The Shiki Monthly Kukai

May 2007 Kukai

Here are the results for the May 2007 Kukai, wherein our Kigo subject was "Dandelion" and our Free Format subject was "Of the Animal World".

Congratulations to Carmel Lively Westerman, winner of our Kigo section and to Roberta Beary, 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.

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

May 2007 Results
Kigo Theme: Dandelion	Free Format Theme: Of the Animal World
First Place -- 32 pts dandelion fluff a new mother caresses her baby's head Carmel Lively Westerman (4,5,10) = 32 pts Second Place -- 23 pts sharing my plan to travel the world — dandelion Cherie Hunter Day (2,6,5) = 23 pts Third Place -- 22 pts either side of the privacy fence dandelions tom painting (0,4,14) = 22 pts Fourth Place -- 21 pts dandelion a butterfly stops anyway Ann K. Schwader (2,4,7) = 21 pts I enjoyed this. Nature knows best. A very light touch to this one. Fifth Place -- 13 pts on both sides of the train whistle — dandelions Boris Nazansky (0,3,7) = 13 pts Sixth Place -- 12 pts no matter where I look... dandelions Ana Cadarin (0,4,4) = 12 pts sister-in-law she tells me dandelion is a weed Roberta Beary (0,4,4) = 12 pts morning light a dandelion bouquet on my pillow Beth Powell (0,2,8) = 12 pts Seventh Place -- 11 pts dandelions gone to seed mind full of afterthoughts Francine Banwarth (1,3,2) = 11 pts dandelion wine the grandfather retells his story bre (1,1,6) = 11 pts dandelion wind a child's laughter crosses the meadow Bill Kenney (0,3,5) = 11 pts what else to say... a dandelion beside the road Israel López Balan (0,2,7) = 11 pts Earth Day the neighbor shares her dandelions George Hawkins (0,2,7) = 11 pts Eighth Place -- 10 pts palsied man by window — in a spider web dandelion seed Dorota Pyra (1,2,3) = 10 pts seedless dandelion . . . a child blowing it anyway Collin Barber (1,0,7) = 10 pts at the zoo a little girl stoops to pick a dandelion Ben Gieske (0,4,2) = 10 pts Ninth Place -- 9 pts finger to her lips — dandelions in a paper cup Tish Davis (2,0,3) = 9 pts noonday sun a dandelion galaxy in the vacant lot Barbara Snow (1,1,4) = 9 pts love necklace a dandelion trembles on her heartbeat This fine haiku gave me goosebumps. Ron Moss (1,1,4) = 9 pts after so many years lower than the mower blades dandelion flowers Bill Hudson (1,0,6) = 9 pts May Day — small fistful of dandelion flowers Nancy Nitrio (0,2,5) = 9 pts Tenth Place -- 8 pts after dad's funeral his dandelions in full bloom soji (1,0,5) = 8 pts "his dandelions" tells us a lot about the dead father's personality. spring date tasting the down of dandelion Lech Szeglowski (0,3,2) = 8 pts sun rise — the dandelions flowering among the ruins miorita (0,2,4) = 8 pts dandelion fluff parachuting seeds over enemy lawns Neil Muscott (0,2,4) = 8 pts last week of school — not a single dandelion in right field DeVar (0,2,4) = 8 pts Eleventh Place -- 7 pts sunny day — the dandelion undoes without haste Jordi Climent (1,1,2) = 7 pts pushing up through a pavement crack dandelion Ruth Powell (0,3,1) = 7 pts You can't keep a good dandelion down. truck a dandelion so bald Jacek M. (0,3,1) = 7 pts in the meadow — dandelions and a windmill Marica Kolcheva (0,3,1) = 7 pts traffic jam — dandelions and cow parsley in full bloom max verhart (0,2,3) = 7 pts Nothing else to do but admire whatever scenery there is. Twelfth Place -- 6 pts I spin in the sun dandelion in my hands a child once again Deirdre Godwin (1,0,3) = 6 pts raven hair a dandelion seed halts just for a moment RaV (0,2,2) = 6 pts dandelion I make a wish and blow Meredith Stern Cavalieri (0,2,2) = 6 pts dandelions the little girl blows