THF Monthly Kukai — February 2026

 
 
Welcome to the THF Monthly Kukai.

This month’s theme:
medal
 
 
 
Note: Anonymity is an essential part of any kukai. Please respect this to offer the reader (and voter) the opportunity to choose only the poem.

The THF Kukai Overview

A kukai is a (usually quite casual) poetry contest. The administrator of the kukai (that’s us) assigns a theme for a given writing period and posts to Troutswirl (The Haiku Foundation blog) on the THF site, which is then redirected outward through our various media outlets. Poets write work to this theme during the allotted time and submit it to the administrator. The work submitted is gathered into an anonymous roster and posted to Troutswirl (The Haiku Foundation blog) for public viewing. At that time all participating poets and other interested readers may vote for their favorites. Votes are tallied and the results made public. The top winners will be acknowledged each month, and offered their choice of prizes from a list compiled by the Foundation. Please remember that everyone who votes is a winner — the process of choosing your personal favorites is not just fun, but also one of the best ways to improve your own haiku practice!

Results of Last Month’s THF Kukai

theme: gold

In January there were 204 submissions from thirty-seven countries across six continents.
One hundred twelve voters casting ballots determined the following results.

First Prize
 
a coin drops
in the beggar's bowl —
sound of gold
     — Federico Peralta (52 points - 6; 3; 1; 2; 3)
 
Although the scene depicted here is straightforward, this haiku invites more than a literal reading. The first line calls to mind the expression, “the penny dropped,” signifying sudden understanding of something. In many spiritual traditions, the act of giving transforms the giver, as much or more than the recipient.  Giving is an act of empathy, compassion, love; it fosters community. That is the gold here.
 
 
Honorable Mentions
 
winter chill
a row of marigolds
hold the sun
     — Neena Singh
 
Marigolds are vibrantly colored flowers that flourish in the heat. They hold deep significance in many countries, including India, South Asia, Ukraine, and Mexico, and are celebrated for their resilience and brilliant yellows and oranges. We feel the chill from the onset of winter — literal and metaphorical — even more sharply when juxtaposed with these flowers that “hold the sun.”
 
gold mining
raccoons at
the koi pond
     — Curt Linderman
 
Raccoons! Opportunistic, nocturnal . . . the bane of many urban dwellers’ existence. But it is the opening line, with its unexpected point of view and word play, that makes this haiku. The raccoons have struck gold in finding these beautifully colored carp.
 
divorce —
the lingering
ring mark
     — Dan C. Iulian
 
The echoes of “lingering” in “ring” are especially effective here, and with just five words, a bigger and more painful story is intimated. Divorce leaves a mark that lasts far longer than the actual event. Well done.

Beverly Acuff Momoi is THF Monthly Kukai Commentator. She is an award-winning poet and author of how the wind sighs and Lifting the Towhee’s Song. From 2019 to 2021 Beverly served as a panelist for the Touchstone Distinguished Book Awards.

Writing for The Haiku Foundation Monthly Kukai

On the first day of each month The Haiku Foundation will announce the kukai theme for that month. This theme should be the topic of your poem, and may be stated (by using the theme word or words) or implied. Form may be traditional (three-line, 5-7-5) or free (various numbers of lines and/or syllables). Season words (kigo) may or may not be used at the poet’s discretion. A poet may submit one poem per theme. All poems must be the original, unpublished work of the author. In order to maintain the spirit and fairness of the kukai, a poem that has appeared anywhere with its author’s name cannot be allowed for submission.

Please use the Kukai submission form below to enter your poem, and then press Submit to send your entry. No other submissions will be recognized or honored. Once a poem is submitted it cannot be revised. All poems must be signed (that is, no “anonymous” poems will be accepted, and the Submit button will not be available until both Name, Email, and Place of Residence fields are filled in). Poets will not receive acknowledgment of their submissions. Poems will be accepted from the announcement of the theme through midnight of the 15th of that month. All poets are eligible to participate. Administrators of the kukai are ineligible to submit poems. Your submission form to us should look something like this:

line one
followed by line two
and then line three

or

this poem is all in one line

or

            jjjjjjjjjjj
kkkkkkkkkk
                    lll
   mmmmm

[all lines right-justified]

If your poem has special formatting requirements you should note them as in the third example above.

Good luck, and have fun!