THF Monthly Kukai — January 2025

 
 
Welcome to the THF Monthly Kukai.

This month’s theme:
indigo
 
 
 
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: gift

In December there were 171 submissions from thirty-nine countries across five continents.
One hundred voters casting ballots determined the following results.

First Prize
 
at the temple
a sparrow bathes
in buddha's hands
     — Bill Fay (88 points - 9; 4; 7; 2; 2)
 
A quiet haiku that connects immediately. The scene is set in the first two lines. Bathing, caring for its feathers, is essential to a bird’s survival. But the emotional resonance is in the last line, with the introduction of buddha’s hands. In Japan, I have seen very large statues of Buddha — large enough for the hands to hold a shallow pool of water as well as birds — but it could also be a bird bath with a small statue of Buddha at the center. Whatever the case, it works because it is in harmony with Buddhism’s care for all living creatures.
 
Second Prize
 
ivory earrings —
the thud
of an elephant's fall
     — Nitu Yumnam (65 points - 7; 2; 2; 6; 4)
 
A gift is something given from one to another, and as many can attest this time of year, the exchange can be fraught. Ivory has long been valued by many cultures for its beauty, but as this haiku reminds us, it comes at a terrible cost. What if the values of giver and receiver differ? Perhaps these earrings were passed from one generation to the next. What does one do with such a gift? As much as this haiku makes me feel, it makes me think even more.
 
 
Honorable Mentions
 
deep autumn —
she leaves more apples
to the blackbirds
     — Ben Oliver
 
I like the suggestion of backstory in this haiku. She leaves apples on the tree now that it is late autumn and winter is approaching. It is an act of empathy that is admirable. But the word “more” also suggests that earlier in the season she might have been less generous. I find that interesting and very believable.
 
a soldier back home
with a present for his child . . .
Christmas ceasefire
     — Meera Rehm
 
A touching haiku that delivers a gift on every line: the soldier’s return to the family, the present for the child, and the ceasefire that is a gift for all.
 
nursing home
at dad's dark window
a bonsai
     — Mircea Moldovan
 
A somber scene — a father living in a nursing home with only a small bonsai by the window. In years past, he might have been surrounded by family with a large tree to celebrate the season. Bonsai can symbolize many things, so this haiku might be a bit of a Rorschach in how the last line is read. But they can represent the cyclical nature of life, so for me, the last line lifts this haiku and ends it on a note of acceptance.

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!