The Shiki Monthly Kukai

December 2010 Kukai

Here are the results for the December 2010 Kukai, wherein our Kigo subject was Winter Sky and our Free Format subject was Ring.

Congratulations to Melissa Spurr, winner of our Kigo section and to Iokua, winner of our Free Format section!

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

(2,1,4 = 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 2010 Results
Kigo Theme: Winter Sky	Free Format Theme: Ring
First Place - 30 Points a flake on my tongue . . . the taste of winter sky Melissa Spurr (0,9,12) = 30 pts Very primordial. I like the firstness implied in this haiku. I liked the use of the sense of taste. Second Place - 27 Points winter sky — branches of a bare tree full of stars Israel López Balan (0,7,13) = 27 pts I really enjoyed the imaginative aspect of haiku with number 2. and 87., the fact that you could really see the imagine behind the haiku – bare trees, silent and lonely, and through their branches, the winter sky, full of stars, drifting. What a silent night! I like the feeling of sharing the view; which the writer imparts here so well. A haiga in my mind! Lovely picture. A lovely visual. Winter sky, though usually referring to the pale, daytime blue, works well here. The line break in the phrase also works nicely. Third Place – 24 Points big enough for coyote howls winter sky Chandra Bales (2,3,12) = 24 pts Evocative. This is so many things I hardly know where to start. There is humor in the imaginative play of sky size large enough to hold a sound: coyote howls. A boundless container. And, with the humor, loneliness turned to solitude. A transformation of impossibles into resonant reality. The more I read it the better I like it. Fourth Place - 22 Points winter sky combing my mother's white hair Tito A (0,6,10) = 22 pts Fifth Place - 20 Points not as tall as I used to be . . . winter sky Bill Kenney (1,2,13) = 20 pts Nice suggestion of alter – another winter in the old person’s life, another year passing, getting smaller and smaller as aging effect. That wintry feeling captured in a fresh image--the cold does pull people down from mien to spirit. More votes if I could. flake by flake the winter sky touches the ground Rafal Zabratynski (0,4,12) = 20 pts A simply superb haiku. A beautiful image. The slow accumulation of sky to ground. Lovely. Sixth Place - 19 Points it is back over my son's grave — the winter sky Zhanna P. Rader (3,2,6) = 19 pts Seventh Place - 17 Points leaving home . . . winter sky in my daughter's eyes Michael Dylan Welch (0,5,7) = 17 pts winter sky a hanging leaf curls in upon itself Nancy Smith (0,4,9) = 17 pts Eighth Place - 16 Points winter sky . . . a rat skitters under the wood pile Darrell Byrd (1,1,11) = 16 pts Ninth Place - 15 Points winter sky — trumpeter swans air their wings James Dobson (2,2,5) = 15 pts An air of energy and celebration makes this one stand out on a winter day. Tenth Place - 11 Points grey winter sky two snowmen more and more into each other Li Ree (1,0,8) = 11 pts a raven cracks the silence winter sky Ann Schwader (0,4,3) = 11 pts Every word is loaded, and it can be heard all the way to the crack of doom. Eleventh Place - 10 Points winter sky a discarded doll gleams with raindrops Ron C. Moss (1,2,3) = 10 pts winter sky — the hunter points his arrow at the moon . . . Margaret Dornaus (0,2,6) = 10 pts winter sky painting the room a softer blue Susan Constable (0,1,8) = 10 pts Delicate and precise; a quiet wonder. winter sky . . . everything I’ve had to leave behind Catherine J.S. Lee (0,1,8) = 10 pts A wonderful juxtaposition when we think of the winter of our lives. And a very effective line break, mid-phrase. Twelfth Place - 9 Points slate-colored pond — not a leaf left to disturb the winter sky Adelaide B. Shaw (1,1,4) = 9 pts winter sky the pale echoes of mourning doves Bill Pauly (0,1,7) = 9 pts I like the way 'pale' echoes the color of the sky as well as the sound of the doves. Lovely use of synæsthesia. Thirteenth Place - 8 Points winter sky the forest is all Christmas trees Petar Tchouhov (0,4,0) = 8 pts Fourteenth Place - 7 Points