
the farmyard —
a white sheet
with foxtrot diagrams

Jon Espen Vassbotn
(1,1,1) = 6 pts

leathers and furs
in the coat closet
christmas guests

Carlos Gesmundo
(0,2,2) = 6 pts

sun at last
a squirrel scampers snow
off the fence

Ann K. Schwader
(0,2,2) = 6 pts

'at last' here made me gasp or breath I truly empathized with the writer in this one.

winter evening
a pigeon returns
to the dunged sill

Dorota Pyra
(0,2,2) = 6 pts

the mist rising
from a crowded feedlot
the bawls of the calves

Garry Eaton
(0,1,4) = 6 pts

trembling branch
the eagle has landed
shedding snow

Ben Gieske
(0,1,4) = 6 pts

winter afternoon
a cat and a plush dalmatian
doze together

Walter Franceschi
(0,1,4) = 6 pts

white stillness
suddenly turning orange —
a passing fox

oana posnaies
(0,1,4) = 6 pts

orange leaves
on pines' branches —
wintering butterflies

Iga
(0,1,4) = 6 pts


Fourteenth Place – 5 points
Prolonged howl...
in the wake of the pack
a lone wolf

Vasile Moldovan
(1,1,0) = 5 pts

five inches last night
horses rolling in fresh snow
make monster angels

F.J. Bergmann
(0,2,1) = 5 pts

in and out of
snow covered hedges -
chirping chickadees

Mike Montreuil
(0,2,1) = 5 pts

misty morning...
a lonely goose flies into
early snowfall

Keith A. Simmonds
(0,1,3) = 5 pts

gray flannel blanket —
sprinkles of migrating birds
on dull winter sky

sandy friedlander
(0,1,3) = 5 pts


Fifteenth Place – 4 points
hibernating bear —
inside the cave echoes of
my rapid heartbeat

Daniela Bullas, UK
(1,0,1) = 4 pts

a pile of brown leaves
even after he's pointed them out—
unblinking peahens

Sheila K. Barksdale
(1,0,1) = 4 pts

The horses breath
blows warmth on my hand

Yositaka (0,1,2) = 4 pts

greenstone den —
the new cub nestles into
his mother's warmth

Nancy Smith
(0,1,2) = 4 pts

winter thaw
a drowsy hedgehog
pauses at the spring

Tore Sverredal
(0,1,2) = 4 pts

gradually
the snow hides the deer's hoof prints —
recalling my life...

Zhanna P. Rader
(0,1,2) = 4 pts

silent birch trees
color of wolves' eyes
add to the white

Harvey Jenkins
(0,0,4) = 4 pts

snow plowed roads
whitetail deer
leap the drifts

DeVar
(0,0,4) = 4 pts

snowy evening
a dog tied up outside
starbucks

Roberta Beary
(0,0,4) = 4 pts


Sixteenth Place – 3 points
Ducks on ice
cold cold feet
South, dumb ducks! Fly south!

Geoffrey A. Landis
(1,0,0) = 3 pts

the squirrel digs
through snow for a nut
. . . pecan pie cooling

Warren Gossett
(0,1,1) = 3 pts

black swans blur
in the snow storm—
candles lit against war

Ron Moss
(0,1,1) = 3 pts

starlit night
wintering animals
around the manger

Elaine RIddell
(0,1,1) = 3 pts

a new snow in the graveyard

filling in the possum's tracks

Cindy Tebo
(0,1,1) = 3 pts

winter woods
young deer and old men
turned grey

Steve Rojcewicz
(0,0,3) = 3 pts

lakeside inn
wild ducks clamour
for bread pieces

_kala
(0,0,3) = 3 pts


Seventeenth Place – 2 points
deadly cold
a struggle of wills captured
by wing beats in snow

