Last Chance to Vote in the November 2024 THF Monthly Kukai
This month’s theme:
charity
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 | “Begins at home” say the old folks, who often know compassion. | |
2 | “Tuppence a bag” A childhood lesson Hangs in the fog | |
3 | a benevolent charity towards self — forgiving others | |
4 | a door key for every human being | |
5 | a handful of change I drop Algol and Atik in his paper cup | |
6 | a man of charity the sun | |
7 | a mother with child lights a luminaria . . . Missing Children’s Day | |
8 | a not-for-profit might be a misnomer high yield of goodness | |
9 | A pack of people Learning firsthand fellowship Through donated food | |
10 | a prayer for remission fifty tulip bulbs in a grocery bag | |
11 | above me — the sky is burning homeless people walk | |
12 | after retirement three times a week mom works at a charity shop | |
13 | after the harvest uprooted tomato plants at the food bank farm | |
14 | Ah! the charity . . . dandelion fluffs in the breeze | |
15 | all around the cauldron with hot soup refugee morning | |
16 | All else shines vivid as gray weight dampens bright sun rain: a selfless backdrop | |
17 | almost Christmas . . . planning a charity lunch for the poor | |
18 | an oldie but a goodie . . . service before self | |
19 | anywhere you can take me to plant trees | |
20 | at a charity shop can find clothes, shoes and tears | |
21 | at risk school . . . he sleeps in class then begs for food | |
22 | autumn food drive — a past the date mark on the olives | |
23 | beaver moon helping a refugee put down roots | |
24 | black cat rubs against cage bars waiting | |
25 | blood donation transfuses charity in red | |
26 | border fence you can even scent the welcome soup | |
27 | bright sunshine my grandchildren toss a penny into the tip jar | |
28 | Bursts of fiery hues Autumn’s magic paints the scene Winter draws near now | |
29 | caregiver pretending she’s just friends for both their sakes | |
30 | ceasefire . . . the length of a handshake | |
31 | charity calculated for taxes doesn’t count | |
32 | charity the pour beyond the line | |
33 | charity — in a low voice a little about me | |
34 | charity always — after the old tree dies it becomes a lifeboat. | |
35 | charity and greed: the pendulum swings in America | |
36 | charity begins at home — begging the question where does home begin? | |
37 | charity case waking each day by a waterfall | |
38 | charity gala for every dime you give your bragging right | |
39 | charity shop dropping off the DVDs less three or four | |
40 | charity week papa’s three piece on the pavement | |
41 | charity with empathy not just a tax write-off | |
42 | charity worker . . . forty one years stretching the stars | |
43 | childhood pledge a portion of her income for a widow’s smile | |
44 | children’s charity time to donate the piggy bank | |
45 | chilly night a homeless man’s sign says goodwill to all | |
46 | cicada’s cry filling the charity box | |
47 | clapping my hands for the girl who will lose | |
48 | clinking near the cash register donation jar | |
49 | cold in the hospice only the first and last hugs of father and son | |
50 | costliness doesn’t count here | |
51 | crayon-drawn skies the orphanage clears another rich conscience | |
52 | crepe-myrtle buds . . . children offer lollies to the motherless pup | |
53 | crow brings me a gift two small shiny old metals charity — the heart | |
54 | crowded sidewalk the beggar’s empty cup | |
55 | dad’s suit on Goodwill’s sidewalk sale toasted the bride | |
56 | declutter less is more op shop | |
57 | deep freeze — an empty cup next to a cold body | |
58 | dented shopping cart cardboard sign biography curbside charity | |
59 | despite hunger she suckles another’s child with her own | |
60 | dollar in hand she rounds the corner no one there | |
61 | donating hats, scarves, and mittens — soup kitchen | |
62 | donation the dog-eared tax receipt | |
63 | donations second-hand treasures for others | |
64 | emotions in music . . . a concert on one night for the flood victims | |
65 | emptying the junk mail . . . charity bin overflows! | |
66 | evacuation the look on his face donating his toys | |
67 | exploding fireworks a guide-dog startled — no charity for the blind (November 5th — Guy Fawkes night is celebrated with fireworks and bangers all over UK) | |
68 | faith and hope came to call love lounging shyly by the door we called up charity — she was out | |
69 | Faith hope and love The greatest of these Charity | |
70 | fallen leaves a child offers his mom the reddest one | |
71 | fishing poles distributed upstream — no bait | |
72 | float don’t drink ocean’s charity | |
73 | flood relief cash and a pregnant piggybank | |
74 | flood shelter night a grandma sings lullabies for all | |
75 | food packets long queue along the rubble | |
76 | food pantry door queue billowed plastic bag drifts past | |
77 | for sale sign autumn planting tulip bulbs | |
78 | freeway exit someone else gives change to a homeless vet | |
79 | full moon — mine the dark half hers the bright half | |
80 | furry friend rescued generous spirit fractured hearts mend | |
81 | Gait paused Door stays open Stroller slides by with ease | |
82 | gala night pledges — the ebb and flow of tinted windows | |
83 | gifting dolls the last boy in the row asks for a mother | |
84 | giving Sunday a beggar on the church steps is asked to move | |
85 | great nursing mother fuji | |
86 | guarding a line of ants . . . little grandson | |
87 | hair lotions a bald man saves the salesgirl’s job | |
