skip to Main Content

THF Monthly Kukai Voting Ballot — January 2022

This month’s theme:
snow

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

1 even in old age
2 beauty in your bones and lines
3 and your weathered skin 

2

      a bear’s breath
in forest snow
my silence

3

      a bed of snow
for the homeless
seeking shelter

4

      a damp envelope . . .
from mountain love you daddy
the ink blurs

5

      A long letter
dreams, memories
snow all around

6

      a pandemic snow
covers city streets tonight
calm before the storm

7

      a walk at dawn —
crisp now falling
from the trees

8

after each first time
he gazes out the window
“where did the snow go?”

9

      after the snowstorm:
the robin’s footsteps follow
the sun

10

      against a snow sky
crow’s wings
brush a haiku

11

Aleut . . .
so many words
for snow

12

      all night snow
this dialect of silence
after mama left

13

      all that’s left . . .
a carrot and two old boots
in a puddle

14

      angels pour stardust
on the frozen ground at night —
the magical snow

15

      another inch of snow
last night’s bad mood
hasn’t melted

16

another lockdown
no one to resurrect
last year’s snowman

17

      Attacking the ground
As snow troops it’s way downward
In a losing battle

18

      bird feeder —
a chickadee’s beak
laced with snow

19

      blades of grass
tickle
the melting snow

20

blizzard warning stuck in deep conversation

21

      blue skies – fresh powder
playing hookey – carving turns
coon eyes – tell small lies

22

clear winter day
at the laundromat
fresh powder

23

coastal rain
awash in dreams
mountains of snow

24

Cold snap
the missing child’s imprint
on the swing

25

      cold weather . . .
covered with snow
even the moon

26

      covered ground
of my bygones
new year snow

27

crash landing
a single flake ripples
an avalanche

28

      dark snow . . .
the footsteps of his
excuse

29

      day after snowfall —
neighbor’s wife sweeps snow from
his coat with a broom

30

      deep in wild woods
under crunching snow
my love hibernates

31

      deep snow
the Robin’s prints end
at the bird bath

32

      down the forest path
children making angels in
a blanket of snow

33

      drawing the sheet
over her face . . .
snowfall at dusk

34

      dressed warm in wool
heaven is this snowy ride
silent snowy ride

35

dusting of snow
every tree a study
in grace

36

      each flake
a quiet thought
first snow

37

      fading
in a swirl of snow
his memory

38

      falling
into past tense —
first snow

39

      falling snow
no sound except the sound of
snow falling

40

      falling snow . . .
the absence
of you

41

      falling snow
the slow erasure
of our beliefs

42

      falling snow —
the thing with feathers
still sings

43

falling snowflakes
freckle her face
winter run!

44

      farewell poetry
in the silence of the grave
early snow

45

      finger painting
roses on the window
snow day

46

      first snow . . .
becoming intimate
with the wind

47

      first snow
cut
in straight lines

48

      first snow —
even the darkest thoughts
become white

49

      first snow . . .
how long the wait to touch
our baby

50

      first snow —
how small
we are

51

      first snow
melting
as it falls

52

      first snow
teachers keep the infants in
at playtime

53

      first snow —
the smell of resin
soaked in clothes

54

      first snowflakes
first signs of thaw
between us

55

      first thaw
sparrow footprints
running off

56

      first warm day
all the snowmen
oblique

57

footprints in the snow
alone first time alone
her and the urn

58

for an instant
we are all children
. . . first flakes

59

fresh snow
a chance for all creatures
to write their stories

60

      fresh snow
fills the empty nest —
nightfall

61

      fresh snowfall —
he digs a womb
colder than his mother’s

62

from the gray clouds
lightfall —
snow curtains

63

      frozen in mid-air
smoke from a stack — high above
a snow-topped grid

64

      giggles rising higher than our snow pile

65

      heated argument of past now snow

66

      heavy snow
even my racing thoughts
fall silent

67

howling blizzard
my mind chatter
won’t be silenced

68

In bed with a book
My brother’s steady breathing . . .
Silence of winter

69

      in deep snow
snow angels . . .
no footprints

70

in winter moonlight
ghost trees whisper
secrets to the wind

71

      into the stillness of snow blue shadows

72

      light snow
clinging to the white oak
a few dry leaves

73

      l i n g e r i n g b l i z z a r d
the
depth
of
the
snow
cover

74

      Looks like a
blanket —
it’s not

75

      lost and found
melting snow falls into
the sound of ravine

76

      melting snow —
cold hungry tears of a
homeless child

77

      midnight mass
a snowflake dissolving
on my tongue

78

      midnight snow
the hush gives way
to a lullaby

79

      missing dad
I lend his hat
to the snow-man

80

      moon shadows
on quiet snow
only my breath

81

morning snow
smoke from the chimney
of the old man’s house

82

      mountains muffled in scarves and beanies

83

my cat lingers
on the windowsill
first snow

84

My grandfather rises with the lark to hum its song.

85

      nameless monk
in the monastery yard
it’s snowing

86

no two
are ever alike —
snowflakes

87

      nose to the sky —
It melts in your mouth
a snowflake

88

      not just for some white carpet

89

      on New Year’s morning
a year ago I woke up
with a hangover

90

Only one mitten
Where did the other one go?
Alone it’s useless

91

overnight snow
the wind
first to play

92

      papering
a broken window . . .
snow in the air

93

peaks in the snow
on the deck chair next to me
lady in topless

94

planting cyclamens
knowing they always welcome 
whatever snow brings.

95

Play in the air
Let the leaves fall to the ground
I miss my friends.

