Last Chance to Vote in the December 2023 THF Monthly Kukai
This month’s theme:
festival
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 flickering flame in this world of darkness festival of lights | |
2 | a long time since I didn’t get married Hina Doll Festival | |
3 | a street concert trombones dispersing face reflections | |
4 | Abba the child came to go lamb awaken star the feast began | |
5 | across the harbor lighting the shoreline paper lanterns silent joy | |
6 | After long time Returning to home For the new year | |
7 | all saints’ day forsaken for pumpkins | |
8 | alone in Christmas the surprise visit of homeland moon | |
9 | alone in my childhood bedroom kokeshi doll | |
10 | and the angels in their heavenly choir start singing ‘Galway Bay’ For Shane MacGowan | |
11 | another fireworks show — the stars decorate the homeless child’s tree | |
12 | autumn festival — mime performance interrupted with dragonfly wings | |
13 | autumn rain — moved to the attic the jazz festival | |
14 | Baby home from ICU festival of thousand suns | |
15 | best Christmas present the children’s big smiles | |
16 | browsing among the lit lawn deer a dark one | |
17 | Caribbean sun the toddler sleeps unimpressed from Christmas Carols | |
18 | Carnival balloons and revelers get higher and higher | |
19 | ceasefire . . . a soldier comes home for Christmas | |
20 | cedar waxwings . . . how we fill each other with song | |
21 | celebrating every day the gift of being alive | |
22 | champs-elysees a subtle scent of lavender in christmas markets | |
23 | cheeky saucer-eyed tippy toes in victory — a poinsettia | |
24 | Christmas candles mirrored in the window a menorah | |
25 | christmas clearance rack all the broken ornaments left without a tree | |
26 | christmas lights offer festive cheer — on the radio, a jingle | |
27 | Christmas Market my wife winks back at the elf | |
28 | Christmas party street child waiting for Santa | |
29 | claret lips and a mistletoe the trapped moth in the snow globe | |
30 | cocktails of visions limonium and catwalks In the lagoon | |
31 | continents apart still feeling her presence as Christmas unwraps | |
32 | curious merriment and for the expected event comfortable shoes | |
33 | darker and darker the flickering of candles on Hanukkah eve | |
34 | daughters’ visit fairy lights deck my aroma filled home | |
35 | dawn breaks street family sweeping away the cracker debris | |
36 | day after Thanksgiving a dozen wild turkeys in no hurry | |
37 | days by days some light, some dark, some crazy the festival of life | |
38 | dazzlingly streets northern winds Christmas carol | |
39 | decorating the tree . . . we celebrate the scent of pine | |
40 | delicacies of rasas on a banana leaf . . . rag picker’s treat | |
41 | disquiet over global crises . . . but let’s party anyway | |
42 | Diwali even the garbage truck is painted new | |
43 | diwali trail a luminous sky unfolding above us | |
44 | down this icy street how those decoration lights pool up with ours | |
45 | drying a widower’s tears Diwali breeze | |
46 | dying rural town highlights their history festival | |
47 | end of the festival a young janitor gathers fallen stars | |
48 | evening prayer . . . a lamp moves across the neighbour’s window | |
49 | every day another festival celebrating what is | |
50 | factory workers on their graveyard shift break a festival of lights | |
51 | family festival this year . . . Dad’s empty chair | |
52 | Father home alone Christmas divorced | |
53 | festival — a spotlight beam on the waif’s palm | |
54 | festival frenzy . . . finding her feet at Earth Beats | |
55 | festival gathering — around the fairy lights his final wish | |
56 | festival meet children peel off the pomegranate layers | |
57 | festival my sister and I laughed out loud the merry-go-round is played | |
58 | festival of lights a candle touching darkness | |
59 | festival of lights seems so very dark this year . . . only rockets shine | |
60 | Festival of Lights the ceasefire ends in darkness | |
61 | festival of lights the garden lightning bugs | |
62 | festival the flamingos’ mating dance | |
63 | festivities over — the holly and jolly back in boxes | |
64 | fireflies and crickets The Royal Fireworks Music in the copse | |
65 | first Christmas he enjoys the paper more than the presents | |
66 | first night on the docks festival of distant city lights | |
67 | flying sky the festival of kites | |
68 | fortune cookie his pause before the snap | |
69 | from the festival to the festival wet face | |
70 | gala smell of cotton candy different flavors | |
71 | glühwein our hands kept warm by each other’s | |
72 | gumamela garden they gather outside to exchange gifts | |
