The Shiki Monthly Kukai

November 2009 Kukai

Here are the results for the November 2009 Kukai, wherein our Kigo subject was Cold or Flu and our Free Format subject was Decorations.

Congratulations to Elinor Pihl Huggett, winner of our Kigo section and to Ann K. Schwader, 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.

Voters comments are in italics below the respective poems.

November 2009 Results
Kigo Theme: Cold/Flu	Free Format Theme: Decorations
First Place — 24 points mid-winter thaw even the snowman has a runny nose Elinor Pihl Huggett (0,7,10) = 24 pts Second Place — 23 pts cold— the aspen leaves shake with me Maria Tomczak (0,6,11) = 23 pts Third Place — 18 pts autumn morning— a street dog also sneezes Israel Lopez Balan (1,4,7) = 18 pts Fourth Place — 14 points Indian summer a fly keeps buzzing near my headache Harvey Jenkins (0,3,8) = 14 pts Fifth Place — 13 points sneezing fit the dog retires to another room Carmel Lively Westerman (0,3,7) = 13 pts I can see the dog and the room -- what a great scene! The word "retires" is very well chosen here. Sixth Place — 12 points first snow — vitamin C added to the grocery list Mike Montreuil (0,2,8) = 12 pts Seventh Place — 11 points city square — startled by my sneeze a dove takes wing Gautam Nadkarni (0,4,3) = 11 pts I love the simplicity of this. A true observation -- no desk haiku could go like this! a night of fever — clouds brush the face of a smouldering moon jon davey (0,3,5) = 11 pts fever dream the falling snow swirls into stars Catherine J.S. Lee (0,1,9) = 11 pts Eighth Place — 10 points cold autumn — the warm days move away with the cough Jordi Climent (0,3,4) = 10 pts the rolled-up sleeves of the night shift flu shots Deborah P Kolodji (0,1,8) = 10 pts Ninth Place — 9 points flu season... even my car coughs all the way Jacek. M (0,3,3) = 9 pts flu season the rush of heat up the chimney Tom Painting (0,3,3) = 9 pts Tenth Place — 8 points frog chorus in line for the vaccine Alan S. Bridges (1,0,5) = 8 pts Eleventh Place — 7 points flu season teaching grade one the elbow cough Beth Powell (0,2,3) = 7 pts Twelfth Place — 6 points The old throat A flu jumped in Atchoo! Anne Zooey Lind (1,1,1) = 6 pts snow moon asking if the scarecrow may catch a cold Rita Odeh (0,2,2) = 6 pts finally the world is as one ... by flu Tom Maretic (0,2,2) = 6 pts Thirteenth Place — 5 points cold season - the kindergarten classroom still and quiet freddy gier (1,0,2) = 5 pts By far the strongest of the bunch, I felt. I loved the punch it carries - the realization of "oh! no, a K classroom *shouldn't* be quiet..." howl of dogs and my nose running into the moonless night Sabine Tamarinda (1,1,0) = 5 pts floor tile of my nun's cell cold comfort Donna Bauerly (0,1,3) = 5 pts flu symptoms nothing seems to slow the spin of a maple seed Cindy Tebo (0,1,3) = 5 pts feverish — the short walk to the doctor so long Isabelle Prondzynski (0,0,5) = 5 pts Fourteenth Place — 4 points H1N1 the temperature at the sun's centre Garry Eaton (1,0,1) = 4 pts swine flu the dog ignores my scratchy voice Barbara A Taylor (0,1,2) = 4 pts a hot brick tucked under the quilts — Spanish flu Janice Hornburg (0,0,4) = 4 pts rattle of dry leaves — moonlight deepens on the sickbed Penny Harter (0,0,4) = 4 pts Fifteenth Place — 3 points my brother struggling to breathe — swine flu Harrison Mwangangi (1,0,0) = 3 pts I found this one very moving. So, so simple but such a real situation and emotion. autumn mist the frog jumps into the sneeze martin (0,0,3) = 3 pts sneezing down the aisle to the cans of chicken soup Washi (0,0,3) = 3 pts early dusk the stifled cough wins out Ann K. Schwader (0,0,3) = 3 pts med school lecture punctuated with coughs Nancy Smith (0,0,3) = 3 pts Sixteenth Place — 2 points first one sneeze, then two the cats and the dog all look what? no gesundheit? todd eddy (0,1,0) = 2 pts Mar’s launch . . . a sneeze echoes back from the canyon Ron Moss (0,0,2) = 2 pts Intriguing verse. dreary as the day I lie in my bed and read without much interest Deirdre (0,1,0) = 2 pts stormy autumn night he cuts an onion in two against her earache