THF Monthly Kukai Voting Ballot — January 2023
This month’s theme:
gratitude
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 | a coin tossed into the guitar case . . . his minor-chord nod | |
2 | a new day . . . in the temple courtyard first ray of the sun | |
3 | A prize to myself A lighthouse built near the sea Sailing for decade | |
4 | a young butter butt foraging in fallen leaves — the fun in nicknames | |
5 | Abandoned labrador adopted by a roadside beggar on a wintry night. | |
6 | afraid I’ll cry if I thank her nurse — Alzheimers ward | |
7 | after new year’s . . . missing my mailbox . . . that thank-you note | |
8 | after the fire a koala hug | |
9 | almost morning the furnace rumbles outside: january | |
10 | always thankful bullets missed me again | |
11 | among the confetti a private breath | |
12 | an elderly monk plucks a cherry before bowing | |
13 | anklets tinkle awake in the cradle . . . horizon glows | |
14 | another birthday not the girl in the mirror just me | |
15 | archery classes — I begin to practice my bowing | |
16 | As many as the Stars in the night sky is my Gratitude to you | |
17 | ashamed to thank you . . . my mud, your breath, our feathers — go, fly, feel those wings | |
18 | Beautiful dawning The sun comes up in the east Flower petals spread | |
19 | beyond caring my gratitude to you | |
20 | bird wings in all this gray I find my light | |
21 | bitter winter the warmth of home away from home | |
22 | Blackout the moon lights the path | |
23 | blizzard warnings the dog and I curled around each other | |
24 | blossoms open like palms . . . my eyes wide | |
25 | bronze soldier between the boot and the butt a swallow’s nest | |
26 | cancer blessings voices from the long-lost | |
27 | christmas gift new shoes cracking fresh snow | |
28 | cold spring rain mother earths first drink | |
29 | crackling fire feast elsewhere a family on the front lines | |
30 | cresting a hill sunlight in my eyes rising thanks | |
31 | crisscrossing crowd the beggar’s listless nod for my tossed change | |
32 | crumbs on the windowsill . . . song of gratitude of a robin | |
33 | dad’s ta always heartfelt | |
34 | dandelions my gratitude takes wings | |
35 | dark side of the moon every moment I’m awake I marvel at stars | |
36 | daughter’s headlights shadows on my bedroom wall . . . sigh of relief | |
37 | dawn so thankful another day begins | |
38 | daybreak — I bow to god within | |
39 | dog sitting by me gets intimate: a selfie | |
40 | each and every day something to be thankful for | |
41 | earth’s gratitude in its own language . . . petrichor | |
42 | earthquake rubble a man in prayer on a tattered rug | |
43 | Evening walk I hurry to look at The lady in the hat | |
44 | eyes brim the empty bowl overflows | |
45 | fading horizon I use the pain scale to count blessings | |
46 | fifty-eight — my gratitude to the soul | |
47 | first act in morn garlanding my avatar all doors are open | |
48 | first great-grandchild happy grandpa fixes old rocking horse | |
49 | first raindrop the blind man’s toothless grin | |
50 | flour on the nose scent of freshly home baked cake | |
51 | flower opens honey bee breakfast | |
52 | fresh rainfall my family attending | |
53 | golden setting sun sustainable gardening plant-to-plate dining | |
54 | gratefulness I forget . . . the spelling of regret | |
55 | gratitude even if fallen, the leaf kisses the earth | |
56 | gratitude — horizon has no end inside your eyes | |
57 | gratitude . . . my pockets emptied of regrets | |
58 | Gratitude offering for January one line not two thank God | |
59 | gratitude — on the rayless poppy a butterfly | |
60 | gratitude they name the baby after the doctor | |
61 | half full or half empty . . . drinking it all in | |
62 | harvest moon lights the pounding surf . . . more than enough | |
63 | her sweet thunderous heartbeat — rainbow baby | |
64 | homecoming — the four of us at last around the kitchen table | |
65 | hospital Zoom call he tells his children they were the best part | |
66 | hydrangea her caretaker begins to cry | |
67 | i enjoy a breeze so gentle as it gracefully comforts with its dance of kindness | |
68 | i’m so grateful just because you exist | |
69 | ice everywhere dissolved by my dog’s licks | |
70 | in solitude I savour dark oolong | |
71 | in the city — feeling grateful for my shoes | |
72 | it’s the little things hummingbird | |
73 | just a cookie . . . a cute company all the way this stray puppy | |
74 | length old magus carried the gift, relative value of myrrh | |
75 | Life ebbs away Reflect on her legacy, Gratitude and Joy. | |
76 | lilac dawn . . . my breath still a part of me | |
77 | local birds singing beneath the steel-gray sky . . . our gratitude | |
78 | long night the cricket’s song of absolution | |
79 | lost and never found i’ll assume i donated to the most needy | |
80 | meditate saying mantra mantra mantra i meditate thank you | |
81 | meeting halfway my dropped banknote with his gratitude | |
82 | Mettled ophidian Brings loneliness in me Freeing faculty (On seeing a desolate serpentine path inside Kalimpong forest in the Himalayas in India) | |
83 | mild spell the mud at ease with itself | |
84 | moonless sky even the apple tree grows old | |
85 | Moonlit night Moon light peeks through the window One’s hand holding other’s. | |
86 | morning after morning the robin activity behind the window what a beautiful gift | |