soap bubbles Petar Tchouhov (0,2,2) = 6 pts The thought of this little girl grown up fills me with dread. city commute when did the daffodils become dandelions? Dan Schwerin (0,2,2) = 6 pts windy evening among the tufts of grass bald dandelions Mateusz Sionkowski (0,1,4) = 6 pts windless afternoon — dandelion seeds on her lips majka (0,1,4) = 6 pts gusts of wind now in the neighbor's yard my dandelions Kate Creighton (0,1,4) = 6 pts The pivot nicely suggests the kind of movement the haiku is about, and "my dandelions" is amusing. Thirteenth Place -- 5 pts before he reaches me the dandelion fluff gone w. f. owen (1,0,2) = 5 pts southern breeze the dandelion seeds drift across the lawn RD McManes (0,2,1) = 5 pts lone house in moonlight — dandelions' lamps shed light over the yard D.V. Rozic (0,2,1) = 5 pts it has all led to this autumn moon — dandelion wine Thomas Heffernan (0,2,1) = 5 pts twilight blowing dandelions at the Big Dipper Alison K (0,2,1) = 5 pts bright stars the bold dandelions staring back Audrey Downey (0,1,3) = 5 pts dandelion greens the wooden bowl glistens with oil Patricia Boutilier (0,1,3) = 5 pts Very simple yet evocative. dandelion clock — an old lady's careful hairdo Kathy Earsman (0,0,5) = 5 pts peeking up through the formal garden — a dandelion Barbara Campitelli (0,0,5) = 5 pts Fourteenth Place -- 4 pts Mother's Day a few dandelion leaves in the salad Alice Frampton (1,0,1) = 4 pts sins forgiven... a dandelion clock lifts from the cathedral lawn ed markowski (1,0,1) = 4 pts dandelion ghosts . . . your kiss before the lie Kathy Lippard Cobb (1,0,1) = 4 pts Dandelion gift — my young son sees flowers not weeds. Shelley Krause (0,1,2) = 4 pts A nice tribute to children. my toddler — even a dandelion puff-ball ends in his mouth Zhanna P. Rader (0,1,2) = 4 pts lawn mowing done — on a missed dandelion a butterfly alights Tom Maretic (0,1,2) = 4 pts mud season the road ditch brightened by dandelions Bruce Ross (0,0,4) = 4 pts new subdivision — dandelions greet the neighbours Mike Montreuil (0,0,4) = 4 pts lank washing line cobwebs and towels gather dandelion seeds Jamie Edgecombe (0,0,4) = 4 pts lost friendship — after flowering, how bitter the dandelion milk Nancy Smith (0,0,4) = 4 pts Fifteenth Place -- 3 pts granddaughter sits down to face a dandelion unaware of weeds Harvey Jenkins (1,0,0) = 3 pts dawn after the ball only one dandelion between the wind MarKo (1,0,0) = 3 pts over the fence how democratic it is ~dandelion fluff doris kasson (1,0,0) = 3 pts she searches a quiet field for dandelions — her mother wears black Sherry Weaver Smith (1,0,0) = 3 pts shamelessly yellow May's dandelions unhinge the orchard ~Ed Higgins (0,1,1) = 3 pts breezy afternoon... a blown dandelion returns to dust Rita Odeh (0,1,1) = 3 pts those summer breezes… being carried away with dandelions arkady elterman (0,1,1) = 3 pts Blooming meadows with yellow "stars" Dandelions in all their glory Edith (0,1,1) = 3 pts far ,far away not even a dandelion — the prisoner Maria (0,1,1) = 3 pts the magic in a dandelion clock fairy godmother Susan Constable (0,1,1) = 3 pts dandelion milk little circles all over your bare back shanna (0,1,1) = 3 pts her skirt changes from green to white a dandelion day Pris Campbell (0,1,1) = 3 pts The dandelions wave like white paper lanterns in a green night. Reni Bg (0,1,1) = 3 pts first spring — she plucks a dandelion crown from my beard Colin Stewart Jones (0,1,1) = 3 pts Dandelion fluff scatters as she speaks without punctuation Paul Pfleuger, Jr. (0,1,1) = 3 pts winter dust and pressed dandelions fall from my bird guide - frederick gier (0,1,1) = 3 pts dandelion on the dirt road