Last Chance to Vote in the May 2020 THF Monthly Kukai
This month’s theme:
sheltering
Voting closes for The Haiku Foundation Monthly Kukai tonight at midnight (east coast time). So make those final decisions and let us know who 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 favorites poems at this time. All votes must be sent via The Haiku Foundation’s dedicated kukai email address using the subject line KUKAI VOTING. No other votes will be recognized or honored. All votes must be signed (that is, no “anonymous” votes will be accepted), 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.
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. Your voting email to us should look something like this:
First Choice (5 points): [your selection number here] Second Choice (4 points): [your selection number here] Third Choice (3 points): [your selection number here] Fourth Choice (2 points): [your selection number here] Fifth Choice (1 point): [your selection number here]
YOUR NAME
The Ballot
1 A bird and a tree.
Use the bird to reach the tree
and sing on a branch2 a chair
in the shade of the walnut –
summer breeze3 a dry leaf
brushes her cheek
she shields herself with both arms4 active shooter
I pray he doesn’t find
my hiding spot5 adopted child
in a bowl with soup
swallows tears6 animal shelter
all the dogs
now have homes.7 animal shelter
the black kitten
chooses us8 animal shelter
the old dog wears
his love me face9 asleep in my lap
the cat she brought home
from the shelter10 at the busstop
always the two girls
in bikini11 at the pet store
a leash and a bowl
for her new companion12 at the unhealthy’s bedside
anew sounds
ancient master’s haiku13 bedtime
the imprint of moonlight
beyond the blind14 Being shut indoors,
the mind wanders where feet can’t.
Missing the pavement.15 beneath the sun
my hand. my hat
my . . .16 between her grey eyes she shelters the present 17 birthday afternoon
bubbles settling, silently
in the glass18 bloomed peony –
she shelters the homeless
during a pandemic19 border firing
he throws himself
on the puppy20 box turtles
the luxury of owning
their own21 candle flame
her world
in a dandelion globe22 cemetery
every cross is giving shade
to another leaf of grass23 chicks peepin
under the hen –
rain pitter patters24 circle of life
a breakfast in bed
for my mother25 city lockdown
mice make godown
their holiday destination26 clear sky
on the balcony a child
sings swearwords27 cloud cover we huddle as jam sandwiches piping hot tea 28 cocoon
my self
in me29 comforted
by your solid presence –
chestnut oak30 corona blues
my home is my castle
and my prison31 Crashes of thunder
Your hand touching mine
Sheltering32 dancing in the dark
like no one is watching
with myself33 dandelion down . . .
camouflaged goslings
on the grass34 deep in the ivy
the gentle blue
of a robin’s egg35 deer on a cave wall
still running
on my desktop36 dinner alone
I digested
a few spring poems37 Dry despite the drizzle.
Chicks,
under their mother’s wing.38 Eldorado’s dream –
in the darkness of the abyss
the peaceful shelter39 evening walk. . .
dark valley of May apples
a white blossom under each40 evicting members
of our quaranteam
house ants41 first raindrops –
the bee in a trumpet flower
doesn’t know yet42 flower moon
the kids have gone camping
in the back yard43 funeral rain. . .
a bee enters
a balsam flower44 Gazing out
Sunshine kissing leaves
Unsheltered45 glueing a crack
in the birdhouse
wabi-sabi46 green calm …
among blades of grass
rose chafer47 grounded –
in a flannel sleeping bag
watching stars48 Hamelin’s curse – a swing
In a silent playground rocks
On a sunny day49 his man’s shed
a lone crow offers
its rasp50 homeless youth
in the church basement –
beached driftwood51 how heavy it feels
to wait for deliveries again –
modern grit52 hydrangea
not a single petal
of yesterday53 I leeward of the roaring pine remove to seek a quiet rain 54 I look within
Sheltering from storms
That lie inside55 in a swift flash,
at our mid-feast –
the blue heron56 in dappled light
beneath the old white pine
a seedling57 just a leaf –
one night shelter
for two beetles58 keenly watching
when the turtle
takes out its neck59 late autumn
a man holds an umbrella
over his old dog60 late spring –
under a tattered wing
a baby sparrow61 leaf fort
raked away by a storm a boy
sheds childhood62 lonely clang
empty rope against flagpole
deserted school63 Look under the eaves
Chickadee sits on her nest
As the rain pours down64 looking for shelter
in mom’s voice –
pandemia crisis65 love affair –
all of our excuses
quarantined66 low tide
in my footprint
a little crab67 May frost
peonies
sealed tight68 migrant workers . . .