marco b
(0,1,0) = 2 pts

tiny chipmunk prints
cross the snowy porch
dripping icicles

if
(0,1,0) = 2 pts

black fox
crosses my path so lightly --
winter dawn

Ruth Powell
(0,1,0) = 2 pts

the last mallard
trapped in pond ice...
blue norther

Janice Hornburg
(0,0,2) = 2 pts

christmas eve
he hangs grapes on the tree
for the birds

Judith Gorgone
(0,0,2) = 2 pts

swirling snow
a spider family wintering
in the garage

Carol Raisfeld
(0,0,2) = 2 pts

full wolf moon—
mouse's snow tunnel
between the stone walls

Diane Mayr
(0,0,2) = 2 pts

In the zoo
a young polar bear
fears the ice

Ralf Broker
(0,0,2) = 2 pts

Winter night —
a hungry fox at the coop
where the dog sleeps

Miorita
(0,0,2) = 2 pts


Eighteenth Place – 1 point
sleeping in the warmth
of home is the only wish
of foreclosure dogs

Jennifer Stefanow

Moonlit patch on mounds
Crossing over the stripped vines
A skunk with full coat

Leslie Brockway

crackling fireplace
cricket vacates log home
for a cooler climate

Elinor Pihl Huggett

fly, my paper crane
spread your wings and fly away,
a Christmas tree waits

Tom Conally

snowy owl-so still—
full of origami life
made from cold paper

James Dobson

early morning drive
pooches and mommy sporting
matching plaid sweaters

Hazel

No more protected
the timberwolves howling long
in these icy lands

Horst Ludwig

bits of bread
on crusted snow —
a cardinal!

Laurene


No points this time. Sorry
under disguise
in snow-covered eaves
an ermine hides

Barbara A Taylor

Shrouded in ice
The sentry
Dreams of home...

James Sawers

tracks in the snow
next to the pine tree
squilroy was here!

Erik Boye

sweet polaroid images
gray and white blurs flit flitting
the snowbirds are back

dragonfly

The buck shakes
his antlers amidst the
snow covered red ferns

Lorraine Margueritte Gasrel Black

fresh fallen snow
cardinal's compete
at the bird feeder

anonymous

soup kitchen day
the homeless eat inside
feral cats eat in the snow

Rose Marie Stutts

increase in golf fees
just for the wintering
snowbirds

Bill Hudson

derelict barn
cobwebs dust and bats sleeping
the winter away

Frances McCarthy

coming down the hill
a pair of seasoned squirrels
frolicking about

Tom Burgess

polar bears
in my bedroom only
because of TV

gillena cox

Bird feeder,
three song sparrows - full.
Cheerful thanks.

Trevor Camp

full bird feeder—
wintering animals
plan the attack

Bill Gunter

owl …
oiling door with
shaking hand

Reza

Radiators hissing
As Cat melts into mousy dreams
Warm safe winter naps

Pat Lammers

winter mist
sparrows that sing
sweet, sweet Canada, Canada

jennie townsend

cold weather sets in
robins pause on migration
for a berry-feast

Deirdre Godwin

red-tailed hawk circling
rabbits and field mice
scurrying

todd eddy

head cocked
at snowbirds packing the beach
florida seagull

Pris Campbell

blizzard winds—
the snow piles up
where do squirrels go?

Marylouise Knight

penguins
sliding on their bellies
the telly

og_a

camouflaged by snow
an albino deer
mocks the hunter

Dharma Bum

The tiny bear:
mom, freeze the winter,
i'm not tired yet

Petru-Ioan Garda

dungenese crab sale
in season
out of season

Stella

warm december
a gray squirrel's coat
turning white

J Blain

snowball thrown
at a cat lurking under
the bird feeder

gourdman

stray cat's food bowl—
puff-feathered blue jay
opportunist

jill

coyote
crosses the ice
to prey on our island

Beth Powell

Early morning
Rabbit freezes
Brown patch on snow

Mary E. Gray

blue jays fighting
over the last peanut
the seventh day of snow

Stevie Strang

the hare in my heart
waiting for change
turns grey

theodora



First Place — 24 points
tea steam
the east window
brightens

Ann K. Schwader
(2,6,6) = 24 pts

Ordinary images of an ordinary day, I settle right in as I read it.