pine silhouettes winter sky Allen McGill (2,0,1) = 7 pts color fades with her . . . winter sky Svetlana Marisova (1,1,2) = 7 pts winter sky — beggar's outstretched hand empty vishnu p kapoor (1,1,2) = 7 pts winter sky — the color of my newborn's eyes Seren Fargo (0,3,1) = 7 pts winter sky . . . one egg turned over lightly miriam chaikin (0,2,3) = 7 pts Winter Sky . . . Steam of hot turnip On table Reza (0,2,3) = 7 pts winter sky the cat's whiskers wake me up Giselle Maya (0,2,3) = 7 pts A lovely domestic moment. the ski-jumper snaps on his goggles — winter sky Michael McClintock (0,1,5) = 7 pts Not much sound, but I feel I want to lean into this haiku for the minutest of nuances and the suddenness of changes. winter sky — clouds drifting into clouds Cara Holman (0,0,7) = 7 pts The repetition is very effective here, and the verb makes me feel that time, itself, is slowing down. Fifteenth Place - 6 Points winter sky an ocean of tears falling down Jill Campbell (1,1,1) = 6 pts This reminds me of our weather here. Dark wintery sky Geese wedge their way into the wind Mark Lonergan (0,3,0) = 6 pts winter sky — your eyes as you look away Ruth Powell (0,1,4) = 6 pts winter sky — frost on the roadside whisky bottle Tanya McDonald (0,1,4) = 6 pts winter sky she plugs in the Christmas lights at noon April Serock (0,1,4) = 6 pts This one made me smile because I did it just today! turning the vinyl to the flip side — winter sky Alan S. Bridges (0,0,6) = 6 pts An unusually fresh juxtaposition which gets this haiku one of my votes. Those in the winter of their lives can certainly relate to the vinyl! Sixteenth Place - 5 Points winter sky — the old beggar wipes his cataract eye Sonam Chhoki (0,2,1) = 5 pts dusk chimney steams brighten the winter sky Jacek M. (0,1,3) = 5 pts roast ducks hang in the store window winter sky David Grayson (0,1,3) = 5 pts The unexpectedness of the ducks being dead and roasted is certainly attention catching! However much we are bemoaning our winter suffering at least we haven't been changed into a dead carcass hanging in public view. The loss of feathers as things of beauty as well as flying apparatus as well as life hovers at the back of this vignette. winter sky the cracked voice of the crow rob scott (0,0,5) = 5 pts Seventeenth Place - 4 Points winter sky . . . the last window open on the Advent calendar Francine Banwarth (1,0,1) = 4 pts winter sky she holds him closer to feel his breathe john tiong chunghoo (0,2,0) = 4 pts silent prayer the winter sky at half-mast og_a (0,2,0) = 4 pts winter sky — golden gingko leaves remain Barbara Campitelli (0,2,0) = 4 pts a spot of blue gives me hope — the winter sky Karen McClintock (0,1,2) = 4 pts winter sky — the signature of God on every cloud Rita Odeh (0,1,2) = 4 pts Very spiritual. winter sky — a heron on the edge of mirror lake Ami (0,1,2) = 4 pts winter sky above the only star the moon Kalina (0,1,2) = 4 pts winter sky folks out of church shield their eyes Beth Powell (0,1,2) = 4 pts winter sky — the hoot of an owl wrapping the moon Kaiser (0,1,2) = 4 pts I love the choice of the verb, which makes me feel that the moon and I are wrapped in sound. Even though 'winter sky' usually pertains to the pale blue daytime sky, this one works for me! winter sky we share warm blankets and watch the meteor shower Rose Marie Stutts (0,0,4) = 4 pts Eighteenth Place - 3 Points winter sky the classroom snowflake melting into it Michele L. Harvey (1,0,0) = 3 pts winter sky — pale moon-sun caught in the pond jill (1,0,0) = 3 pts Winter sky framed by Jack Frost Lorraine Margueritte Gasrel Black (0,1,1) = 3 pts winter sky the blue in your eyes Ralf Bröker (0,1,1) = 3 pts winter sky — an airplane appears in a gap in the clouds Isabelle Prondzynski (0,1,1) = 3 pts winter sky drifting amongst the pines John McDonald (0,1,1) = 3 pts I really enjoyed the imaginative aspect of this haiku with 'branches of a bare tree full of stars' and the fact that you could really see the images behind the haiku: bare trees, silent and lonely, and through their branches, the winter sky, full of stars, drifting. What a silent night! leaden