an open earth
no room to stay69 moonlight searches
my worried face
i can’t sleep70 Mother hen.
Holding them close.
Two wet leaves.71 mourning their son
from the shelter of their car
funeral day72 my grandson snuggles
in his mommy’s tummy
sheltered in place73 my inner drag queen
pops to the surface
too much time alone74 my neighbor says
so much through a closed window
pink geranium75 night sirens . . .
far away a home
under prairie stars76 no park access
only the galaxy
this tiny terrace77 not alone anymore
a songbird sheltering
under my roof78 not sheltering
from Covid-19
new buds79 nowhere to go
sitting
with the moon80 old age home
every room
has a family photo81 on ledge of old tower
pigeon settles down – –
for tonight82 outside raining
sparrow’s beak into her back
warmth of chick83 overgrown by weeds
the buddha statue
loses its self84 persistent oriole
taps at the window
of my cage85 Peter Rabbit
hiding under a lettuce leaf
green masks86 play house –
the little girl cuddled up
with her doll87 Provide sheltering
From rains of pain, floods of gloom
With a warm embrace88 refuge in audacity
from the hole in the wall
the mouse sends me on89 roofline – – – –
an old pine
shelters in place90 safely
inside
still
the rain91 sanctuary
under an old oak
the sound of a snail92 screaming winds
tearing the yard apart,
in the birdhouse
two sorrowful pearls93 self isolating alone
tiring of my companion94 self-isolation
watching wasps build a nest
on the balcony95 shelter in place
all day every day
the phoebes96 shelter in place
wine bottles piling up
in the recycle bin97 sheltering
in blended colours
my ethnicity98 sheltering in place
days stretch into months
limes ripen on the tree99 sheltering
somewhere between
science and shut up
in the dictionary100 shielding him
safeguarding our future
together101 solitary bat
leathers the moon to its heart
empty branch at dawn102 solo stroll
in summer grass
the youngest quail103 sparrow
near its nest
chirps104 spring cleaning
her letters in the attic
long forgotten105 spring dusk
a child’s diary takes in
stray cherry petals106 spring snow –
huddled in the porch eaves,
a sparrow107 squatting under a tree
its canopy a colander
the rain leaks slowly108 stars, porchlights for fallen angels 109 stay at home order –
beneath the maple a mob
of maple seedlings110 staycation –
kayaking the twists and turns
of ceiling cracks111 staying safe –
I shelter within
the fortress of your arms112 stuck at home
imaginary friends
crowding in113 sunbeams . . .
the spider returns
on a thin thread114 the landlord
won’t fix the leak
hillside wisteria115 The rising morning
By a foggy pier –
My return home116 the silence of silence
his shade between wall stones
filling the emptiness117 the tiny umbrella their eyes met over 118 the warming shelter
of his hands cradling my face
instead of this mask119 things I keep
in my safe place –
a cricket’s song120 through the window
her sparkling necklace shares a deeper message
. . . mother’s day121 traffic storm
a bird seeks cover
in my car122 treehouse fort
brown sugar sandwiches
and lilac blossoms123 unseasonal rain
waiting in the bus shelter
the tomcat and me124 weight of the leaden sky
I share the shelter
with a mourning dove125 wet the spring wind –
back to the past
under a shaded shelter126 where shadows
crouch inside shadows . . .
migrant shelter
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!