tire tracks Sjs (0,1,1) = 3 pts looking at the sky dandelions with haircuts oh, that wind, that wind Jasminka Nadaskic Diordievic (0,1,1) = 3 pts plucked one by one... dandelions David Boyer (0,0,3) = 3 pts Sixteenth Place -- 2 pts baby makes a wish blows through pursed lips giggles at dandelion fluff Yositaka (0,1,0) = 2 pts Dandelion and Bellis delight for eyes, on neighbours field. Ashi (0,1,0) = 2 pts dandelion tea the spoon you gave me cold comfort now Flack, Michael (0,1,0) = 2 pts dandelion seedhead so many dreams gone with the winds anonymous (0,1,0) = 2 pts PHOO!! more dandelion seeds for Dad's lawn -- LGD (0,1,0) = 2 pts dandelion ghosts drift amongst warm spring breezes future fields of gold ~fedelmia (0,1,0) = 2 pts April showers — dandelion dandelion dandelion anonymous (0,1,0) = 2 pts After the rain first dandelion leaves for my salad Horst Ludwig (0,0,2) = 2 pts Seas of white Dandylions roar And I sneeze -Yoshi (0,0,2) = 2 pts empty hutch — dandelion greens stuck in the mesh andrea (0,0,2) = 2 pts morning cumulus a dandelion wafts with the breeze gillena (0,0,2) = 2 pts Granddad's smile — the secret in dandelion wine anonymous (0,0,2) = 2 pts swirling wind ~ a family of dandelions behind the wall Paul Hodder (0,0,2) = 2 pts hard day taking a breath in the dandelion meadow jul (0,0,2) = 2 pts morning dew on a dandelion — lemon drops anonymous (0,0,2) = 2 pts cul de sac dandelion seed finds a crack in the asphalt anonymous (0,0,2) = 2 pts in the high grass bare dandelions — wind in the ears Corneliu Traian Atanasiu (0,0,2) = 2 pts Seventeenth Place -- 1 pt morning walk — among spread of dandelions chirping of crickets Jacek Kielich tucked between cobbler and compote, a recipe for dandelion wine Karen Cesar dandelion clock on the spring breeze two giggles Allison Millcock Emerald green hillside Dotted with yellow dandelions Beauty found in a weed! michael f. brown oak leaf flutters among bright dandelions their last dance Ursula Kirabo old potato bed — bright with dandelion blooms this year anonymous resisting the winds a perfect little sphere of dandelion fluff Marlčne Buitelaar memories of England: picking spring leaves, laughing — dandelion wine Bridget Cougar sunny meadow — blowing dandelions in the wind Grzegorz Sionkowski farmer's market — grandma's dandelion syrup a best seller ~Devika mother's day — dandelion fluff on the wind Ami Early May, digging dandelions, once again. Trevor Camp sun circle in a dandelion — rain shower Magdalena Dale On the new mown lawn hundreds of candles still rise; dandelion puffs. Andromeda Jazmon Eighteenth Place -- no points this time, sorry shady path dotted with warm little suns — dandelion time anonymous a stiff breeze converts ripe dandelions to Hare Krishna gourdman a breath of wind... dandelions dance in fresh-picked ribs anonymous tiring day ~ i take a gulp of dandelion coffee Gautam Nadkarni under the sunshine — dandelion ray florets mature slowly anonymous rising sun. dandelion. a silent passage . . . anonymous Dandelion After its blooming Fluff on the wind Mary E. Gray recent news restless dandelions naughty wind Hossein Mostafapoor dandelion: shafts of beauty in the sunlight Keith A. Simmonds Weather cock — Wet-paint fence Across the dandelions Reza Aerabi spring meadow clump of blooming dandelions dims the sun Magdalena Banaszkiewicz neighborhoodpark — across golden dandelions he hits a pop fly Leslie Montgomery hanging the garden lights... overnight dandelions Carol Pearce starting with the seeds the whole dandelion stem rabbit munched P. O. Williams morning sunlight dew runs down the dandelion martin Dandelions grow — Tenaciously enduring. We