winter sky the hungry calf bumps his mother’s teats Carmel Lively Westerman (0,0,3) = 3 pts winter sky . . . a logging trail all the way to the top Earl Keener (0,0,3) = 3 pts the bicycle against the lamp post snowy winter sky Ben Gieske (0,0,3) = 3 pts one last swoop . . . blackbirds fade into the winter sky Diane Mayr (0,0,3) = 3 pts winter sky — fraying edges of the patchwork quilt sanjuktaa (0,0,3) = 3 pts A resonant juxtaposition that would benefit from a flip: line 1 would make an excellent line 3. winter sky — her fingers remember every tone Dorota Pyra (0,0,3) = 3 pts winter-sky sunset — frozen twigs in the treetops fiery-bright Tomislav (0,0,3) = 3 pts Nineteenth Place - 2 Points winter sky awkward hug from the aunt I could never stand if (0,1,0) = 2 pts vapid winter sky bereft of all emotion; who will dry my tears? Tanja Cilia (0,1,0) = 2 pts winter sky the reveneur sniffs a wisp of smoke doris kasson (0,1,0) = 2 pts lingering blues starlings augment the winter sky Tom Painting (0,1,0) = 2 pts talk of crocuses the eagerness in the air winter sky Sheila K.Barksdale (0,1,0) = 2 pts winter sky — so coldly beautiful it hurts Mary Lee McClure (0,1,0) = 2 pts a bright star dims the winter sky peaceful gathering Ted van Zutphen (0,1,0) = 2 pts Inhales sun through the foggy morning — winter sky R.K. Singh (0,1,0) = 2 pts winter sky the way we sleep under that blanket Anonymous (0,1,0) = 2 pts winter sky between the trees crow caws mgc (0,0,2) = 2 pts winter sky he makes a promise i can't keep Anonymous (0,0,2) = 2 pts ski trail through the winter sky a shimmer in the pines maxianne (0,0,2) = 2 pts an old tramp shares his meal with a stray dog winter sky natalia kuznetsova (0,0,2) = 2 pts winter sky our evening walk with a moondog Barbara Snow (0,0,2) = 2 pts rushing down the icy footpath — winter sky Robert Naczas (0,0,2) = 2 pts winter sky Alcyone outshines her sisters Terri L. French (0,0,2) = 2 pts winter sky embossed with gray clouds Tom Conally (0,0,2) = 2 pts strings of pearls the scars at her wrist winter sky Anonymous (0,0,2) = 2 pts winter sky — only one crow remains on a charred fence Westley, Kurt (0,0,2) = 2 pts winter sky — she looks at me like never before Lech Szeg (0,0,2) = 2 pts cold bed your empty pillow so white — winter sky Anonymous (0,0,2) = 2 pts Twentieth Place - 1 Point gathering clouds — across the winter sky a dark sea horse sails Barbara A Taylor winter sky country music accompanies the vacuum cleaner Bill Hudson first love hung the moon around a winter sky Judi Honiker In the winter sky still another skein of geese. I walk more slowly. Horst Ludwig winter sky recounting my money at the ATM Marleen Hul whistling against the winter sky - my brother has outstanding ears Oddbjørn Aardalen I like the quirkiness of this one, perhaps the writer's own ears have started to feel the cold and that has made her notice her brother's ears for the first time. Or perhaps the uncluttered nature of a winter sky brings the shapes of things into relief and maybe the brother is so bundled up with winter clothes his ears are the only things exposed for the sibling to recognise him by. Winter sky still filled with snow — a jogging cat Juhani Tikkanen Through bare branches my mind clouded winter sky Ashi winter sky I catch the last train heading home Harvey Jenkins high noon; the bluebird's blue outblued by the winter sky ! manoj saranathan winter sky no man on that little white moon Anonymous winter sky a brilliance of stars burns through the icy chill Elaine Riddell winter sky . . . the same dotted white up and down Dejan Pavlinovic caught in the lake, the winter sky with all its constellations Duc branches against the winter sky . . . we'll get through this Iokua No points this time, sorry. winter sky . . . my infant grandson falls asleep Ella W. Barren winter sky summer past a distant dream spring too far beyond Robert C. Howard winter skies memories hither and thither with every step Anna Carenne Santa Claus, CHRISTMAS, Steve, New Year, Basil, John -- Winter sky bless fests! Stopsy winter sky . . . I still feel the cold from yesterday's