Last Chance to Vote in the May 2023 THF Monthly Kukai
This month’s theme:
flower
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 camellia withers in the vase coronation over | |
2 | A flower mentored every encounter with tenderness | |
3 | a rose at the mailbox lifting its flag | |
4 | a tea rose fading sun restless as the day wanes one brown petal blown | |
5 | abounded garden the daffodils don’t care | |
6 | acacia on bloom the smell of memories on a May evening | |
7 | African violets sent to sage our broken hearts have yet to flower | |
8 | all the hues of hydrangeas spring dawn | |
9 | an apple blossom to shape the Universe | |
10 | an empty lot littered with wildflowers urban renewal | |
11 | an orchid among wildflowers . . . did I marry wrong? | |
12 | another summer without her wildflowers | |
13 | baby drawing each petal showing different colours | |
14 | bachelor buttons learning to leave well enough alone | |
15 | beyond the eye blades of green — lone dandelion | |
16 | black and white X-ray image — flowers outside the window | |
17 | blaze of early morning sun hostage tulip fire engine red | |
18 | bluebells and violets perfectly arranged in her hair | |
19 | bridal bouquet thrown into the air a big blue sky | |
20 | by the withered flower the artificial roses of my stepmother | |
21 | carefully chosen flowers, a bouquet of messages | |
22 | carrying poetry in each petal daffodils | |
23 | cherry-blossoms — spring exploding in pink and white on gray city streets | |
24 | childhood posy carefully arranging her weeds | |
25 | church bell deep in forget-me-nots | |
26 | climate change — a bee toils from flower to flower | |
27 | cosmos the whole universe in a flower | |
28 | cyclamens I reopen the drawer of mementos | |
29 | daisies I pick her casket | |
30 | daisies open through day white petals, yellow hearts gift pollen — until dark | |
31 | daisies . . . their tiny eyes shut tight at night | |
32 | daisy barrettes pin back wisps of her hair school bus stop | |
33 | daisy nectar . . . not a day passes without love | |
34 | daybreak . . . a gust of wind brings a peony | |
35 | deep inside the red rose a thorn I dream | |
36 | dewdrops . . . drooling on the flower catalog | |
37 | Discoloured flower preserved between torn pages your frail memory | |
38 | door slam the petals from his roses fall onto the table | |
39 | each time i think of my priorities the banana blossoms | |
40 | eggplant fritters . . . the flowers | |
41 | Faded petals cling Beautiful yet so fragile Fall into stillness | |
42 | first breath first cry a flower blossoming | |
43 | first snowdrop searching for spring | |
44 | flirting with my wife a sprig of lilac | |
45 | flower by flower also gathering light an old plum tree | |
46 | Flower edged with pearls drops from heaven | |
47 | flower garden the one he likes least closer to his wall | |
48 | flower in a cold corner all the thorns facing inward | |
49 | flowering — her graduation hat higher and higher | |
50 | flowering plum . . . the delicate hands of my mother | |
51 | forsythias blooming my thoughts turn to lawn care | |
52 | fuchsia geranium blossoms stain the white tiles red a story of survival | |
53 | garden sunrise shadows creep closer to the tulips | |
54 | garden wedding the bearded iris lavender bridesmaid | |
55 | girasol following the sun merry-go-round | |
56 | golden petals meld kings into bloom, stain empire blue | |
57 | hazy gibbous nestled in the branches moonflowers | |
58 | heartsease the scent of disinfectant | |
59 | her hands full of daisies chained | |
60 | her secret garden . . . the plum blossoms against the rain | |
61 | her turn to drop a flower white roses | |
62 | I keep the dying in a vase — ravishing rose blooms | |
63 | I like butter the flower said but I don’t | |
64 | I send flowers all the time . . . pink emoji | |
65 | in front of the drugstore — the wind puts lime blossoms into my bag | |
66 | In moonlight fragrance of jasmine flowers I wake up in spring dawn | |
67 | in the dark of another day . . . evening primrose | |
68 | incipience greening into daffodils and dandelions | |
69 | jasmine greets moon fragrance awakens windows open to stars | |
70 | jasmine petals in her hair tones from a symphony on and on without pause | |
71 | late frost yellow flag at half mast | |
72 | late spring resting butterfly on a dandelion | |
73 | lavender flower — memories resurface between my wrinkles | |
74 | librarian by day DJ by night moonflower | |
75 | Lilac festival — Dog noses deep and forgets all the other dogs | |
76 | lilac flowers the dizzying scent of existence | |
77 | lilies in line welcoming the house guests | |
78 | lone flower in vase blooms in fleeting existence now my soul will leave | |
79 | lonely person the pollen in the flower a nugget | |
80 | long after spring a faded rose scents my diary | |
81 | mango blooms the smell of childhood in hidden corners | |
82 | Milkweeds are dying A butterfly’s nourishment Don’t go extinct please | |