Ralf Broker, Germany (0,1,0) = 2 pts season greeting with the mail a sneeze Ben Gieske (0,0,2) = 2 pts Charming. crossing the street to avoid a sneezing pig gourdman (0,1,0) = 2 pts black medicine morning begins to shine shanna (0,1,0) = 2 pts dry cough the crunch of cherry drops Terra Martin (0,1,0) = 2 pts november morning park a group practising aaahh chi Jon Espen Vassbotn (0,1,0) = 2 pts The first line could be more compact, but I love the idea! fevered night between wheezing coughs an erection Carol Raisfeld (0,0,2) = 2 pts H1N1 pandemic I choose to not panic and write a poem instead Stevie Strang (0,0,2) = 2 pts counting coughs on the airplane flu season Terri L. French (0,0,2) = 2 pts I fly a lot and this really hits home! Seventeenth Place — 1 point Cough, sneeze and snuffle Warm lemon-carob julep; Lozenges and mints. Tanja Cilia swine flu alert... the bride and the groom wearing their masks Keith A. Simmonds my pig’s fluttering his ears — i’m afraid it has bird flu Petru-Ioan Garda waiting room — almost everyone coughs into their sleeves Laurene best type of flu — though too sick to go to work well enough to read Elaine Riddell Red noses gleaming, brilliant beacons glowing, winter cold gripping. Jean Lewis terrible cold — a sneeze at the tip of my nose Narayanan Raghunathan cold afternoon — the rhythm of sneezing in our classroom Jedidah Nduku paper walls my neighbor’s cough awakens me Meredith Stern Cavalieri No points this time, sorry. sore biceps yearly flu shot — picking the last peas if Fit of sneezes no winter allergy — thinking of sex R.K.Singh Pain, achingly cold Frozen hard Bullets of ice James Sawers headache and sore throat. body aches, chills, and the cough human flu symptoms purush hysteria rises as the needle pricks flu season Susan Sanchez-Barnett writing unsparingly to spare my sore throat A Dharma Bum Was mass extinction caused by the virus just found in ancient ice ? Lorraine Margueritte Gasrel Black first thing grandma touches my sleeping daughter's forehead though I told her not to John Thompson head in hand staring at dinner my stomach turns over Bill Hudson Scholarly meeting high in the snowy mountains with flu absences Horst Ludwig forecast - another fire/throat begins the season Merrill Ann Gonzales your stormy sneeze — hardly seen, hardly heard migrating storks oana posnaies my throat a desert raw with viral grit i flood it with salt mechaieh Liquid eyes spill streams Rivulets carve throat canyons Kleenex, cough drops, hot tea, ahhhhh! Pat Lammers nonstop runny nose in each room of the house two boxes of tissues Edward mother's back turned toddler's tongue catches his nose drips Diane Mayr my dog and i both shivering with cold - autumn blues natalia kuznetsova Falling snow, my nose feels the cold - I must sneeze. Trevor Camp blocked nose — just humming We are the Champions Krzysztof he hawks a loogie that splats on the street and coughs on by Eric grandma stirs hot lemon and honey for my cough Ruth Powell long underwear my second skin guards against ah-choo! Marilyn Hazelton The chilly morning coughs up a long line for vaccination. Beacon rivulets of rain cloud the windows— a sore nose Marylouise Knight a sneezing student wipes mucus with her hand -- quiet exam room Stephen Macharia sneezing aloud — mucus drips into my handkerchief Elkana Mogaka stinking handkerchief — a student's nostril flooded with mucus Stephen Nzomo chilly morning — mucus flowing from my sore nose Kilunda aromatic liniment — my aunt dabs at her swollen tonsils Beryl Achieng my grandmother with a soaked handkerchief — peeling nostrils Vivian Adhiambo my mother washing a slippery handkerchief — sniffs from a running nose Erick Mwange a drop of mucus on my exam papers — cold morning Patrick Wafula streaking snot from elbow to wrist the sniffling schoolboy Terry O'Connor winter colds ongoing attempts to dam head canals Frances McCarthy back and forth from nose to mouth a snotty finger Dejan Pavlinovic a damp cold — honey and lemon soothe the throat DeVar First snow fall — I sneeze violent and the cat throbs Miorita body shivers — into the frozen ear her hot words Orbi surgically masked by the only free chair at the clinic andrea General Comments: A difficult choice this time. Interesting how the latest epidemics and the latest warnings have spilled into these haiku!	