frost Keith A. Simmonds her saree's silver dust still under my finger nails — dawdling winter sky Kameshwar Rao flailing neon lights in the winter sky so soon after midday tea Alegria Winter sky — at Eastern a star appears brighter Petru-Ioan Garda winter sky — a pilgrim's changing moods in the polar lights Svein Lie December again Ever constant Christmas lights Stars of the Winter Sky Bonnie Hudson in the winter sky a pearly crescent moon . . . how little we know Marylouise Knight Both laughing we are no longer blue winter sky. Trevor Camp misty morning and dusty winds no Winter sky here Nana Fredua-Agyeman field still windmills under an overcast sky, the weatherman says "snow" Charlie Rossiter carpet of maple leaves winter sky revealed Christopher Pickslay winter sky — blanket she knits grows longer Leslie Montgomery my empty pockets the night the stars fell only clouds Merrill Ann Gonzales Wintersky Her warm embrace throws away my freezing stance purush-guntur meeting again . . . in the faint light of a winter sky your smile, magic Carol Raisfeld storm clouds huddle together still lonely the winter sky Ellen Romano winter sky the hisses of defrosting sprays Johannes S. H. Bjerg blowing from the east out-flows blue the winter sky element of cold Deirdre Godwin brown Valley grasses stark against The White Mountains winter sky John Daleiden getting used to the dark — mid winter sky carol pearce-worthington winter sky the one ornament of the sun William M. Gottlieb winter sky on the lake wolves stretch . . . before the hunt Edward last Advent — sparkling light on the winter sky Patricia Lidia winter sky — through the halfway opened door snowflakes in hand gilena cox broken street lamp wears a different snowy cap winter sky Boris Nazansky Snow flung in fury White above, below, around Winter sky Mary E. Gray the winter sky reflects in the river outgoing steamer Tore Sverredal Winter sky reflects bare trees . . . melancholy Yuka Makishita leaden winter sky beauty in forty shades of grey Frances O'Keeffe melancholy seeps into my soul winter sky Carolyn Coit Dancy winter sky — five or six crows settle on a barbed wire fence DeVar Dahl solstice a bubbly summer cloud on the winter sky Jon Espen Vassbotn wearing the end on her feet winter sky Dan Schwerin after babysitting enjoying the stillness of a winter sky Hazel A. Witherspoon grey sky of winter . . . even now this spreading oak has it's own glory Elinor Pihl Huggett bunny tales whiter — icicles elongate pristine winter sky Dorothy j. Kazmierzak General Comments: There were so many excellent haiku this month, it was hard for me to whittle the list down to these 6 kigo poems. I found it impossible to pick only three in the kigo section this time around. There are numerous examples that show how effectively a simple kigo can increase the mood and meaning of a descriptive phrase. I think I expected a more general gloom, given the kigo, than I found here. Haiku poets are a resilient bunch. I had a hard time this month narrowing down to six. I had two that I thought were deserving of more points, but so many others that were good I ended up using one point each. There were a whole group of excellent haiku that talked of human grief and suffering, but after reading so many one after the other it became one human cry and was hard to distinguish one from another. I found some of the images in nature had echoes of this grief and loss if one stopped to listen to the haiku. But this certainly was a great selection to read and comprehend. I found myself drawn towards those haiku which juxtapose two different "white" images.	