Second Place — 22 pts
Christmas brunch
a place at the table
for her new doll

Catherine J.S. Lee
(0,9,4) = 22 pts

I love the mood of indulgence in this haiku.

This seems to reflect the spirit of the season, by showing the love and joy of a little girl.


Third Place — 20 pts
vapors
rising from the lake...
morning coffee

Janice Hornburg
(1,4,9) = 20 pts

Nice light unfettered, contemplative piece. I like the juxtaposition.

Lovely imagery, with a lot of warmth and subtle shifts of meaning.

thick fog —
four brightly colored pills
beside her oatmeal

Susan Constable
(0,4,12) = 20 pts


Fourth Place – 19 points
toast crumb
balanced just so
on the ant's back

Paul Hodder
(2,4,5) = 19 pts

This one made me smile. I could see that little guy diligently trudging along!


Fifth Place – 14 points
Breakfast —
in the stork's beak
the first frog

Vasile Moldovan
(1,3,5) = 14 pts


Sixth Place – 13 points
snow day ::
the dog gets her share
of cold toast

jennie townsend
(2,1,5) = 13 pts

breakfast in bed
gently taking off a crumb
from grandma's cheek

Dorota Pyra
(1,3,4) = 13 pts


Seventh Place – 12 points
five days of rain
he asks for eggs
sunny-side up

Terri French
(0,3,6) = 12 pts

A little bit of humor and a lot of truth!


Eighth Place – 11 points
scrambled . . .
she talks about the sunrise
I missed

Bill Kenney
(1,0,8) = 11 pts

breakfast
the heavy silence
from last night

Carol Raisfeld
(0,3,5) = 11 pts


Ninth Place – 10 points
third shift
the broken yolk
of my sunny side

Alan S. Bridges
(2,1,2) = 10 pts

This one says so much. My dad worked 3rd shift as I was growing up. His "sunny side" was often broken!

breakfast trickles
through her IV tube
we wait

Pris Campbell
(0,3,4) = 10 pts


Tenth Place – 9 points
the same aria
sung each time he froths the milk —
north beach barista

John Thompson
(1,0,6) = 9 pts


Eleventh Place – 8 points
dusky dawn
the swirling snow
reflects in my tea

Tore Sverredal
(0,3,2) = 8 pts

I have lots of versions on this one...shorter ones.. but I like it! Be proud!

butter melting
on hot breakfast scones —
your smile

Ruth Powell
(0,2,4) = 8 pts

Lovely juxtaposition. This one really touched me.

garden breakfast
my son mixes cornflakes
with plum petals

Jacek M
(0,1,6) = 8 pts


Twelfth Place – 7 points
Hiroshima Day
to break an egg
will sicken me

Earl Keener
(2,0,1) = 7 pts

Often Hiroshima Day is used to elicit an emotional state the haiku is too weak to carry but this is almost brilliant. Simply stated reaction to the poet's (our) awakening to the day, realization, and response.

coffee and toast
knees touching lightly
first morning after

Frances McCarthy
(0,2,3) = 7 pts

garden breakfast —
yellow butterflies
among lotuses

Narayanan Raghunathan
(0,1,5) = 7 pts


Thirteenth Place – 6 points
note to self:
send e-mails _after_
caffeine reaches brain

F.J. Bergmann
(2,0,0) = 6 pts

insomnia
finding sleep
in the kettle's whistle

Beth Powell
(1,0,3) = 6 pts

the morning after...
a cup of black coffee
double bitter

natalia kuznetsova
(0,1,4) = 6 pts

hard boiled opinions
scrambled editorials
breakfast a la print

Tom Conally
(0,1,4) = 6 pts

between storms
the sun comes out—
a Sunday croissant

Marylouise Knight
(0,1,4) = 6 pts

we share coffee
and red mountains —
Sedona breakfast

jill
(0,1,4) = 6 pts


Fourteenth Place – 5 points
school bus —
some scrambled eggs with ketchup
left on the plate