88 | half-moon at dawn a donation boxes thief donating a kidney | |
89 | hers the blanket we fold at the shelter | |
90 | holding out an empty cup as shoppers hurry by | |
91 | holiday food drive ants swarming the picnic | |
92 | home fire bulldozed soup line | |
93 | Homeless A cardboard sign Our hands extended | |
94 | homeless the man puts the baby bird back in the nest | |
95 | homeless boy — thanking the apple tree for its charity | |
96 | Hurricane Helene need is desperate forget politics | |
97 | I will be your charity as sun A plant breaking through the soil And you, my garden | |
98 | IDP camp . . . among relief materials a tattered doll | |
99 | in the tin cup coins dropped empty pockets | |
100 | In white Tupperware My pierogi donation Sour cream, gone sour | |
101 | It starts with caring Hearing the desperate cries to stop the pain. Help. | |
102 | Just a few raindrops in the beggar’s hat after he stopped playing. | |
103 | kind words no money needs exchanging | |
104 | Knowing self as a best friend allows charity and compassion to manifest for others. | |
105 | late blooming garden seeded by hands unknown — but the soil remembers | |
106 | lean moon a labourer splits his meal with the stray | |
107 | life is a raffle the surgeon said, and you have won a kidney | |
108 | listening to the frozen voice between the cartons — boundless love | |
109 | little red shoe how I gave them my eleven cents | |
110 | local cafe the homeless man enjoys a flat white | |
111 | long summer . . . an architect rebuilds the village school | |
112 | lost charm — faith, hope and charity a weak link in the chain | |
113 | make a donation Take a business deduction ask for a receipt | |
114 | morning bench the homeless man‘s blanket colored with leaves | |
115 | mother prays for the one she never knew — the donated heart | |
116 | mother’s good bowl offered for sale at Oxfams . . . three dollars | |
117 | my husband rocking our baby dawn, her eyes close | |
118 | no candy to give the trick-or-treater responds you have a cute house | |
119 | non-profit aid — refilling garden feeders with satisfaction | |
120 | one by one pockets of scarecrow’s coat filled with leaves | |
121 | outstretched hand through the cold fence Christmas candy | |
122 | Pieces of sliced bread Left uneaten by the crows — They too don’t like crust. | |
123 | piggy bank the child ties a pink ribbon around | |
124 | piles of gold coins in the beggar’s dream — sunlight on yellow leaves | |
125 | power cut giving thanks to the moon’s charity | |
126 | preaching charity while furnishing a mansion — televangelist | |
127 | quiet embers float on charitable clouds a piercing light comes | |
128 | quiet snowfall a stranger’s coat left over the bundle | |
129 | R.S.P.C.A. a homeless man beds down beside a goodwill shop (R.S.P.C.A.: the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) | |
130 | railway bridge the clink of tossing wishes | |
131 | receiving giving still not honest in my heart it’s time to be h(e)ard | |
132 | refugee camp the universality of a lullaby | |
133 | restocking the community fridge kind exchanges | |
134 | saffron sunset the begging monk’s bowl still empty | |
135 | school midday meals to serve eggs hatching another scheme | |
136 | scurrying roof rats charity of the sparrows seed knocked to the ground | |
137 | She knelt to give, So the forsaken could rise — Mother Teresa | |
138 | she sends her pennies to save the children sick of people bombing them | |
139 | side by side rocking chairs listening to her tears | |
140 | slipping off her winter coat for a bit of warmth | |
141 | sneaking in to lay my neighbours fire | |
142 | so quickly after charity of life charity of death | |
143 | soup kitchen the use-by date of thanksgiving volunteers | |
144 | soup kitchen volunteers share the leftover | |
145 | soup line a coat a hug | |
146 | stirring a stock pot at the soup kitchen I serve myself | |
147 | sun sets fast but i want to walk the moon makes two | |
148 | tearing the bread he hands his little brother the larger piece | |
149 | the charity shop more staff than clients | |
150 | the church food pantry Venezuelan immigrants join me in the van | |
151 | the dew threatening to drop how gentle the breeze | |
152 | the headline asks “where have all the poppies gone?” no one volunteers | |
153 | the sagging roof has such give in it roadside alms | |
154 | the time it takes to save an earthworm . . . karmic debt | |
155 | the unhoused man feeds crumbs from his po’boy to the hopping sparrow | |
156 | The warmth Of an offered coat Charity | |
157 | tone deaf this year the red kettle ringing hollow | |
158 | true charity give until it feels good | |
159 | true friends so scarce I accept a stranger’s smile in humility | |
160 | unseen hands — restocking the freedge* with pieces of sky * freedge is a community fridge | |
161 | veteran he points from shelter to soup kitchen | |
162 | visa winners . . . the teacher’s lesson cheers her heart | |
163 | warm November day is this global warming or a false charity? | |
164 | wild petunias her hair now someone else’s | |
165 | winter chill a sick stray dog’s hopeful look breaks my journey | |
166 | winter drizzle — only the moon’s coin in the beggar’s cup | |
167 | winter sunshine catching my eye he asks me for coins | |
168 | with full faith dad donates a kidney for his son — agape | |
169 | you are not for yourself: give away your light | |
170 | you give everything but charity is futile living in exile |
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!
