Last Chance to Vote in the May 2024 THF Monthly Kukai
This month’s theme:
yellow
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 | — Why is the haiku yellow! — Perhaps ‘cause love is yellow? The other teens seem to nod | |
2 | 50°C — a burnt butterfly drips sunlight | |
3 | a goldfinch on a sunflower kodachrome moment | |
4 | a single rosebud shows yellow — we stop bickering | |
5 | a slant of sun in an old cabin a type-written death certificate | |
6 | a yellow daisy opens its petals i hear it whisper i am no longer solitary | |
7 | a yellow sweater and a red cap for my snowman | |
8 | absinthe simmers yellow opacity. Yellow unashamed in black cauldrons fire Alchemist avatars of blindness. Inner voices wail the power of yellow. Sour dirt churning. Regenerating in loops apples. Bled into gold. Yellow overpowers in newness. In tears stinking of Sulphur. Its aroma lingers along the paths of gold. | |
9 | afternoon sun through the barn doors dancing dust motes | |
10 | all my worries then a soft candle’s glow passing summer night | |
11 | amaltas crowning streets a summer show stopper | |
12 | another twilight — children’s laughter sways through that same rapeseed field | |
13 | april’s wildflowers already yellowing . . . drought | |
14 | as if never before i saw the yellow . . . field of sunflowers | |
15 | at once all the suns i missed OT lights | |
16 | At sunrise’s gentle kiss, Grandmother’s smile greets the sunflowers. | |
17 | below hospice window yellow crocuses — an early spring | |
18 | biting joke — a bee goes away from me | |
19 | black bird on a yellow fence — first cicadas singing | |
20 | blind little girl — she asks her mother what does yellow taste like? | |
21 | blooming ragworts . . . I wash away my broken marriage again and again | |
22 | branch by branch a sudden song-burst of goldfinch | |
23 | bright, sunny smile old lady flashes her yellow teeth | |
24 | bringing back some colour in her cheeks yellow of early spring | |
25 | Bursts of yellow stars Dandelions bloom Bees orbit | |
26 | buttercup — sunshine scrunched in a toddler’s fist | |
27 | buttery light the kitchen flooded with summer | |
28 | Campfires and dandelions Sunsets and memories Summer passes in hazy days | |
29 | captive canary attracting the attention of wild birds | |
30 | captive yellow stretching oilseed rape field — Summer’s assault | |
31 | Cataract’s veil lifts Yellow , the first color I saw A bright dawn | |
32 | Caution! Be careful! Bright, yellow light. Slow down now! Too late, bent fender. | |
33 | ceasefire — a s p r i n k l e of saffron on the kheer* *rice pudding | |
34 | chin covered buttercup yellow he loves me | |
35 | chocolate flowers my daughter called them “lellow” she liked their smell too | |
36 | courtroom artist adds finishing touch wisp of yellow | |
37 | cowslip meadow once I was spring too | |
38 | cracked sidewalk . . . a tiny yellow flower peers at the sky | |
39 | Crisp white wedding dress Transforms to faded yellow Stored away for years | |
40 | crunch of toast melted butter spreads marigold yellow | |
41 | cups of spicy chai over bowls of savories — yellow is falling | |
42 | daffodil . . . her favorite my memory | |
43 | daffodils graveyard spirit’s rise in springtime | |
44 | daffodils invade my garden — yellow everywhere | |
45 | dandelion field — my toes caress the sun | |
46 | Dandelion seeds on the breeze In each the promise of tomorrow’s sunshine | |
47 | dark sky oasis — following the yellow line of the empty road | |
48 | daylilies how we make every minute count | |
49 | destroyed house dressed in yellow daffodil | |
50 | distance no matter yellow sunflower loves the sun in spring breeze | |
51 | double yellow lines on the highway — a turtle crosses | |
52 | dressing up for you I borrow the sun’s glow | |
53 | driving to yoga class disheartening morning news — a yellow school bus | |
54 | early spring jonquils nodding at passersby | |
55 | eclipsing the sun the moon takes a big bite leaves a yellow slice | |
56 | evening prayer . . . a lamp moves across the neighbour’s window | |
57 | Faded yellow bow clings wearily to old oak still hope persists | |
58 | family tree among the green leaves a pair of yellow ones | |
