THF Monthly Kukai Voting Ballot — June 2024
This month’s theme:
corn
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 corn cob under a black moustache. Smiling! | |
2 | a new home instead of palm branches corn leaves | |
3 | ant with a grain of corn — feathered snake among the clouds | |
4 | anyway at all Lancaster County corn is anything but plain | |
5 | as far as the eye can sea of corn | |
6 | baby corn the tender cusp of a just born | |
7 | bachelor buttons no yellow in sight cornflower blue | |
8 | beachfront clam bake, we peel away husky green and salute the kernels | |
9 | beaten corn — mother massages her cracked hands | |
10 | big corn field grows near the home of mice family | |
11 | Big Daddy’s farm grew different crops of tall corn | |
12 | bird flu weakened crow rests cornstalk shade | |
13 | Blue jeans, jazz, and nukes. Few things more American than a corn cob pipe. | |
14 | blues sung along the railroad tracks cornflowers | |
15 | boiled corn — the summer sun rays in my hand | |
16 | boiled corn on the cob greedy sparrows jumping around end of the summer | |
17 | butter on corn the pitch of a salesgirl | |
18 | butter yellow on buttered corn — dribbling smiles | |
19 | buttered cobs . . . sinking our teeth into summer | |
20 | chemo removing corn silk | |
21 | chewing betel nut grandma’s t_othy grin . . . sweet c_rn | |
22 | chilly morning a pat of butter melts on my corn on the cob | |
23 | clothesline . . . shimmering in sunlight cobs dry | |
24 | corn an all-round smile of yellow teeth | |
25 | corn — North Korean border | |
26 | corn and beans stand out, but this plate could do well with . . . some vinaigrette sauce! | |
27 | corn cribs full of farmers’ prayers drought year | |
28 | Corn field blowing in the wind birds chirping | |
29 | corn fields — the harvest decorated as a bride | |
30 | corn flour — falling over themselves the windmills | |
31 | corn husk hat craft enough ribbon for a bow from a vintage teacher | |
32 | corn husks with the same hair color all the dolls | |
33 | corn on the cob who rubs in salt for a dressing! | |
34 | corn rows the hairstylist talks her ears off | |
35 | corn shaped dishes corn shaped stabbers Grandma’s favorites | |
36 | corn silk stuck in her eye tooth for the whole world to see | |
37 | corn stripped from the cob — Henny Youngman, Jack Benny — something to chew on | |
38 | corn tassels a bush warbler’s song rides the sunbeams | |
39 | corn? corn? corn! our road trip through middle America | |
40 | cornfield with crows swirling in summer wind Van Gogh’s madness | |
41 | cornsilk the passage of his ribbon through the psalms | |
42 | costume party . . . his fangs of candy corn | |
43 | country fair the magical charm of corn husk dolls | |
44 | creaks into charpoy how many corn on the cob after cornhusking? | |
45 | crust of snow nary a nubbin in the corn crib | |
46 | cut from the cob pops up in new avatar | |
47 | dark clouds far to the east . . . the greenness of corn | |
48 | deceptive moon asleep on the corn sack a poor man | |
49 | descending tornado . . . clouds of debris vacuum a cornfield | |
50 | don’t get tears on my popcorn | |
51 | early morning dew whispers from a lonely crow the corn is still green | |
52 | ears covered in butter lightly salted | |
53 | empty cornfield the scarecrow’s shadow growing longer | |
54 | empty fields beneath my feet broken corn husks crackle | |
55 | endless rows saving summer in long arms reaching for bright sky | |
56 | every which way the nodding corn holding our gaze | |
57 | everywhere . . . in a nursing home strands wander | |
58 | falling for the shimmer of your hair cornsilk | |
59 | family barbecue — my dad’s jokes no better than last year | |
60 | farmhand winnowing corn winnowing the light | |
61 | farmland disco . . . the flashing of sunset through the corn fields | |
62 | fields gold with grain corn on my toe, will pop some when home to ease the pain | |
63 | fields of corn from generosity to greed | |
64 | frazzled scarecrow the object of fate’s whimsy corn stalks his dreams | |
65 | from standing corn a doe bursts onto the road and a stag | |
66 | gift of koi goldfish named Samuel Johnson it’s gray | |
67 | giggles of children within the corn maze jack-o’-lanterns | |
68 | Golden corn fields stand, Silent hunger walks in rows Plenty hides the need. | |
69 | Golden staple crop’s versatility and taste cultivated us. | |
70 | grandads corncob pipe sweet odors of love | |
71 | grandpa’s funeral the cornfield murmurs in the wind | |
72 | grasshoppers leaving the seeds uneaten fungicide treated corns | |
73 | green corn moon the first time I taste fritos | |
74 | Green shoots spring up in the fields Corn sprouts | |
75 | Green swords reach for sun, Butter war declared on teeth. Surrender is sweet. | |
76 | grilling a half-eaten corn — wayside girl | |
77 | Halts the harvest Yet they. wait veins of green Toenails like maize | |
78 | hands linger on the corn — a butterfly | |
79 | harvest moon cornstalks yield to the reaper’s scythe | |
80 | heat wave . . . the corn-seller moves his cart under a small tree | |
81 | Heavy clouds shake drops Of rain onto green cornfields Only fluff remains | |
82 | homecoming same old taste of same old hush puppies | |