First Place — 22 pts snow fills the pumpkin’s grin November Ann K. Schwader (1,6,7) = 22 pts Second Place — 13 pts enough, just one orchid in the bamboo vase Narayanan Raghunathan (2,2,3) = 13 pts Minimalism in haiku. . . how effective. The starkness of this haiku reflects perfectly the beauty of the one orchid in the bamboo vase. Enough -- well said! hoarfrost her embroidery needle in and out Terra Martin (2,2,3) = 13 pts I can see grandma's hand's moving and her contented face and feel the chill in the air. Third Place — 12 pts ah! the midnight moon sprinkling sequins again on the old pond Anne Zooey Lind (0,4,4) = 12 pts Fourth Place — 11 points New Year's Day the homeless man decorates a discarded Christmas tree David Grayson (1,1,6) = 11 pts winter jays decorate the one pine left standing Beth Powell (0,3,5) = 11 pts The image is startling, the sound beautifully alternating with harsh and soft. Fifth Place — 10 points holiday home a bittersweet wreath on the barracks door Catherine J.S. Lee (0,4,2) = 10 pts I love the play on the word "bittersweet" "bittersweet" is the right word in the right place; "barracks" a wrenching contrast with "holiday home" surprise visitor I place one more gourd in the centerpiece Harvey Jenkins (0,2,6) = 10 pts Quite warm and pleasant. Sixth Place — 9 points leaves gone a tree's bare black limbs decorate the sky miriam chaikin (1,2,2) = 9 pts coffee table book an opening at the end of the universe Garry Eaton (1,1,4) = 9 pts trick-or-treat a spider finds the spray-on web Alan S. Bridges (0,2,5) = 9 pts Christmas morn a flock of crows festoons the old pine Warren Gossett (0,2,5) = 9 pts deep frost — the moon decorating snow flakes Petru-Ioan Garda (0,3,3) = 9 pts Seventh Place — 8 points office party a sprig of mistletoe in her cleavage Carol Raisfeld (0,2,4) = 8 pts smashed pumpkins litter the street — a biting wind Marylouise Knight (0,0,8) = 8 pts Eighth Place — 7 points a glint of tinsel in a high corner web epiphany Barbara Snow (1,0,4) = 7 pts The inclusion of the kigo "Epiphany" greatly adds to the beauty of this haiku. Green Beret red roses decorate the coffin Carmel Lively Westerman (0,2,3) = 7 pts Grandma’s lacy shawl decorates the empty rocking chair Lorraine Margueritte Gasrel Black (0,1,5) = 7 pts Ninth Place — 6 points rotting jack-o-lantern the menacing grin now befuddled Meredith Stern Cavalieri (1,1,1) = 6 pts Graphically and amusingly evocative. the tree sways from side to side last piece of tinsel Susan Sanchez-Barnett (0,2,2) = 6 pts hometown garland trims the parking meters Tom Painting (0,1,4) = 6 pts student house a tinselled traffic-cone atop the tree Terry O'Connor (0,1,4) = 6 pts Tenth Place — 5 points old man's beard adorns his tree — the hermit Ruth Powell (1,1,0) = 5 pts What a marvelous image and a great haiku. childless at Christmas . . . my love places an angel on the tree Ron Moss (0,1,3) = 5 pts Eleventh Place — 4 points under mistletoe the young girl waits hopefully I sip my eggnog Deirdre Godwin (1,0,1) = 4 pts decorations strewn about — the wedding's off! Washi (0,1,2) = 4 pts thirty-year-old's macaroni angel still on grandma's tree Diane Mayr (0,1,2) = 4 pts every fire truck out... volunteer firemen hang Christmas decorations Elinor Pihl Huggett (0,1,2) = 4 pts breakfast pancakes — the fridge is decorated in toddler art DeVar (0,1,2) = 4 pts Twelfth Place — 3 points rustling on a school poster autumn leaves Dejan Pavlinovic (0,1,1) = 3 pts the collage grows stronger as the refrigerator attracts another magnet A Dharma Bum (0,0,3) = 3 pts Texas steakhouse the rooftop Santa Claus rings a dinner bell Edward (0,0,3) = 3 pts christmas down under snowflakes sprayed on the windows under summer skies Elaine Riddell (0,0,3) = 3 pts chopsticks and fork Buddha illuminated by Christmas lights John Thompson (0,0,3) = 3 pts A lot of ingredients, but this one says a lot too. greeting