First Place - 29 Points ring around the moon my baby's lips full of nipple Iokua (2,6,11) = 29 pts The uniqueness of the image, how the idea of "ring" is used, the tenderness of it--that's why this vote! Second Place - 25 Points rain drops into the water into the rings Ben Gieske (1,4,14) = 25 pts Something we've all seen and heard and a lovely allusion to Virgilio's well-known haiku. This is very similar to Nick Virgilio's famous poem, but stands apart with its own vivid imagery. An interesting homage. Third Place – 20 Points the mood ring says I'm happy — winter solitude Michael McClintock (2,4,6) = 20 pts I find the phrase delightfully amusing in combination with the winter kigo. Thanks for the smile! Was solitude ever more persuasively captured? I'm reduced to "I wish I had written that." Fourth Place - 19 Points winter solstice a harvest of stones for the fire ring Tom Painting (2,4,5) = 19 pts Fifth Place - 14 Points twisted hankie on the pawnshop counter a wedding ring doris kasson (1,1,9) = 14 pts mood ring what she's not telling me Bill Kenney (0,2,10) = 14 pts Sixth Place - 13 Points saturn’s rings through the telescope the hooting owl mgc (1,2,6) = 13 pts Seventh Place - 12 Points new moon she practices taking off her ring Melissa Allen (0,3,6) = 12 pts I like the openness of this combined as it is with precise observation. Eighth Place - 11 Points frozen pond the ring on the egret's leg Polona (1,1,6) = 11 pts Two kinds of stillness effectively juxtaposed. if only . . . another soapy bubble slips through the ring Maxianne (0,3,5) = 11 pts Ninth Place - 10 Points friendship ring warmth of her hand without mittens Beth Powell (0,3,4) = 10 pts Novel in the use of a friendship ring, and the warm hand despite the obvious cold weather, leaves the reader with a nice image. Although I think a "the" before "warmth" would add more balance, this is one of my favorites. table for two she moves her ring to the other hand Susan Constable (0,1,8) = 10 pts Tenth Place - 9 Points bell ringers laying winter wreaths on soldiers’ tombs Margaret Dornaus (0,3,3) = 9 pts This reminds me of the recent death in our family. This one made me cry because we attended the military funeral of my Father-in-law last month. ring of crows a hole in the ice og_a (0,2,5) = 9 pts I can picture this simple but striking visual scene of black crows and white ice. Crows are known for pecking at the eyes of dying creatures and here although they are probably just sipping water, symbolically they are gathered to probe the dead earth of winter. boys' night out the ring tightens Christopher Pickslay (0,1,7) = 9 pts Eleventh Place - 8 Points gardening her ring on a chain around her neck Bill Hudson (0,1,6) = 8 pts her ring of keys on the hall peg condolences if (0,1,6) = 8 pts plop! another shapely ring from a shapeless stone Rafal Zabratynski (0,1,6) = 8 pts The first line made me hold a breath! Reminded me of the "frog" haiku. The truth that follows the cut got this vote. Indeed in whatever shape, anything sinks in the water into a perfect ring. Twelfth Place - 7 Points she hears the twists of a sea shell . . . her wedding ring Svetlana Marisova (1,1,2) = 7 pts New Year's Eve a ring disappears Ralf Bröker (1,1,2) = 7 pts smoke rings roll around his finger a train whistle Ted van Zutphen (1,1,2) = 7 pts after skating a ring of stones for the campfire Ruth Powell (0,1,5) = 7 pts Nice contrast of fire and ice and the weightless feeling that skaters experience contrasting with the heavy solid nature of stones. lunar eclipse . . . she forgot to remove her mother's ring Claire Everett (0,0,7) = 7 pts Thirteenth Place - 6 Points marital discord — in her sleep she takes off her ring Leslie Montgomery (0,2,2) = 6 pts cold morning her wedding ring forgotten on my night table Tito A (0,1,4) = 6 pts I will . . . my ring finger no longer bare James Dobson (0,1,4) = 6 pts ageless diva — I try to count the rings on her fingers sanjukta (0,1,4) = 6 pts roof hole — the sun throws its ring onto the floor Nana Fredua-Agyeman (0,0,6) = 6 pts Fourteenth Place - 5 Points hand in hand — ring around the globe Patricia Lidia (1,1,0) = 5 pts wedding rings — the little sparkle in her eyes Rita Odeh (1,0,2) = 5 pts new moon when the sound of a name rings no bells Marylouise Knight (0,2,1) = 5 pts morning meadow . . . mushrooms ring the spot where we slept Darrell Byrd (0,1,3) = 5 pts Spirits reside in the memory. the wet ring beneath a full glass . . . spreading Kirsty Karkow (0,1,3) = 5 pts engagement ring — gulls squawking on the pawnshop roof Earl Keener (0,1,3) = 5 pts I like the subtle humor, in that it's unlikely