THF Monthly Kukai — November 2024

 
 
Welcome to the THF Monthly Kukai.

This month’s theme:
charity
 
 
 
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: ribbon

In October there were 191 submissions from thirty-two countries across five continents.
One hundred twenty-one voters casting ballots determined the following results.

First Prize
 
pink ribbon
the cup size of a scar
     — Arvinder Kaur (64 points - 6; 2; 8; 0; 2)
 
So many emotions swirl in this two-line haiku. With the first line, readers immediately know the poem’s subject. For more than three decades, pink ribbons have been the international symbol for breast cancer awareness. It can no longer be seen as just a ribbon. In the second line, we understand the reality — the scar — but in a very tactile and tender way. If we read it literally, we know the scar is pink and rounded. But word choice moves us into emotional terrain. “Cup” conveys both the size of the breast and the physical act of touching. In the pink ribbon of this scar, there is not just loss, but also deep caring.
 
Second Prize
 
love note —
a ribbon of birch bark
in the robin’s nest
     — Dorothy Mahoney (62 points - 6; 5; 3; 0; 3)
 
What a delight this haiku is! When robins start to nest, the male brings twigs, moss, paper — or in this case, a ribbon of birch bark — to the female who does the building. So in a very real way, that ribbon of bark is a love note. But the poem is doing interesting work at a craft level as well. There is euphony in the second and third lines. They are a joy to read aloud, with the repeated “r” and “b” sounds, and they create a charming sense of domestic harmony.
 
 
Honorable Mentions
 
southward
an undulating ribbon
of geese
     — Yvonne Cabalona
 
One of the hallmarks of autumn is the sky filled with migrating geese, and this haiku conveys it beautifully. In “an undulating ribbon/of geese” we see the graceful movement of wings — and it’s magical.
 
last loop home . . .
a snail ties the night
in a shimmer of ribbon
     — Laurie Greer
 
Yes, that smear of snail trail is “a shimmer of ribbon,” but I wouldn’t have thought to describe it that way. Having it tie the night in a “last loop home” is extraordinary. Well done!
 
silent march

the black ribbons 
do all the talking 
     — Ravi Kiran
 
Black ribbons are a symbol of mourning and are worn to show support at times of loss. Here — because there are multiple ribbons, and they are seen in the context of a march — we sense a terrible injustice has occurred. Very powerful.
 
a white ribbon
in her hair
in the rubble
     — Paul Hodder
 
The first two lines set a scene of innocence. Then the third line tells us this is the aftermath of destruction. Because “in” is at the start of both second and third lines, we see that white ribbon in her hair and in the rubble. Well-crafted, subtle — and devastating. I don’t know if the poet intended a reference to White Ribbon Day, but when I googled it, I learned that it is meant to raise awareness and prevent violence against women and girls, and that suggests an additional layer of complexity.

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!