should be so brave. K. M. Bird dandelion turn small bright faces to the sun bob hunt high school baseball field — dandelion yellow until the mower Edward by this child dandelions puffs — imminent doom Dany Fisher dandelion seeds carried away by the wind above the laughing girl Mariusz Ogryzko this sorrow that may break my heart dandelion fluff in the wind Bell Gale Chevigny bald dandelion clock — grandpa is watching flying away seeds Gosia Zamorska a suburban lawn pesticide free — dandelions carol bleichert warm spring breeze a galaxy of bright suns erased line by line jblain	First Place -- 26 pts old dog up the stairs in my arms Roberta Beary (2,6,8) = 26pts Second Place -- 24 pts his guide dog bolts from room to room — funeral day Mary Davila (1,5,11) = 24 pts Third Place -- 23 pts bird song the motionless shadow of the cat Petar Tchouhov (1,4,12) = 23 pts Between the potency and the act . Fourth Place -- 19 pts wolf's howl the heat of the campfire on our faces ed markowski (1,5,6) = 19 pts Fifth Place -- 16 pts dead baby bird floating in my pond one eye on the sky Yositaka (2,2,6) = 16 pts Sixth Place -- 15 pts in the mouth of my puppy the tongue of my expensive shoe Ana Cadarin (1,2,8) = 15 pts Nice echoing of the two tongues. Seventh Place -- 14 pts animal shelter again I leave alone arkady elterman (1,3,5) = 14 pts ** I know this feeling Eighth Place -- 12 pts Before death the old cat sharpens her claws Paul Pfleuger, Jr. (1,3,3) = 12 pts dusty morning — four sparrows splash in car wash water ~ Isabelle Prondzynski (1,1,7) = 12 pts morning light — a stray sheep returns to the pasture Rita Odeh (0,1,10) = 12 pts Ninth Place -- 11 pts spring rain the high stepping trot of a young deer Bruce Ross (2,1,3) = 11 pts a flying crow has something in its beak the silence DeVar (1,1,6) = 11 pts door chime the dog's tail finds our glasses George Hawkins (0,3,5) = 11 pts Tenth Place -- 10 pts my pansies — their sweet colors disappear in a deer's mouth Zhanna P. Rader (2,1,2) = 10 pts afternoon sun the season's first black snake curls in my palm -- Karen Cesar (1,2,3) = 10 pts Gray whale — we both gasp for air then he's gone -- LGD (1,2,3) = 10 pts in the sunset surf flinging wet sparks... an Irish setter Barbara Snow (1,1,5) = 10 pts dinosaur track — I walk the same stretch ages later max verhart (0,2,6) = 10 pts Stretches the topic in an entirely legitimate way. Walking in the track of the dinosaur ages later nicely encapsulates the theme of unity and diversity in a universe at once vast and intimate. A touch of Zen. Eleventh Place -- 9 pts mockingbird earthworms the color of tilled soil jblain (1,2,2) = 9 pts ** I can almost taste the earthworms. Powerfully sensuous, a real winner. following the cat's gaze... a yellow sickle moon --Kameshwara Rao (1,1,4) = 9 pts flies buzzing . . . the cow licks both its nostrils Collin Barber (0,2,5) = 9 pts Twelfth Place -- 8 pts photo shoot somewhere a deer full of geraniums Susan Constable (1,2,1) = 8 pts mountain lake the night air fills the loon's call martin (1,2,1) = 8 pts afternoon heat — up the hill, a donkey carries its wounds and its flies Tom Maretic (1,1,3) = 8 pts between two rains meadowlark Ann K. Schwader (0,3,2) = 8 pts slap of the beaver's tail -dark ripples Beth Powell (0,2,4) = 8 pts Thirteenth Place -- 7 pts so far so close — on the phone also birds Israel López Balan (1,0,4) = 7 pts dog and cat eat from the same plate ... my plate jul (0,0,7) = 7 pts Fourteenth Place -- 6 pts a trail of holes... the memory of squirrels carol pearce (1,1,1) = 6 pts my pleasure is in treetops .....singing miriam chaikin (1,1,1) = 6 pts behind the ducks sunset in the ripples