only the gulls are squawking. you gave me this ring on a day like today . . . snow about to fall Michael Dylan Welch (0,1,3) = 5 pts grandma's wedding ring lost in cookie dough christmas memories Judi Honiker (0,0,5) = 5 pts waning moon — how pale the wedding ring after all these years Sonam Chhoki (0,0,5) = 5 pts a ring of snow about the chimney . . . December morning Keith A. Simmonds (0,0,5) = 5 pts side by side two wedding rings — no longer worn Merrill Ann Gonzales (0,0,5) = 5 pts gingko tree — a ring of gold beneath Barbara Campitelli (0,0,5) = 5 pts Fifteenth Place - 4 Points summer clouds . . . a ring no longer needed given to the sea Giselle Maya (1,0,1) = 4 pts soft rings of rain . . . on a dock of the bay at summer’s end Carol Raisfeld (0,1,2) = 4 pts following a tree ring with my finger ..nineteenfortyfive.. Li Ree (0,1,2) = 4 pts a ring of mushrooms in the cemetery grass — distant ragtime Tanya McDonald (0,1,2) = 4 pts tattooed wedding ring the broken knuckle aches in the cold DeVar Dahl (0,1,2) = 4 pts under mistletoe — the widow peering at the ring around the moon Kaiser (0,1,2) = 4 pts after the rain a fairy ring of mushrooms Rose Marie Stutts (0,0,4) = 4 pts 80th anniversary he shows his collection of wedding rings Petar Tchouhov (0,0,4) = 4 pts of the whole forest remembering the tiny ring of daffodils John McDonald (0,0,4) = 4 pts Here's a welcome reminder that 'Small is Beautiful'. Sixteenth Place - 3 Points brownies sing sweetly in a ring of sisterhood Anna Carenne (1,0,0) = 3 pts Christmas shopping sleigh bells ring on the antique shop door Carmel Lively Westerman (0,1,1) = 3 pts cancer melting her flesh loosens her wedding ring mechaieh (0,1,1) = 3 pts My lawn fairy ring — to leave them be or to cook them? Zhanna P. Rader (0,1,1) = 3 pts starry night a little tinsel for her halo Michele L. Harvey (0,1,1) = 3 pts This one surprised me--very nice. rings of frost — diamonds on my windowpane Cara Holman (0,1,1) = 3 pts I’ve seen this. How it sparks a creative and artistic image. ring the boxers married for 12 rounds William M. Gottlieb (0,1,1) = 3 pts New Year's eve the sycamore tallies another ring Barbara Snow (0,0,3) = 3 pts on the wheat field a ring of trampled grain — night visitors John Daleiden (0,0,3) = 3 pts Seventeenth Place - 2 Points no ring white stripe on tanned finger tells a story Jill Campbell (0,1,0) = 2 pts Ring must be resized For a thinner finger She can't endure more loss Mary Gray (0,1,0) = 2 pts fresh shrimp soup her wedding-ring somewhere in the garbage can Tore Sverredal (0,1,0) = 2 pts This haiku tells so much but not too much; it's a mystery novel with an 'open' ending - I've already thought of several stories to account for the wedding ring in the garbage. the ring of fire . . . volcanic eruptions send villagers running Barbara A Taylor (0,1,0) = 2 pts Ominous!! bells ring under the mistletoe bough — first kiss alex serban (0,0,2) = 2 pts difficult times — my wife turns on her finger the engagement ring Petru-Ioan Garda (0,0,2) = 2 pts New Year's Eve — a diamond ring shines in the pawn shop window Lucas Garczewski (0,0,2) = 2 pts two wide rings by the fast frozen pond — the frog's eyes Juhani Tikkanen (0,0,2) = 2 pts Stonehenge Druids form a ring at the solstice Allen McGill (0,0,2) = 2 pts Las Vegas romance he rents her ring for the weekend Edward (0,0,2) = 2 pts the hardness of diamonds ~ returned ring Paul Hodder (0,0,2) = 2 pts not even a picture of us together my ring of white skin Anonymous (0,0,2) = 2 pts first date — we discuss our wedding rings rob scott (0,0,2) = 2 pts Eighteenth Place - 1 Point A Bristlecone pine bears a ring that marks the year of the first Christmas Robert C. Howard circle with no end - but no beginning, either . . . no wonder I'm lost. Tanja Cilia a circle of gold etched with forget-me-not's once hugged my finger Betty Kaplan east crises sales stage small russian diamonds stock — eternity ring Stopsy ocean gyre . . . flotsam pulled in from all corners Alan S. Bridges they came in and went out and came in again miriam chaikin the ring she wore for thirty three years: with me