83 | moringa flowers . . . you say maybe it’s not too late yet | |
84 | mother’s day . . . her bleeding-hearts now overgrown | |
85 | Mother’s Day the fake grave flowers have already faded | |
86 | Mother’s fragile petals strewn among Tagore’s poems | |
87 | newlyweds a preference for flowers not flour | |
88 | old vase doesn’t remember all its flowers | |
89 | on my birthday color, fragrance, love one in a flower | |
90 | one plucked flower the only survivor of the meadow fire | |
91 | one thistle among the buttercups my teenage years | |
92 | orchids darken dropping out of time | |
93 | origami lotus how many blintz folds to unfold | |
94 | paper flowers . . . just an illusion of spring | |
95 | parade treads on the petals no regrets | |
96 | peach blossoms — a new tenor in the church choir | |
97 | pink peony dabbing on the nappy cream | |
98 | pink petals landing in a soft pile on the hard wood | |
99 | plump clusters of wisteria the purple evening | |
100 | Prickly gorse explodes Decked in sulphurous yellow Coconut scented | |
101 | promises to keep flower moon | |
102 | puff of mild air with a scent so rare none know this wild bloom . . . | |
103 | red roofs draped with jacarandas Sydney summer | |
104 | removing daisy petals one by one — deflowered | |
105 | Resist the darkness Welcome the dawn Lotus flower | |
106 | Roses have poisonous thorns beauty | |
107 | roses — he brings them in the aphids | |
108 | ruby red hydrangea sits in old clay pot | |
109 | say it with flowers Japanese Anemone blushes pink no sting | |
110 | she does not laugh now when flowers appear out of nowhere everywhere | |
111 | sitting on the ground — finally the height of a poppy | |
112 | sleeping through the extravagant funeral flower car | |
113 | snow falling this eve — flowers blooming in daughter’s picture book | |
114 | snow in silver bowl white flowers | |
115 | so many points to consider elderberry buds | |
116 | spray free markets each stall decorated with wildflowers | |
117 | spring awakening choosing the garden instead of the news | |
118 | spring blossoms the ordeal of being known | |
119 | Spring ephemeral Trout Lily Crow’s Toes Bluebells Briefly bravely rise | |
120 | spring garden sharing blossoms with the bees | |
121 | spring rain . . . the jangled bluebells | |
122 | spring storm her flowers in his vase | |
123 | spring training my son tees up peonies | |
124 | Springing forth to capture the moment, anemone. | |
125 | still sitting by the water’s edge narcissus | |
126 | strolling the garden the sweet fragrance of blossom a bee on my hand | |
127 | summer breeze amber blossoms a tremble. An ache | |
128 | Summertime flowers Can’t compete with autumn leaves Daisy petal cries | |
129 | sunflower grandmother’s shadow smaller and smaller | |
130 | sunflowers turning down — sunset | |
131 | sutra chanting — a dandelion fluff in levitation | |
132 | tenacious tulips weather spring derecho | |
133 | tender lean his shoulder’s support life’s assurance | |
134 | the day of his daughter’s funeral cherry blossoms in my neighbor’s tree | |
135 | the momentum of the car roadside cherry petals fly | |
136 | the neighbor said my son offered his help bouquet of sweet peas | |
137 | the white cat yawns and a red flower floats up to the ceiling | |
138 | they tremble birthing flowers at one glance communing with time | |
139 | this Spring a plural of flower golden tidytips | |
140 | Tiare flower talk about travel about the joy of travel | |
141 | tiny gold flowers nestled amid the grass son learning to sit | |
142 | tiny red fists on the maple tree wave wildly in dawn’s cold blasts | |
143 | too late for counting feelings wilted daisy | |
144 | tulips in bloom the secrets they share | |
145 | unfolding flower my inner child searching for fairy land | |
146 | up with the sunrise grandma’s morning glories bloom our day can begin | |
147 | venus over the moon flower | |
148 | vile weeds your flowers do intoxicate | |
149 | waggle dancing like a flower to a bee hoping to be kissed | |
150 | waiting for train . . . the white fragrance of dogwood | |
151 | Watching for the first Crocus to raise its brave head Above frozen ground | |
152 | water surface . . . in between petals the shape of leaves | |
153 | Which do I love more The petals or the seeds’ promise? Flower of my womb. | |
154 | white tulips bending our meal begins with grace | |
155 | wild flowers — the goldfinch fluffs his feathers | |
156 | wild primrose peeps pale between gravestones symbol of new life | |
157 | wilting iris could we spend more time together | |
158 | wilting lilies gran says not to throw them out yet | |
159 | Windscreen view flowers and a coffin | |
160 | windy day clinging to a flower a butterfly | |
161 | yellow daisy blooms amidst rusty chain-link fence | |
162 | your colors stun me they call you different names we call you flower |
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!