87 | morning song I hug the tree before the bird leaves | |
88 | Mother’s Day my jewel box overflowing with pasta | |
89 | moving day half my life in a dumpster | |
90 | my mother finally learns to text laughter ensues | |
91 | My name she forgets I feed her. I care for her. She smiles. I nod. Peace | |
92 | near dawn the poppy opens for the bee | |
93 | negative result his tears on her cheek | |
94 | new entry in his gratitude journal Basho’s frog poem | |
95 | new parents . . . the neighbors’ casseroles are a welcome sight | |
96 | new year resolution . . . a gratitude list | |
97 | new year treat at elder’s home toothless smiles | |
98 | on a meadow with birds and butterflies sharing light | |
99 | on replay your last phone message . . . forever | |
100 | on your death bed thanks mum for having waited for me | |
101 | one more spring the warm breeze softly blows trough her wrinkles | |
102 | out of gratitude . . . the memory that isn’t suitable as a conversation starter | |
103 | over the moon a much stronger positive line | |
104 | owls call the coldest night warmer | |
105 | quietly gazing into my cat’s eyes — I find hope | |
106 | removing a bur from her paw the dog licks my hand | |
107 | rescue shelter pup . . . the eyes say it all | |
108 | rising sun — all the chances of a new day | |
109 | school break even the winter clouds disperse in cheer | |
110 | Seasons we took for granted: how short a time to give gratitude, as time raced, the moments. | |
111 | second-generation Chinese Cantonese once again I mix up our two thank-yous | |
112 | seeing the light in my child’s eyes | |
113 | separate ways bitter sweet gratitude for still shared memories | |
114 | serenity garden a prayer of gratitude for the organ donor | |
115 | silence transcending into eternal presence . . . gratitude | |
116 | small radiant thing beaming through the muddy leaves her lost treasure | |
117 | smiles . . . saying thanks for life | |
118 | snowstorm . . . no school today a snowman’s smile | |
119 | snowy wood the beauty of silence | |
120 | soup kitchen the tramp stays behind to wash the dishes | |
121 | spring thaw — a stray puppy licks the dogcatcher’hand | |
122 | standard of living: future people can thank us if we reduce it | |
123 | step by step adding more each day thanks to science | |
124 | still smiling a new moon through the lattice of the last leafed tree | |
125 | sun seeks the moon I seek you as my kith and kin | |
126 | sunshine with his head down a beggar | |
127 | survivor of six weeks in bed with my mom | |
128 | Surya Namaskar his bow thanks the star for everthing | |
129 | t a k i n g t h e t i m e t o a p p r e c i a t e w h a t I h a v e | |
130 | tears fall, joining the cistern rivers flow, into ice giving thanks, we are one | |
131 | tears of joy mom comes back from the hospital | |
132 | tearstains on the thank you letter . . . their late son’s heart still beats | |
133 | thanksgiving a turkey lets out some wind | |
134 | thanksgiving in dad’s wrinkled hand a shaking spoon | |
135 | the abundances we keep track of — reds of the maple bush | |
136 | the grandchild gives a mini medicine Buddha to her grandpa | |
137 | the gratitude in our dog’s eyes the last injection | |
138 | the sheer joy of gaining their trust doves feed from my hand | |
139 | The sun rose today Still in bed, I’m half asleep Warming my eyelids | |
140 | the trembling women pray for the soldier who said there was no one here | |
141 | three years out life even sweeter | |
142 | tiny palms in grandma’s joined hands son’s new sketch | |
143 | too late for thanks all the traits my son gained from his grandfather | |
144 | under the redwoods rolling in clover you lucky dog | |
145 | unfurling buds — there is no place like home | |
146 | wading in wet fields a turtle charms me out of my shell | |
147 | waking up from the anesthesia — there you are | |
148 | walker out in front white-haired nan gingerly moves grateful for each step | |
149 | watchman’s funeral for just this once I hold the door for him | |
150 | waves by the freeway says have a nice day on his cardboard sign | |
151 | we live this good life shaped by the toil of my idols mother and father | |
152 | wedding day fathers gnarled hands folded in gratitude | |
153 | when seals are clubbed penguins rejoice | |
154 | Whispered prayers For you dad You gave me your love. | |
155 | Wife lies beside me glad she’s alive | |
156 | Winter morning the squirrel finds a new stash of Kix | |
157 | winter night . . . greenery bow down to nature dews fall as boon | |
158 | winter night tenderness of the moon grasps my palm | |
159 | winter rain the purring of a cat under my coat | |
160 | winter sun the warmth on this side of the window | |
161 | winter sunshine a cardinal calling to another | |
162 | Woken up early, I find the omelet ready – so, we’re making up | |
163 | wolf moon . . . silver fills the beggar’s cup | |
164 | writing the sonnet he thought was a punishment . . . rainbow in winter | |
165 | yesterday’s rain plant stems straightened again | |
166 | You open the door Smile and sparks of eyes Thank God! We are alive. | |
167 | young waitress greeting the bearded old man by name his face blooms a smile |
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!
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This one was so hard, there were so many that moved me to tears.