THF Monthly Kukai — February 2025

 
 
Welcome to the THF Monthly Kukai.

This month’s theme:
sky
 
 
 
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: indigo

In January there were 176 submissions from thirty-three countries across five continents.
One hundred seven voters casting ballots determined the following results.

First Prize
 
quiet rain
an indigo scarf left
on the chair's edge
     — Nalini Shetty (52 points - 6; 3; 1; 2; 3)
 
The opening line sets the scene for a haiku that invites reflection. This is not a dramatic storm — it is a quiet rain, and it is experienced from the inside. The scarf’s color deepens the contemplative mood. We don’t know why the scarf was left behind, or if there is some significance in it being on the edge of the chair. But for me, this haiku is less about that untold narrative and more about what I feel after reading it. With the carefully chosen adjectives, it celebrates those still moments that might otherwise be overlooked.
 
Second Prize (tie)
 
blue jeans —
a fraying seam
between sea and sky
     — Shruti Patel (48 points - 5; 4; 1; 2; 0)
 
I am not sure what to make of this juxtaposition of jeans and the horizon where the ocean appears to meet the sky. The distant horizon is seen as worn or frayed. Jeans show their age at the seams, where the worn lighter blue comes up against the dark of the original denim. It’s a creative juxtaposition — and I like the long ‘e’ sounds in “jeans,” “seam,” “between,” “sea” — but I feel like I’m missing something.
 
Second Prize (tie)
 
retirement day —
tiny puddles of indigo
in his shirt pocket
     — Lakshmi Iyer (48 points - 2; 3; 5; 4; 3)
 
The second line really brings this haiku to life. Those small stains of blue — the leaky pen in the shirt pocket — are evidence of a working life. Work is often messy, but it can also be rewarding and provide a sense of purpose. Retirement day is not just a day in the life . . . It is a major milestone. In one finely observed detail, the poet captures the emotional complexity of this event.
 
 
Honorable Mentions
 
finger painting . . .
a heron's indigo
dabs the lagoon
     — Richard Matta
 
The poet doesn’t specify the type of heron, but when I read this haiku, I see a great blue. And what an inspired way to describe it! From a distance they look blue-gray and have a strip of darker color on the crown. The last line could be describing the head movement as it forages  . . . or the way a painter might blur color from the heron to the lagoon. Nicely done.
 
sunset
if I could paint this
indigo silence
     — Dan C. Iulian
 
There is much to admire in this haiku. The second line is a great pivot line — “this” could be the brilliance of the setting sun, or it could be the deepening twilight that settles in after. And “indigo silence” perfectly captures that moment.
 
black and white photo
her indigo
sweater
     — April Serock
 
How do we know the sweater is indigo? In a black and white photo, it’s all shades of gray. But the sweater’s deep, not-black, not-gray color stands out. The line break after “indigo” is intriguing in its intentionality. It suggests something about the person, not just the sweater.
 
end of argument
the indigo shades
of her bruise
     — Ravi Kiran
 
What signals the end of this argument? It has erupted into violence, but bruises don’t darken immediately — they take a day or two, sometimes longer. Did the argument end earlier, and we are seeing the bruise afterward? Or has it been ongoing, ending only after there is visible injury? This poem raises a lot of questions — all deeply disturbing.

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!