59 | farmer’s market all the different hues of honey | |
60 | Fawn-limbed and youthful naked in square morning light, sparks breathe between glass. | |
61 | first hot day . . . afternoon sun dripping with honeysuckle | |
62 | from the widow’s balcony her yellow canary serenades sparrows | |
63 | Ginkgo leaves, rustling of fans in the autumn sky. | |
64 | gloomy scale maple leaves yellowing in the spring | |
65 | goodbye peace and justice yellow brick | |
66 | Grass under cloud A thousand suns — dandelions Tip sky upside down | |
67 | gray slats freckled by yellow leaves, the barn begins its second hundred | |
68 | hailstones at the migrant center bruised peaches | |
69 | heaps of clouds . . . yellow boots splash in puddles | |
70 | her gaze at the sea of dandelion blossoms . . . a turkey’s spread tail | |
71 | I break egg to make omelette — sun in the bowl | |
72 | Imagination Raindrops falling on my head To drench my scorched skin | |
73 | in february a yellow butterfly is not yellow | |
74 | in garden round face of a blooming sunflower | |
75 | In my own garden yellow crown imperial rules over flowers | |
76 | in the pond the sun bejewels the small frog | |
77 | jet housefly stars in the fire of sunbeams | |
78 | june moon dusting from ripe barley fireflies | |
79 | last tulip, yellow petal clinging like a tear ants do a happy dance | |
80 | lemon — another fruit of the Sun | |
81 | lemon meringue pie so sweet my teeth hurt | |
82 | lemon sunrise getting ready for market day | |
83 | lemon yellow in a child’s drawing the sun smiles | |
84 | letting his friend take the blame . . . years later he can’t forget | |
85 | library the silence of the words yellowed by time | |
86 | maize field the boy’s blonde hair yellows into corn silk | |
87 | melodious notes entice me to step outside — yellow warbler riffs | |
88 | mid spring a panoply of yellows | |
89 | misty morning a yellow ribbon brings dad back | |
90 | morning blooms carrying all the potential yellow school bus | |
91 | morning glow canaries’ nests awaken with tweets | |
92 | morning sun on the daffodils his chemo completed | |
93 | morning sun sewing some yellow into her quilt | |
94 | mother’s passing a cloud near her window turns pale | |
95 | mother’s treasure box yellow feather of a migrated bird | |
96 | murmur of rain — in the empty children’s cot little yellow duck | |
97 | mustard stains — a high pop fly with bases loaded | |
98 | new morning sun rising from the plains first dandelion | |
99 | nodding daffodil vin jaune light through lace curtain — mother’s piano | |
100 | not a dry eye in the theater Old Yeller | |
101 | nothing to do throwing away yellow coriander leaves | |
102 | ocd she arranges her mustards light to dark | |
103 | old black lab loses the yellow tennis ball in the dandelions | |
104 | old village road — mushrooming yellow signs with the word “CAUTION” | |
105 | Only one egg I make a bull’s eye The yellow part is for you | |
106 | orphanage they point at the sun for the yellow faces | |
107 | out of the cloud a yellow warning sign fog area | |
108 | Overnight, the street Is carpeted with yellow leaves . . . Ginkgo trees in November | |
109 | pale sun . . . yellow flowers elope with the river | |
110 | phototherapy my yellow baby exposed to love and light | |
111 | picture in crayon of a round yellow sun moist eyed mum | |
112 | pineapple slice on a poco grande tropical sunset | |
113 | poolside she sinks the yellow ball into the side pocket | |
114 | pretend wedding dandelions cupped in a girls hands | |
115 | ripe pear the kitchen kettle sings alto | |
116 | rolling toward the sewer grate my yellow marble | |
117 | rotten choices the bunch of candidates for banana bread | |
118 | Scented candles lemon soup dinner senses you here | |
119 | September calendar, yellow aspens. In Texas still coming attraction. | |
120 | signs of spring tickle their nose daffodil pollen | |
121 | singing the desert sunrise yellow warbler | |
122 | sixty-eight Plymouth my muscle car memories in sunburst yellow | |
123 | sleeveless shirt on a warm day — Kowhai flower | |
124 | small yellow bird sings soft upon cool morning dew loud crow disrupts peace | |