to shore Kate Creighton (0,1,4) = 6 pts amidst the cows making kamikaze dives a shrieking lapwing marlčne buitelaar (0,2,2) = 6 pts Fifteenth Place -- 5 pts playtime the tortoise retracts from a toddlers fingers Carmel Lively Westerman (1,0,2) = 5 pts serving time a gorilla yawns ~ city zoo Gautam Nadkarni (0,2,1) = 5 pts noon at the lake — the quick dartings of a lizard P. O. Williams (0,2,1) = 5 pts there's no escape . . . I must step on harmless ants to take the nature trail -- Richard Kay (0,2,1) = 5 pts afterglow a cricket song fills the stillness RaV (0,0,5) = 5 pts no wind in the pines the owl's moon cry Francine Banwarth (0,0,5) = 5 pts Sunday in the park a pigeon ignores the dog straining at the leash Bill Kenney (0,0,5) = 5 pts Sixteenth Place -- 4 pts And the old man gets on his ox again. Soon it'll snow. Horst Ludwig (1,0,1) = 4 pts endangered species is it cruel or kindly to keep you encaged? Deirdre Godwin (1,0,1) = 4 pts Praying Mantis Beautiful, graceful, deadly Eaten by Toad -Yoshi (0,2,0) = 4 pts bird bath the catbird chases away a thirsty sparrow Audrey Downey (0,1,2) = 4 pts side of the freeway ~ a horse completely still Paul Hodder (0,1,2) = 4 pts swollen nose — the bear rips apart each beehive Edward (0,1,2) = 4 pts swarming moths a bat pick its prey under a streetlight Polona (0,1,2) = 4 pts colt and fawn stretching under the fence for greener grass - frederick gier (0,1,2) = 4 pts mother's day — the soft gaze of a doe as she chews ami (0,0,4) = 4 pts carousel — squirrels chase each other around the oak Laurene (0,0,4) = 4 pts Seventeenth Place -- 3 pts bald eagle family with or without a webcam presents the same stare. Harvey Jenkins (1,0,0) = 3 pts hurt pigeon in the calm air a cry of one more gull Dorota Pyra (1,0,0) = 3 pts bear looks down the last time salmons swim upstream Lech Szeglowski (1,0,0) = 3 pts horses too follow the leader roadside pasture Chandra Bales (0,1,1) = 3 pts Dead Butterfly — flies by each Breeze Reza Aerabi (0,1,1) = 3 pts we brake for a doe followed by her fawn- the ferry road Ida Freilinger (0,1,1) = 3 pts spring exercise — the miniature poodle following his master Barbara Campitelli (0,1,1) = 3 pts after the rain... two crows pick and chose the best worms Mike Montreuil (0,0,3) = 3 pts lunch break — a gaggle of sparrows in front of cafe majka (0,0,3) = 3 pts the moist nose of the lost Labrador just touching Dr. Thomas Heffernan (0,0,3) = 3 pts Eighteenth Place -- 2 pts the neighbor's cat dangling from her mouth a mouse RD McManes (0,1,0) = 2 pts the little dog looks at me as i pass -- does she know me? anonymous (0,1,0) = 2 pts harrowed earth circles of turkey feathers left by an owl gourdman (0,1,0) = 2 pts bees buzz around the apple blossoms in discordant harmony Meredith Stern Cavalieri (0,1,0) = 2 pts on the sidewalk ants dance around the melting popsicle Neil Muscott (0,1,0) = 2 pts young damp grass - snails' tentacles get back to touch again Gosia Zamorska (0,1,0) = 2 pts herd of still sheep airing bundles of wool on the meadow D.V. Rozic (0,0,2) = 2 pts deep night — the howl of the owl frightens the goose Jordi Climent (0,0,2) = 2 pts lumbering hikers... cattle heavy with cattle anonymous (0,0,2) = 2 pts roseate spoonbills the golf course abundant with water Patricia Boutilier (0,0,2) = 2 pts reminiscing our first meet a few migratory birds in the field john tiong chunghoo (0,0,2) = 2 pts upside down in her beer slug bait : a common snail andrea (0,0,2) = 2 pts dolphins on the beach ancient animals of land the sea out of reach free-man (0,0,2) = 2 pts millet seeds spraying round cheeked chipmunk scurries from the bird feeder ~fedelmia (0,0,2) = 2 