card garlands... my own stack of unsent letters Deborah P Kolodji (0,0,3) = 3 pts christmas lights dangling from the roof another foreclosed home Stevie Strang (0,0,3) = 3 pts Thirteenth Place — 2 points High thin pointed hats high class fashion long ago now threat trick or treat Horst Ludwig (0,1,0) = 2 pts rays of divine light lead us to reach destined goals decorating, thoughts purush (0,1,0) = 2 pts big box store — hob-goblins share a shelf with Santa Claus Janice Hornburg (0,0,2) = 2 pts another year wiped away — broken Christmas globe oana posnaies (0,1,0) = 2 pts ribbons entwine the sky kites on a wind Jacek M. (0,0,2) = 2 pts A novel approach to decorations. birthday bash — a blown-up blue balloon suddenly bursts Gautam Nadkarni (0,0,2) = 2 pts color-blind boy paper turkeys bright as peacocks mechaieh (0,0,2) = 2 pts January chill — a colourful wedding emerges from the church Isabelle Prondzynski (0,1,0) = 2 pts in an old oak twinkling, fairy lights midsummer night Ellen Compton (0,0,2) = 2 pts in the attic — christmas decorations and... hidden memories natalia kuznetsova (0,1,0) = 2 pts that anxious feeling like grocery-store Christmas lights earlier each year freddy gier (0,1,0) = 2 pts empty nest cornucopia spilling memories anonymous (0,0,2) = 2 pts late Friday night — the thrown wine glass smashes her favorite vase Bruce H. Feingold (0,0,2) = 2 pts Fourteenth Place — 1 point A friend's house By the pumpkin's inner glow Happy children James Sawers outdoor rice lights multiplying rain drop by drop by drop Donna Bauerly shimenawa tied to a grand cedar in the park Barbara A Taylor LCD lit tree — filling stockings with nuts and oranges Terri L. French Autumn tines of trees Raking the sky’s burnished leaves Uncovering gray Pat Lammers day after halloween — Christmas displays at Walmart Mike Montreuil Late evening, many bright stars shine — Christmas lights. Trevor Camp Traditional scene, old decorations dusted, reused each Christmas. Jean Lewis ornamental gourds arranged by the walkway slowly blacken gourdman sex worker's autopsy — the tatoo: "only for John" over her symphisis Tomislav No points this time, sorry. festive yule symbol now just a tree with lights day after Christmas if November first candy corn sticks to the boy’s grin martin this year's Christmas tree with last year's decorations... thanks to the downturn Keith A. Simmonds green turkey tiny hands with crayons help to decorate Bill Hudson first almond biscuit ... she stores away a plastic pumpkin Ralf Broker soft moonbeams asleep with lilies dreaming into tomorrow Ben Gieske walking spiderman past Christmas decorations trick or treat Tom Genovese kaleidoscope of orchard squash — too pretty to eat Merrill Ann Gonzales christmas at grandma’s — on the christmas tree still the same decorations Andrzej Dembonczyk the cage door is left open .. Wedding Decorations Rita Odeh with sky for a hat decorated by airplanes carol pearce-worthington school children look for pilgrims, find santa Laurene cracks spreading in the Easter egg — the blue albumen Penny Harter i am sweet on sugar tits and candied buns her decorations Eric snowflakes fall gently to the earth sparkling softly floating with the wind -the best decorations in town Jeanne Fiedler that plastic camel draws kids(and some adults) to my cacti Jon Vassbotn To brave soldiers a royal oak carved headstone evenly split Beacon lizards struggling to climb on a newly painted house — sunny morning Winslause Yamame purple jacaranda blooms decorate our lawns again — the short rains Patrick Wafula baubles dazzle cheaply yet child-eyes gleam in wonder Frances McCarthy False fruits decorations of beggar – harvest home Miorita Thanksgiving turkey to admire Pine cone Pipe cleaners Paper Mary E. Gray her first pumpkin now a snowman andrea annual tree trimming the way the branches change sizes Judith Gorgone

Thank you for participating in the November 2009 Kukai!

We will be posting the December Call for Submissions on Monday, November 30. See you then!

With much appreciation,

The Shiki Kukai Team

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