Laurene
(0,2,1) = 5 pts

grandma's house
we eat oatmeal
again

Carmel Lively Westerman
(0,1,3) = 5 pts

morning chill
mom keeps her coat on
until the coffee arrives

Cindy Tebo
(0,1,3) = 5 pts

anniversary
with a flourish he pours
the cornflakes

Roberta Beary
(0,0,5) = 5 pts

another foot of snow
butter cascading down
the stack of pancakes

Stevie Strang
(0,0,5) = 5 pts


Fifteenth Place – 4 points
breakfast
the day he leaves for Iraq —
her tears in his coffee

Aalix Roake
(0,1,2) = 4 pts

Breakfast in many traditions is held as the most important meal of the day; teamed up with the urgency of duty and patronage this haiku tells a sad and compelling tale.

rice krispies whispers
snap-crackle-pop conversations
morning gently begins

Jeanne Fiedler
(0,1,2) = 4 pts

homeless shelter
snow melts from his shoulders
while fresh coffee brews

Harvey Jenkins
(0,1,2) = 4 pts

Here, the theme of humanity tells us that all is not loss in the today's world.

al fresco
a bluebottle fly
finds the bacon

Barbara A Taylor
(0,0,4) = 4 pts

from the kitchen
a scent of coffee overtakes
the alarm clock

Orbi
(0,0,4) = 4 pts

Appealing to the senses both sound and smell at the same time. This is for sure an aha moment.


Sixteenth Place – 3 points
Rivers of warm syrup
flow past islands of butter

Yositaka (1,0,0) = 3 pts

peanut butter, banana,
and bacon sandwich
having Elvis for breakfast

Bill Hudson
(1,0,0) = 3 pts

Snowflakes melt like tears
Watching it while she pours tea
One cup, this mourning

Jennifer Stefanow
(0,1,1) = 3 pts

rain
tea for one
this morning, too

og_a
(0,1,1) = 3 pts

blended family
our children contend
for the Lucky Charms

Tom Painting
(0,0,3) = 3 pts

Morning —
another hotel
cereal again?

Bill Gunter
(0,0,3) = 3 pts

can top pops...
the only time the cat
visibly loves me

Diane Mayr
(0,0,3) = 3 pts

golden waffles —
maple butter eases
square by square

Nancy Smith
(0,0,3) = 3 pts

There is an unhurried ease implied which intimates an enjoyable meal, makes my mouth water.


Seventeenth Place – 2 points
dawn call echoes
drizzling honey over
tahini - bliss

anonymous
(0,1,0) = 2 pts

bell attached
cheerios on a string
breakfast with the birds

Ben Gieske
(0,1,0) = 2 pts

breakfast for supper
too heavy for the morning
bacon and fried eggs

Deirdre Godwin
(0,1,0) = 2 pts

Tuscany morning
crescendos
a road side fig tree

Stella
(0,1,0) = 2 pts

Snowed in.
Slow breakfast,
good tea.