125 | snoring wind the daffodil starts to bob its head | |
126 | Sound of poplar Yellow light of sun on canopy | |
127 | spread of yellow field her blond hair flying freely among the rapeseed | |
128 | Spring breeze Swing swinging alone Tilting dandelions | |
129 | spring willow whips the yellow green fluttering a gold finch | |
130 | still warm rain gathers the sunset a marigold flower | |
131 | stunning yellow cloud the remains of the day on bikini atoll | |
132 | summer sunshine — driving us to the coast a yellow school bus | |
133 | Summer’s heat, Idle thoughts Yellow Rain Boots resting Dry mud clumps to dust | |
134 | sun bunny slips through face wrinkles little fingers | |
135 | sun set beyond the waters glistening foam | |
136 | sunflower a day isn’t long enough with the sun | |
137 | sunflower field the color of a canary’s song | |
138 | sunflower field with the hat in his hand the old farmer | |
139 | sunflowers stand tall son | |
140 | sunshine on seagrass — the turtle path beckons | |
141 | surya namaskar on golden sands a golden retriever | |
142 | Swallowtail Flits among dandelions Spring | |
143 | the black forest horse chestnut with a flaxen mane unison sunset | |
144 | The morning yellow hiccups into spring — roses tulips, buttercups | |
145 | the steady spread of summer in the sky cassia blossoms | |
146 | the yellow I love . . . sunflowers | |
147 | the yellow of summer teasing daisy petals | |
148 | the yellow hat transforms chaos to promise | |
149 | the yellow nose of the big brass bear a rub for luck | |
150 | the yellow veins of a red and green leaf cemetery visit | |
151 | their colour like brimstones nearly ripe lemons | |
152 | this narrow path surrounded by sunflowers pollen on your pants | |
153 | tinting the forest breeze an oriole’s song | |
154 | torrential rain submerged dandelion yellow submarine | |
155 | trimming the sunflowers solar eclipse | |
156 | turmeric aroma in the mortar and pestle glint of a yellow sky | |
157 | unable to stay yellow monarchs | |
158 | under a cloudy sky blobs of sunlight in the field — buttercups | |
159 | upcoming elections a mustard mustache lit up by the fireworks | |
160 | waiting for the tide to turn yellow a livery driver | |
161 | warm turning bitter she stirs a spoon of mustard into her kisses | |
162 | wattle down under reflections of spring in the billabong | |
163 | Wearing a yellow dress Sitting in the garden, my mother Like a beautiful daffodil | |
164 | wild saffron finches recalling the one I kept in a cage | |
165 | winter morning walking my dog a yellow patch of snow | |
166 | winter solstice one yellow rose glows at sunrise | |
167 | writer can’t just change things in this world — yellow dandelion | |
168 | Yell (0) W(ing) | |
169 | yellow isn’t enough goldfinch | |
170 | Yellow the Buddhist monk’s robe | |
171 | Yellow — the sky’s tint, tornadoes in the distance, our fear in the spring air. | |
172 | yellow beams, burst through grayness, finally | |
173 | yellow butterflies living caps on the pileworts in the meadow | |
174 | yellow catkins bluebells white winged butterflies | |
175 | yellow dandelions the fields shaped by molehills | |
176 | yellow fingers black lungs beautiful pale blue eyes | |
177 | yellow jackets descending picnic table chaos | |
178 | yellow leaves . . . that time of the year enters me | |
179 | Yellow leaves rain On damp earth Compost gold | |
180 | yellow light — the juggler approaches for his money | |
181 | yellow moon beaming looking to see what I see you are a bright friend | |
182 | yellow ornaments glistening in the Christmas sun my lemon tree | |
183 | yellow reflection under my chin buttercup | |
184 | yellow rivers pushed through veins of hope that flickered cheer among the light | |
185 | yellow tulips outside a different window than last year | |
186 | Yellow wheat fields quake Azure skies stand witness still Blood soaked black soil — weeps | |
187 | yellow willow leaves spiraling down a romantic comedy | |
188 | Yellow? OMG! You daffodils get busy Midnight has arrived | |
189 | zesting lemon got a tough skin this one |
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!
