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Last Chance to Vote in the August 2021 THF Monthly Kukai

This month’s theme:
consternation

Voting closes for The Haiku Foundation Monthly Kukai tonight (the 24th) at midnight (east coast time). So make those final decisions and let us know whom you think did the best work this month.

Voting for The Haiku Foundation Monthly Kukai

Shortly after the conclusion of the submission period, an anonymous ballot comprising all submitted poems on that month’s theme will be posted to Troutswirl (The Haiku Foundation blog) on the THF site. Any reader of this ballot is eligible to vote for their favorite poems at this time. A voter may vote for up to five (5) poems per theme. A top vote will receive 5 points, a second-place vote 4 points, a third-place vote 3 points, a fourth-place vote 2 points, and a fifth-place vote 1 point.

Please use the Kukai voting form below to enter your selections, and then press Submit to cast your votes. No other votes will be recognized or honored. All votes must be signed (that is, no “anonymous” votes will be accepted, and the Submit button will not be available until both Name and Email fields are filled in), and no poet may vote for his or her own work. No commentary upon the poems will be accepted or published. Votes will be accepted from the appearance of the ballot on the 18th of that month through midnight of the 24th of that month. Readers may vote only once per ballot. Administrators of the kukai are ineligible to vote.

Note: Anonymity is an essential part of any kukai. If you know who wrote the poem then that entry is no longer anonymous. Please respect the Kukai and do not vote for that entry

The Ballot

1

a bite of apple
I meet the other half
of worm

2

A frog became a
prince . . . but whatever happened
to the Golden Ball?

3

a rogue comet
causing consternation
in constellations

4

a ruckus
mothers scolding
a hawk

5

a spider
hangs by a thread
I drop into your life

6

A violent wind
The deluge of terror falls
Only within me.

7

after fifty years . . .
I don’t hear anymore
his snoring

8

all morning
the rise and fall of chainsaws
louder, nearer

9

All Saints’ Day —
on the Virgin Mary face
a lipstick kiss

10

another cuppa . . .
I find dismay doesn’t mean
what I thought it did

11

barking
in her sleep the old dog
chases rabbits

12

before serving
the soufflé deflates
a chef’s worst nightmare

13

befuddled
by the morass left behind
futureless lives

14

birthday cake
in the oven
wildfires again

15

biting heat —
the rattle
snake in my head

16

burnt grasses —
the ordinariness of death
in these times

17

busy bee
her micromanaging
disrupts the workflow

18

celebrity divorce —
a wide-spread
consternation

19

cleaning his silent harmonica silences

20

clear sea
the little boy teases
a jellyfish

21

coal eyes, carrot nose,
coal mouth and some child’s high hopes
on the ground

22

cold dawn
counting the dew drops
that remain

23

consternation:
the cicadas start
a new song

24

Covid test —
his hand on my cheek
another fear

25

dawn pinks
the ears of an old appaloosa
named Consternation

26

delivery room —
cold palms against the warmth
of a stillborn

27

dementia recalibrating reality

28

dewdrops
in a spider´s web
flood of the century

29

dry seed rattle
the doctor tells me
I should be fine

30

extended lockdown . . .
only a flock of sparrows
in the playground

31

fender bender
my vocabulary
turns blue

32

first ignite of gas
cylinder leakage in morn
till evening is set

33

fish rushing to feed
at the cremation site
outpoured urn

34

flashing yellow lights
brighten her texts
coffin birth

35

following
a new deer trail . . .
to my tulip stems

36

Gardening alone
underbrush dry leaves
startled gentle fawn

37

global warming —
future generations
in our leaders’ hands

38

global warming —
the smallest pinelike cone
grows so slowly

39

gnashing of teeth . . .
I freeze and pray
to the dog god

40

half moon
where is the rest
of you

41

her quibbles
the salt cap
falls off

42

her totaled car
brings mom
to a key decision

43

high in a spruce
chittering squirrel
defends his stash

44

high pollen count —
a bee pollinates
my hi vis

45

human life threatened
poets look aside
life is poetry?

46

hush, child, hush
the priest is speaking to God
who is God

47

“I’m leaving you”
lightning from
a cloudless sky

48

Indian summer —
an earwig enters and exits my ear

49

insomnia —
all the stars cannot
be counted

50

late night call
diagnosis confirmed
no plans

51

light
at the end of the tunnel . . .
oncoming train

52

live lobsters
boiled
free upon request

53

locked out —
rifling frantically
through her bag

54

loss . . .
away from chubby hands
a rattle

55

masked riders
all eyes turn
to the cough

56

muddy stretch
at trail’s end
a lost shoe

57

mutual bewilderment
the first time
he forgets who I am

58

my day mask for safety
will my sleep mask worn at night
shield me from my dreams?

59

neighbor’s face . . .
my dog salute each time
his new car

60

neon light corridor —
the black of each word
in a diagnosis

61

new flooding
caused by moon wobbles
panic attacks wax

62

new home
my puppy whimpers
into the morning

63

no limits
can hold
your surprise

64

Nothing to swat at
Silence replaces buzzing
Where are the insects

65

on the roof
the cat is sleeping
earthquake

66

on the table
the ivory centerpiece
. . . elephant in the room

67

pandemic funeral . . .
a flock of crows
quenching the light

68

perfect green
the neighbour’s golf ball
under my brooding hen

69

periods scrutinizing
the missed months
— headaches

70

pierced old shell —
from somewhere the intrusion
of a new passion

71

political speech
alarms, op-ed claims falsehood,
pol admits ruse; wow!

72

post covid
I gasp at the stranger
in my mirror

73

quiet night . . .
the stone in his grip
brewing

74

rancid cheese and sour milk

75

return after years
in air-conditioned car
scent of hay

76

roaming the beach butts cans caps nurdles tissues wrappers

77

rush hour —
a squirrel
zig-zags like a pro

78

sand castles
on a rusty sleigh
a plush giraffe

79

science fair
an eight year old’s take
on the universe

80

screams of an owl
echoing
smoky sunset

81

Shocked wave
Heart is on fire
Anxiety

82

signs of growing up
a mother’s consternation
of her girl child

83

Small screen.
Endless words
coming out of it.

84

stress at work
going full circle
in the turnstile door

85

sudden midnight knock
frightened, I answer the door
woodpecker’s visit

86

summer squall
the yard cat coughs out
a feather

87

teen daughter
past curfew time
high tension wire

88

the absence of light
twisting softly a doorknob
filtering of light

89

the decision
can I live
alone

90

third wave
how little we know
of living

91

thistle prickles
my neighbor points with his
middle finger

92

thunder
suddenly
fur on my feet

93

Toilet door
Triangle and circle
Someone forgot about geometry

94

two boys who skipped school
shiver under the train bridge
drenched by a cloudburst

95

under a wave . . .
my friends waving
back from shore

96

Undismayed the toad
in the baked riverbed dreams
of the monsoon rain

97

unheard —
wishes upon
a star

98

where do we begin
I’m not quite sure, are you . . . yes,
love is contagious, too

 

Kukai Results

On the first day of the following month, results of the tally of the kukai will be announced. The top vote-getters as voted by readers will be posted, along with the number of points each poem tallied, and each poem’s authorship will be revealed at this time. Winners will be invited to select from a list of prizes provided by The Haiku Foundation. The theme for the new month will be announced at the same time, and the process repeated. Poems remain the copyrighted property of their authors, but The Haiku Foundation reserves the right to publish, display and archive all submitted poems for this and other purposes at its discretion.

Congratulations to all our participants!

 

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