96

      pond snow
light conversation
afloat

97

      quilt of white
stitched by rain drops . . .
ice tonight

98

remaining snow
from the hospital window . . .
her cancer surgery

99

      Sent from heaven
Brief illusion of purity
Dirt remains

100

shadow theater
blood
on snow

101

shortened walk
a shaggy-haired dog
shakes off winter

102

      silence –
\\slanting
\\\snow

103

      silence
snowflakes
wake up winter

104

      snow after snow
how pristine the color
of his lies

105

snow and ice —
bamboos bend
under the weight

106

      snow angel —
her smile travel across miles
to grandma

107

snow angels
glistening crystals
cover their gown

108

      snow blossom
on a bare branch
a crow’s nest

109

      snow covered dawn
we stop to watch
satellites

110

      snow crunches the blue shadow of my sole

111

      snow day long
slow thawing
under the quilt

112

snow day
reconnecting with
Bert and Ernie

113

      snow dump
instead of streets,
sledding hills

114

snow . . .
everything got shape
except my thoughts

115

      snow fall
ring of serenade
its own promenade

116

snow falling
through the streetlight
all is calm

117

      snow fantasy
a blanket to smother thoughts
funereal

118

snow flowers . . .
every moment
as if it were the last

119

      snow flurries . . .
every time i call her
only static

120

snow flurries
old man
pushes the cart

121

snow flurries . . .
the length of
our resolutions

122

snow fort —
we light a candle and plot
the revolution

123

snow globe of a day . . .
staying inside
don’t shake me

124

      snow globe
the wind outside
shakes the flakes

125

      snow . . .
I ask about the weight
of happiness

126

snow in california 
a memory 
on a greeting card

127

snow in Hobart . . .
early fall brings fun
in the chill of spring

128

      Snow melt
The seasonal creek
Sings over rocks

129

      snow silence . . .
birds huddled in hedges
saving their songs

130

      snow upon snow . . .
elderly neighbors
disappear into themselves

131

      snowball fight
my hot apple cider
gets cold

132

      snowball fight
she takes another shot
of advocaat

133

      snowbed
emerging through a hole
a dead firebug

134

snowblind
gazing at crocuses
lunar new year

135

      snowed in
a few more flakes
for the coconut cake

136

      snowfall . . .
opening the poetry book
to tundra

137

      snowfall . . .
the video holds
my breath

138

      snowflake so light the branch so heavy

139

snowflakes fall softly
into their silence

140

snowflakes
on the eyelashes of a little girl —
winter flower

141

      snowflakes —
the silent words
of silence

142

      snowy day
the way back home
twice as long

143

snowy forest
wandering to the place
where there were fireflies

144

snowy mountains
along a winding road
a foot trail begins

145

Snowy wilderness through the window
Still in pajamas

146

      spring chill
snowflakes ride
on cherry blossoms

147

standing
in a puddle of tears —
snowman

148

      Step by step
What are you talking about?
Creaking snow

149

sudden sunshine
wrought iron gate
makes snowflake shadows

150

summer snow
the child teaching her grandpa
how to laugh

151

      Sunrays peep into
heap of snow flakes
melting frozen thoughts . . .

152

swirling snow
mom’s voice calling
from a fairy tale

153

      tear drops falling down
drizzling snow flakes of my soul
warm and soothing though

154

      the
silence
of
an
owl

snow

155

      the day’s edge —
in another window
vanilla snow

156

      the first snow —
even the barbed wire
seems tinsel

157

      the future tense of the snow after the whistle of the neighbours

158

      the night of childbirth
I miss my hometown’s
first snowfall

159

      the sagging
of pine branches
first snow

160

the silence of snow
a grandmother and toddler
in faded photos

161

      the silence
of softly falling snow
night ski

162

      the silence
______________________
stranglehold of snow

163

the snow-covered park
I am still waiting for
someone to pass first

164

      the snowdrift
blankets the cabin
steaming cocoa

165

      the straw hut
though abandoned . . .
icicles all around

166

      the walk home
after Handel’s Messiah
snowflakes

167

      the whitened road
turns to pink slush
it hurts

168

      The world outside
As smooth and white
As blank as my sheets of paper
No school, no homework either!

169

      these last days
the folds of a pinecone
gathering snow

170

thinking of grandma
tiny doilies falling
from heaven’s pillows

171

through the deck slats melting snow

172

      together
touched by snow
two red berries

173

      traffic flowing
over snowbound cars
racing clouds

174

turning
the lights off
snow in full moon

175

Twenty eight degrees
Winter paints the ridges white
Cailleach smiles

176

      unbuttoned coat
a boy holding an umbrella
over the snowman

177

      Under the streetlight reflections on fallen snow

178

virgin snow
the innocence
of the first snowdrop

179

      walking across
the snow’s crust —
sixty winters passed

180

      waltzing around my snowman and I wind

181

where once
love was
now snow

182

white meadows . . .
my fears white
as salt

183

      White trees grass flowers
A gathering of every
Color of the Earth

184

      white world beyond his single pane,
he rubs his cracked and leathered face
thick snow blankets both his roofs

185

      whiteout
two blasts
off the port bow

186

      whoosh
a pine showers me
with snowy hoots

187

winter blues
the long shadows of trees
in the snow

188

      Winter has arrived
If snow is from heaven
why am I cold

189

winter morning
snow’s sparkling . . . perhaps
brighter than the evening stars

190

      winter snowstorm
power outage . . .
silence restored

191

      winter solstice
kids kick the daylights
out of a chunk of snow

192

      winter trees
the catch of snow
becoming unbearable

193

yet to experience
my first snowfall
snow moon

 

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!

 

This Post Has One Comment

  1. Nearly 200! It’s good to have that much participation, but is almost too many to choose from. I don’t envy you the task of sorting through all the responses for the top selection.

Comments are closed.

Back To Top