THF Monthly Kukai Voting Ballot — July 2021
This month’s theme:
delight
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 | 4 am blush of anticipation sunrise! | |
2 | a black bear splashes joy in a paddling pool | |
3 | a cup of coffee the bitter buzz of caffeine mid-morning delight | |
4 | a faint smile on his wrinkled face . . . ripening paddy fields | |
5 | a few caresses on her shriveled face . . . spring petals | |
6 | a girdle of clouds . . . Mt. Baker levitates | |
7 | A quick moment of respite from daily caring A rainbow appears | |
8 | a ripe mango fresh off the tree summer delight | |
9 | a seed catalog In the mail January thaw | |
10 | A silent blue sky Fireworks sprinkled all over A day of delight | |
11 | a toddler squeals at the rushing tide — first encounter | |
12 | after days of rain sun and toadstools pop out | |
13 | afternoon delight sharing the last slice of sunlight with the cat | |
14 | and the mangosteens and the salt in the breeze and each drop of sun and | |
15 | baby mittens poke and point — mama! birrrrd! | |
16 | beach day water teases shore while sand tickles toes | |
17 | blinking stars rise with the setting sun big dipper firefly | |
18 | boats bob by the pier in marbled golds and pinks the day is lit | |
19 | breaking summer heat under the overcast sky confused dragonfly | |
20 | broken rose — or how is lost the meaning | |
21 | cat’s tail a swinging pendulum birdwatching | |
22 | Chickadees in my fig tree eating insects | |
23 | climbing up the cherry tree heart shaped bliss | |
24 | clouds in the sky . . . I turn around to look at my roses | |
25 | creasing the origami paper unfolding wish | |
26 | dancers cry when the music stops tears of joy | |
27 | delight — first time ever I saw the sky | |
28 | delight shooting — on the grass court winning match point | |
29 | Diwali on my window a firefly | |
30 | dream garden admiring with the green eyeglasses | |
31 | drought breaking rain the luxury of a long shower | |
32 | eating up the sea . . . squealing kids on top of waves | |
33 | ecstasy in words so few haiku | |
34 | empty teacups musicians spooning ostinatos | |
35 | Endless dry desert bee on thorny cactus relish full moon light . . . | |
36 | evening serenade his eyes meet mine | |
37 | face lights up when finally she can balance — riding bikes | |
38 | Fireflies reflected In the sparkle of her eyes Dancing in the night | |
39 | first kiss a million shades of red seep through last night’s clouds | |
40 | first swing ride he flaps his arms in the breeze | |
41 | fish on the grill — live coals in our tomcat’s eyes | |
42 | fresh rain water forming a body of water | |
43 | full of smiles at the finish line my son wins the sack race | |
44 | garden party — Mexican clay pot fiesta of blooms | |
45 | gentle pull back kite as it is from above boy’s delight | |
46 | golden cordon bleu from my latter-day toaster bachelor’s delight | |
47 | green and red paper crumpled on the floor wide open eyes | |
48 | hay moon escaping prickly heat skinny dippers | |
49 | I hold the sunrise your smiling eyes | |
50 | I spy you roller-coaster heartbeats & dopamine | |
51 | ice cream pastry the flavour of innovation | |
52 | ice lollies all the children comparing tongues | |
53 | In the shade Sucking ice cream From the bottom Of the cone | |
54 | in Zen state watching frog à la Bashō in the pond | |
55 | increasing heat the lazy chatting of sparrows fills the air | |
56 | into the birdbath with a splash — brown thrasher | |
57 | jewelry box my favorite ring from Cracker Jacks | |
58 | joy of freedom she kisses her girlfriend in public view | |
59 | last sip of lemonade . . . your laughter | |
60 | laughing club their delight is ours too | |
61 | little buddha each smell a new moment | |
62 | locked jaw . . . the taste of an apple in ice cream | |
63 | lunch break — melon slices delight my appetite | |
64 | making my day wintersweet | |
65 | Marrons glacés. The sweetest eyes of my doggy | |
66 | midsummer mango juice drips from my elbow | |
67 | monstrous joy howling through the night eating everything | |
68 | Morning stroll Paw prints and mine in the sand Infectious delight | |
69 | motherhood a strawberry moon in my arms | |
70 | mountain road — truck full with glass sheets carries up the sunrise | |
71 | newborn . . . united in delight the two generations | |
72 | now take your first step sacred garden delights all love more than ever | |
73 | “opaque shields of delight annotated infarcts with segments.” | |
74 | open sea I sink in colors sleeping Beauty | |
75 | peach juice dibbles down chins as we lunch on your porch sun, laughter, friendship | |
76 | popsicle . . . the frozen memories on taste buds | |
77 | post corona ardent embrace resumed utter delight | |
78 | pristine dawn — sunny delight any moment | |
79 | pure delight in grandson’s cuddle harvest moon | |
80 | Purple raspberry and tiny hand On the curling vine | |
81 | rain puddle my toddler jumps right in | |
82 | rainbow sherbet a skinny-dip in sunset colors | |
83 | ray of sunshine . . . finally the fledgling eats from my hand | |
84 | receive a book from the bond of love of friends | |
85 | recovery all my glasses half full | |
86 | red sky . . . just this and buoy bells | |
87 | reminiscing about nothing in particular — a grandmother’s smile | |
88 | rippled moon an otter slips into my heart | |
89 | rose petal sorbet my granny’s treat as ever | |
90 | rose scents drift on the breeze — an open gate | |
91 | saxophone busker an old woman mimes the drums | |
92 | scattered clouds behind rain’s edge the eyes of a rainbow | |
93 | skipping stone fireflies from the moon | |
94 | slowly drifting into cicadas’ dreams under aleppo pines | |
95 | smile on her face stays on even after she wakes up | |
96 | soupçon of sun the baby captivated by his toes | |
97 | straight shot — i walk home a tiger marble | |
98 | suddenly she pauses her grassy romp and tumble a buttercup for you | |
99 | sultry weather catching our breath after Bolero | |
100 | summer delight — chirping of cicadas even on the cliff | |
101 | summer noon a toddler and his dog burst bubbles | |
102 | summer swing — morning light breaks through my dreams | |
103 | summer vacation daughter and me on a shopping spree | |
104 | sunbeam through rain cloud — baby’s first smile | |
105 | sunflowers easy to imagine the heaven | |
106 | sunrise sunflower bathing in glorious smile | |
107 | sweltering day for the child beggar an ice cream tub | |
108 | the can opener the cat’s purr the endless dance | |
109 | The delightful sound a finger pads iPad | |
110 | the Perseids . . . creating a poem to brag about | |
111 | the rhythm of having echoes in the valley it is gotten it is gone. | |
112 | the scurrying crowd a spring forgotten treasure feast of the squirrel | |
113 | the tempting smell of sun-ripened fruit . . . strawberry moon | |
114 | the tender peel of a delight apple . . . childhood home | |
115 | the way her body settles around mine . . . evening humidity | |
116 | three fallen petals a bird, capsized boat and shooting star on the tablecloth | |
117 | toddler laughing her head pokes from a big box then back in again | |
118 | too feeble to climb Fuji my heart summits | |
119 | training wheels — at the bottom of the hill her smile | |
120 | tulips touching botanical garden | |
121 | Turkish delight — i still feel the taste of those roses | |
122 | Two two-year olds Both walking, one talking A child and a dog | |
123 | vaccination queue moment by moment nearing to the moon | |
124 | Wet dog in the sun — A crescendo of scattering children | |
125 | window opening on one firefly and one more | |
126 | withered body her smile lingers in mine | |
127 | zero gravity the four-year-old laughing at a fart |
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!