for keeping vishnu p kapoor carolers in a ring little ones know only “jingle bells” Diane Mayr the stump of the oak our great-grandfather planted . . . all these annual rings! natalia Kuznetsova shirt collar bathtub telephone which ring first? Mary Lee McClure my mother's skeleton fingers tape wound round and round her wedding ring Ellen Romano Frosty snowflake along the bell rope descending as I ring Ashi Unusual activity. Can't recall any other poems, let alone haiku , written from the point of view of the bell ringer with his rope! second hand ring well used clothes I keep postponing Johannes S. H. Bjerg go now i tell my wedding ring  — man with a gun carol pearce-worthington a broken ring of flames third Sunday of Advent gillena cox early winter storm — the silver ring slips from her finger jill childhood — picking princess pine for a wreath Carolyn Coit Dancy end of the decree your x in a ring Dan Schwerin at the market — satsumas leaves ring a cheese display Hazel A. Witherspoon No points this time, sorry. Carols by Candlelight — flashes of burnished gold in the conductor’s ring Ron C. Moss three rings entwined lotus shares its leaves with leaping frogs Lorraine Margueritte Gasrel Black The moon is somewhere rising through the snowy night, the Nibelungs' ring. Horst Ludwig coffee ring . . . I turn upside down my white tablecloth Jacek M. sound of newborn snow a scream - an echo of the yellow ring around the moon Oddbjørn Aardalen Cycle of guests Around them Rings Reza guffaws in a full bus get glares — her ring tone Alegria following her hand the ring of light into the cove Bill Pauly autumn diving — rings of water through her aura Svein Lie Day after the big race — the silence of empty snail shells floating round hoof prints Sheila K. Barksdale Happy thoughts red merry-go-round ring of kids Trevor Camp lover's quarrel rings around the winter night make-up stains last year's gift c t doebler fairy ring joining the chipmunks for brunch Anonymous Ring of stones apocryphal prophecies infinite promise Tom Conally short days the Christmas tree stump’s uncounted rings Catherine J.S. Lee Lunar eclipse A brightening shine rings around, cozily R Purushotham Rao after the first rains a bloom of sylvan magic mushroom fairy ring Deirdre Godwin her flower ring and its patina petals — winter sky Ami Shecter like wildebeest circling the nectar bowl ants Chandra Bales eyes with dark rings the watchman shines his flashlight on busy raccoons Harvey Jenkins Skier draws the track into a circle form he proposes to her Yuka Makishita lake is an ice-ring ducks and geese walk on water Frances O'Keeffe love for nature . . . marked by an erythema migrans ring Tomislav boxing day ball — snowmen in a ringdance round the juniper bush troll Jon Espen Vassbotn roundabout . . . around a frozen pond a ring Dejan Pavlinovic by the rose arbor my lover on bended knee . . . the moon with a ring Elinor Pihl Huggett ring around the moon — a white corona setting and sunny side up Elaine Riddell General Comments: So many writers stayed with the idea of wedding rings, maybe it should have been clearer that the subject of 'ring' could include anything circular in shape? It was a pity that not all the haiku contained the word "ring" in its noun form. Some very imaginative rings were found (the Nibelungs' ring, a coffee ring, the ring tone, a smoke ring). Thank you for a challenging month! It is always good to be made to look a little farther. I've spent a great morning and part-afternoon reading and re-reading this month's haiku. So many I loved, some I didn't, but all interesting. Again, there were so many good ones , but I finally came up with 6 haiku. There seems to be such a connection between rings and pawnshops! About half of this month's entries used some form of kireji. A sign of the times? Several haiku about rings and pawn shops.

Thank you for participating in the December 2010 Kukai!

We will announce the January Call for Submissions on Monday, January 3, 2011. See you then!

With much appreciation,

The Shiki Monthly Kukai Team

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