Horst Ludwig
(0,1,0) = 2 pts

it's already a late noon —
forgotten breakfast
is now my lunch

Juhani Tikkanen
(0,1,0) = 2 pts

dawn
I wake… I rise
I brew new tea

marco b
(0,0,2) = 2 pts

early breakfast —
my cat sits in a chair
and wants me to share

Mike Montreuil
(0,0,2) = 2 pts

outside swirling snow
inside stirring the oatmeal
whirling white

Bridget Cougar
(0,0,2) = 2 pts

racket in the pantry
a mouse
having my breakfast

Dharma Bum
(0,0,2) = 2 pts

morning breeze
sun-touched clouds
in our plates

Tanya Dikova
(0,0,2) = 2 pts

motel breakfast
a scouting party of
ducks make the rounds

J Blain
(0,0,2) = 2 pts

snowdrops and crocus
Kathleen O’Toole
(0,0,2) = 2 pts


Eighteenth Place – 1 point
cornflakes and juice at the crack of dawn

Keith A. Simmonds

Hot and bitter
A cup of tea
Begins the day

James Sawers

table set for one
red grapefruit on bone china
—whistling garbage man

if

tepid milk
over sugary cheerios
slam of a door

Garry Eaton

eggs milk sugar spice
orange squash stir batter fry
pumpkin pancakes...yum

dragonfly

deep winter...
suddenly looking forward
to porridge!

anonymous

school day
hungry children rush
to the cafeteria for breakfast

Rose Marie Stutts

new egg poacher
eating my oatmeal
I glare at my old dog

Edward

sticky from laughter
we peel back the skin
of another orange

Ron Moss

two coffee
for breakfast …
all alone

Reza

creaming coffee —
a dash of vanilla
added for panache

gillena cox

Streams of steam
Waving so languidly up
Warm tea for breakfast

Pat Lammers

the dim sun breaks through
spreads out
a marmalade morning

Jon Espen Vassbotn

tray for his sleepy wife —
fruit, toast and eggs
newborn wakes yet again

Leslie Montgomery

fading memories
a Christmas tree in
my latte

Elena Naskova

pancake breakfast —
the maple syrup
glows in the sun

anonymous

crack! go gathered nuts
stored blueberries thaw
in fresh yoghurt

gourdman

power cut —
such a yearning
for tea

anonymous

potpourri breakfast
on the plate lavender
and anise cookies

Walter Franceschi


No points this time, sorry
break —
fast on water as
the newly chicks ate my toast

Daniela Bullas, UK

the same breakfast
the globetrotter eats
unknown pleasures

Erik Boye

Eggs fry in skillet
Elegant graceful flip — oops
That one's for the dog.

Geoffrey A. Landis

I smile as butter
and maple syrup melt
into the pancakes

Lorraine Margueritte Gasrel Black

late for breakfast he breezes through the doors

_kala

yellow octopus
in grandson's cereal bowl...
sliced banana

Elinor Pihl Huggett

a vicious waking
but breakfast aroma helps
mmm what a morning

matt behan

leftover chicken:
breakfast for the weary, cold
fingerfood, hot tea

Sandy Friedlander

Each morning
a pure yellow feast.
Bananas.

Trevor Camp

A cup of morning coffee
steaming
into a brooding face

bushra naqi

first thought
hot coffee or a stiff drink
what I did last night

Judith Gorgone

Early morning
black coffee
and a pill

Ralf Broker, Germany

toast and hot chocolate
a little melted butter
floats on the surface

DeVar

morning sun —
a child billowing smoke from
a tinsel tea cup

Yamame

sugarless tea
my brother keeps off —
a cold morning

Antony Njoroge

raspberry syrup
on Mickey Mouse pancakes
breakfast alone

Barbara Snow

poached or boiled, my dear ?
for a change, fried please.
poached or boiled, my darling ?

James Dobson

Christmas holiday
sweet bread and black coffee-
breakfast for two

oana posnaies

Big family at breakfast —
around the table
12 angry men

Petru-Ioan Garda

Winter daybreak —
the black tomcat eating
a titmouse

Miorita

Shiny new kettle:
Lizard doing his morning press-ups
ponders his image

Sheila K. Barskdale

weekend morning
french toast, sausage and coffee
erase jangled nerves

Hazel

thumping winter rain —
steaming oatmeal,
warm coat and gloves

John Hubbard

Thank you for participating in the December 2009 Kukai! We will announce the January Call for Submissions on Sunday, January 3, 2010. See you then!

With much appreciation,

The Shiki Kukai Team

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