83 | Hot sun. Beading sweat. Hard days work, finally done. Rows of corn, planted. | |
84 | how sweet my wine in corn moon light | |
85 | hush puppies! they beg at our feet hush puppies | |
86 | husking corn grandma shares a kernel of smut | |
87 | husking corn the smell of rain on summer earth | |
88 | ice water mountain stream bath blue corn lips | |
89 | Identical corn fields Interrupted by small towns Midwestern vistas | |
90 | in between Gaza bombing popcorns | |
91 | in the breeze a maze of children’s laughter | |
92 | jeweled scepter the emerald and gold of a sweetcorn stalk | |
93 | knee-high by the fourth of July — the corn swallows the toddler | |
94 | Listen, lend your ears, Farmer tends and tells his crop. The kernels comply. | |
95 | Long, deep furrows crisscross the landscape hopeful kernels repose | |
96 | looks like zombie corn huitlacoche may be called smut by some, truffles | |
97 | maize field a pheasant steals my thoughts — the sky screams and so am i | |
98 | market in Gaza — an overturned cart of a corn vendor | |
99 | midwest cornfield two leaves tall the journey to maturity | |
100 | misty rain dancing on the corn cob a content sparrow | |
101 | Modern Football is, the diabolical Manipulation of the Masses through “Sport”. | |
102 | monsoon clouds . . . the corn vendor fans his coal | |
103 | moon-shadows inside the maze cornstalks | |
104 | murder of crows feasting on sweet corn bare crucifix | |
105 | my host’s kids come home with filched corn suppertime | |
106 | new corn huddling around the barbecue | |
107 | nuzzle kitten’s ear corn silk summer cut short | |
108 | off-the-cob corn new dentures | |
109 | old dolly’s corn-silk hairdo a french plait | |
110 | on the back porch grandpa grins . . . corn mash | |
111 | on the tallest stalk a crow with a view . . . highest point in the county | |
112 | out of the corn stalks nobody’s dog wants to be my friend | |
113 | Pale corn silk . . . Combing the light From her hair | |
114 | playing possum — fields of corn after the storm | |
115 | popcorn in butter popping on an open fire silenced by thunder | |
116 | poppies in the corn — on the old shaking wagon a group of reapers | |
117 | popping corn in the field growing pains | |
118 | prairie winds sweeping through a maze of corn the sound of laughter | |
119 | prayer hour a foodie counts corn kernels | |
120 | rainy weekend on our old couch a tub of popcorn | |
121 | relaxing by the pool beer and dip with corn chips | |
122 | right where I want to be corn maze | |
123 | roadside produce stand rough hands gently offering ears of fresh cut corn | |
124 | rock ballad in a corn combine the boss | |
125 | roiling with rats . . . corn crib | |
126 | Saturday matinee the buttery crunch of popcorn | |
127 | sea breeze . . . the women brush lemon and spice on corn | |
128 | shadow play in burnished gold . . . ripples in the corn | |
129 | silent film someone in the backseat crunching popcorn | |
130 | silk that can’t be spun and ears that cannot hear . . . corn | |
131 | silken tassels to her waist sheathed in green, ready to shuck sweet corn named desire | |
132 | soft against my legs the plants of corn before the maze | |
133 | somewhere in the corn maze baby sock | |
134 | Spring cows our word fields cowslip grows till, row by row, corn throws us some shade | |
135 | spring rain the rise of popcorn kernels from the pan’s depth | |
136 | stilettos peeled off at 5am — corn dances on | |
137 | storm over smoky sweetness of corn cobs clings to the embers | |
138 | such a long black braid her grinding stone spins slowly tortilla baskets | |
139 | summer fair the boy’s smile . . . corn on the cob | |
140 | summer hike another corn forms on my foot | |
141 | sunset sky, crisp breeze fields swaying by, side to side harvesting, shucking | |
142 | sweet corn on the cob even sweeter when shared with you | |
143 | sweet corn stand . . . learning to count a baker’s dozen | |
144 | taming a mop of unruly hair . . . cornrows | |
145 | tangy corn the face a toddler makes | |
146 | tender night — corns on the sole pressing on me | |
147 | the corn grew taller — image of my father | |
148 | the last time leaving hospital . . . I am reborn | |
149 | the summer twist with cinema popcorn straight to the shelter | |
150 | the water boiling Dad sends us to the garden to pick yellow corn | |
151 | they will come a graveyard bordered by fields of corn | |
152 | this cliff-side ruin contains pottery shards — corn husks | |
153 | tongue in braces nudging loose that kernel | |
154 | Under the sky. Food and beauty. Corn is summer. | |
155 | undressed with two hands stripped naked and devoured silken strands left | |
156 | villain’s laugh fills the cinema spilled popcorn | |
157 | walking the crackle of power lines barren cornfield | |
158 | war zone — a girl shares with her doll the bowl of cornflakes | |
159 | what’s your pleasure side to side, round and round or “typewriter” style | |
160 | where once the fields of corn swayed . . . sound of flour mills | |
161 | wind whispers in corn ears | |
162 | world at war . . . ships leaving the harbour with stolen corn | |
163 | yellow kernels rest on ridges, art divine horizon’s own feast | |
164 | young corn . . . not yet the height of poppies |
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!