pts trapline sunrise between the trees shape of lynx Ruth Powell (0,0,2) = 2 pts Nineteenth Place -- 1 point The bees busy in the cherry tree The cat sleeping in the sound of the world helge t. on May thermals turkey buzzards sere and patient ~Ed Higgins your words mousing in the night invade my winter sleep Ben Gieske 1 queen and 1 bitch — 6 kittens and 8 puppies playing together Daniela Bullas mating call . . . quiver of the squirrel's tail stirs up the blossoms anonymous mighty huntress the kitten toys with a moth bre :^) eagle spotted chicks run and hide beneath the hen's wings ~ Caleb Mutua Black cat stalks his prey. Anticipation's climax — The bird flies away. K. M. Bird from the drain the bright eyes of a raccoon-- spring thaw David Boyer a herd of elk crossing — the smell of cattle in a box car tish davis Sunday in the park a ball on the hedgehog's back marica kolcheva slaughtering time: barn cats wait to lick the hog's blood --Irene Golas the dog whimpers at his lip augmentation--- yellow jacket injection carol bleichert trash helter-skelter the way of a raccoon Dan Schwerin ears straight back the lion lies still ...grazing gazelle Sjs Twentieth Place -- no points this time softening light a miniature fowl nuzzles fresh dew Ron Moss the night he died a look of bewilderment don't you know Bill Hudson the v-shape of airborne ducks moving my heart Katrina Larsen sunsetting reflex in sea waves crowns the last cry of gulls Jacek Kielich Sitting with its tail coiled round sweets in the box a lizard --R.K.SINGH Yellow dog sits majestically Jet black nose surveying the wind Ready for the chase michael f. the night gecko crunching on the cockroach — the owl's hooting Patrick Wafula willow pierced waters the squirrel's leap animates summer skies Jamie Edgecombe a lion's roar deep in the forest: king of the beasts Keith A. Simmonds raccoons forage through trash cans inside the house a dog howls Leslie Montgomery donkey brays with heavy load on her back -- it's hot ~ Christine Onimbo the kitchen door a dog shaking its tail eagerly waiting for remains ~ Gladys Kathini always slow making no noise when moving — that cockroach ~ Dorine Atieno april sun dog panting heavily tongue out it is hot ~ Gideon Gichamba canada ice — the sun sets on another life Anonymous a jump... and tomcat catch to the dry leaf Miorita carrions drift on the wind my eyes burnt by the sun not one of my better days michael flack shoes fly through the dawn air neighborhood rooster anonymous Mockingbirds screech Feathers drop from cat's mouth Fledgling gone Mary E. Gray blackbirds fly over newly green timothy bob hunt among the flora after all the rain a blue tit anonymous Back garden, swinging bird feeder. Bold chipmunk. Trevor Camp bird culler with gun crow taunts from crowded mall. dsnake1 Toad watches as I near, trowel in hand — will she hop? anonymous a squirrel runs along the skyway — dappled May anonymous in the game park — a tourist stares curiously at a lion ~ Simon Magak Madame Cow strolls Queen of the animal world flaunting her hips and teats Bell Gale Chevigny grey day a swallowtail wings flutter in the wind ---Jacek General Comments: I was drawn especially to those entries that (1) involved interaction between animals of the same or different species or (2) absorbed the human into the animal. Another good round, it's a heartache to eliminate some of the poems.

Thank you all for participating in the Shiki Monthly Kukai. We will open the June kukai to submissions on Monday, June 4th. See you then!

With much appreciation,

Robert and Jennie, co-secretaries
Gary Warner, web host

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