73 | haiku festival a blooming syllable count of cherry blossoms | |
74 | Halloween Tuesday my daughter is Wednesday | |
75 | Hanukkah in the holy land — darkness shrouds the festival of lights | |
76 | harvest moon — the dancing leaves on mom’s sari | |
77 | holiday meal the annual festival of slights | |
78 | holly and ivy the world’s great religions lift up their weapons | |
79 | homecoming editing memories as needed | |
80 | in a tangle the old Christmas lights smell of pine | |
81 | in the limelight the boot mug body surfs gloved fingers | |
82 | infiorata petal delicatesse — spring comes to town | |
83 | jingle bell show a boy’s wheelchair tracks pulse with color | |
84 | Laughter, hugs dementia be damned she knows grandkids names | |
85 | Light displays shining so bright The stars disappear What are we celebrating | |
86 | Light Festival shadow mottle on the water | |
87 | literature fest — a debutant author dozes at the book signing | |
88 | Little hands Sculpting the stars Ice festival | |
89 | mardi gras midnight . . . where each sugar shack stands stands lenten-temptation | |
90 | merrimaking a rainbow of smells highlights shenanigans | |
91 | New Year’s Day what did I expect again | |
92 | New Year’s Eve a girl seeks her father amid the stars | |
93 | next round’s on me — a well-crafted festival the micro version | |
94 | Nights of Lights a jumper dampens the festivities. | |
95 | not long after the longest night Christmas | |
96 | Oktoberfest tent — am I still dizzy from the rollercoaster? | |
97 | our goldfish ten years after the county fair | |
98 | paper lanterns — the spirits float away for another year | |
99 | party hats in the cellar beets sprout tassels | |
100 | Peace on Earth celebration c a n c e l l e d | |
101 | polishing my dancing shoes . . . Willie’s* coming *Willie Nelson | |
102 | post op every day a festival | |
103 | precious life journey wings of despair, smiling stars I am healing — living | |
104 | rock’n’roll concert — the aged fan’s hearing aid to the maximum | |
105 | round dance billowing kimono moon on indigosee | |
106 | Sanremo festival . . . the love songs and my emotions | |
107 | Santa Lucia candles blown out — her eyes still shine | |
108 | Seventy years and grateful Celebrating a full program. Too busy to die. | |
109 | shop doorway her little girl asking why Santa needs money | |
110 | shopping mall — lines of smiling faces waiting for santa | |
111 | Shortest day — they trudge their way Noel — they gleam with joy for all: about a boy | |
112 | snow atop acropolis bulbs red secrets | |
113 | snow festival — near Mount Fuji the cherries drop their petals | |
114 | snow flakes and laughter dance in the air | |
115 | snowdrop festival . . . sharing our story of hope | |
116 | snowflakes in streetlights the savory steam summons a wreath of smiles | |
117 | Soap bubble On its fragile surface Colours Festival | |
118 | solstice gathering I let loose my inner pagan | |
119 | still the center and life of the party a poet’s wake | |
120 | street carols a homeless man joins | |
121 | such bright stars in the middle-east those wise men | |
122 | Tanabata the star-crossed lovers at it again | |
123 | teared eyes reflecting a passing parade | |
124 | the deranged letters EVIL in festival | |
125 | the harvest moon in a beggar’s water bowl twilight rains | |
126 | The Light Festival this year I’m freezing alone in a big crowd | |
127 | The village center, so long empty from Covid, now replete with joy. | |
128 | This winter’s first snow Covered the cars and the grass But left the streets clear | |
129 | tractor pull rumbles the deep memory of Main Street | |
130 | Tumbleweeds gathered stacked high, adorned with lights Sonoran yuletide | |
131 | Twinkling lights in streets Joyful laughter — hearts alight Celebrations bloom | |
132 | twinkling lights sing familiar aromas smiles return | |
133 | under the stars holiday lights twinkle on the bridge | |
134 | Vessels bleed into mere mortals’ loose cups Bacchus makes a fist | |
135 | village tree bright lights and bobbles gleam on a blanket of snow | |
136 | what festival?! thousands of buds again breathing ashes | |
137 | Winter gathering Free food draws the turnout Birds at the feeder | |
138 | winter night — even atop the dark a white celebration | |
139 | winter’s night cold silence guests greeted by scarecrow holding a lantern | |
140 | Yasgur’s* farm fifty years later finding my space ( Max Yasgur’s farm in upstate New York, USA was the site of the Woodstock Music Festival in 1969.) | |
141 | Zoom festival — all haiku poets become the sandhill cranes |
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!
