THF Monthly Voting Ballot October 2020
This month’s theme:
perseverance
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.
The Ballot
| 1 | a bird patching its nest the half-burnt cherry tree starts blooming again | |
| 2 | a child’s furrowed brows knit one purl one drop one . . . starting over | |
| 3 | A nest on the tree Fledgling often comes Near to mother | |
| 4 | a one-legged grasshopper climbing up the window — pouring rain | |
| 5 | a rat naps as a raven arcs nearer cranes preen | |
| 6 | a red face digging out the bindweed | |
| 7 | a three year old on her shoulders nesting sparrows | |
| 8 | adult literacy class — her toothless smile in the reading light | |
| 9 | after a week long protest — flowers sprouting | |
| 10 | after the Tsunami homeless child builds another sandcastle | |
| 11 | after third attempt to thread the needle granny wipes her glasses | |
| 12 | after volcano eruptions of battle . . . tranquility of haiku | |
| 13 | again and again I fail to see the purpose yet once more I try | |
| 14 | again and again the blackbird pecks the dry grass again and again | |
| 15 | an ant finding her home . . . at each turn a doubt | |
| 16 | an uphill a dung beetle tries again | |
| 17 | angel baby* — my heart continues to love *angel baby is a child lost due to miscarriage, stillbirth, or neonatal death | |
| 18 | anniversary we retie the knot with twisted fingers | |
| 19 | autumn leaves — I write one more poem I use one more page | |
| 20 | autumn wind a caterpillar crawls up an old birch | |
| 21 | behind the mask her Duchenne smile . . . ward to ward | |
| 22 | breeze ashore — the waves of the sky come and go | |
| 23 | broken branch — the uninterrupted singing of the cicada | |
| 24 | brushstroke after brushstroke . . . Mona Lisa | |
| 25 | burnt cake in the trash in the middle of the night mom bakes another one | |
| 26 | ceasefire . . . to his father’s funeral on prosthetic legs | |
| 27 | celestial bodies distant though united in our attraction | |
| 28 | change of wind same time as yesterday the dance of pines | |
| 29 | children cling to her open arms Mother of Thousands* *a succulent plant | |
| 30 | crying hard another friend pregnant | |
| 31 | culvert bomb closes road . . . we row the boat for our supplies | |
| 32 | death spiral the endless march of army ants | |
| 33 | digging my escape tunnel with a teaspoon | |
| 34 | diploma in hand she tosses the cap . . . grasping her dream | |
| 35 | Dissatisfied poet Tears yet another page. The clock strikes midnight. | |
| 36 | editing her wife’s eulogy up to the burial | |
| 37 | even ravens per se crave peace | |
| 38 | failing luck — once more the lesson learnt from a spider | |
| 39 | first baby steps tumbles, stands up and again — a bamboo in the wind | |
| 40 | first walk after lots of hurt rode cycle | |
| 41 | fully present — the poet waits for that haiku moment | |
| 42 | geese calling the season to come perseverance | |
| 43 | grandpa’s war picking rice grain by grain | |
| 44 | gripping the bars he takes one step — prosthetic fitting | |
| 45 | haiku contest checking the winners’ list one more time | |
| 46 | hale spider prevails — we battle this mute killer prone in its grip | |
| 47 | harvest moon . . . revising the haiku one more time | |
| 48 | he works so hard then is cast off and replaced . . . scarecrow | |
| 49 | his muscles burn it’s mind over matter at iron-man | |
| 50 | hospital room I sing a lullaby to my empty womb | |
| 51 | hot chasing until rat’s tail in grip of cat’s mouth | |
| 52 | I am a metaphor, No, I am a poetry. | |
| 53 | I breathe and ignore the wicked beckoning fridge — one kilo down | |
| 54 | in the evening . . . the same nightingale song as at dawn | |
| 55 | in the potting shed a tiny bird is back with straw family planning | |
| 56 | in your inner vessel sorrow waits and waits for the heavy lifting | |
| 57 | late spring snow on a mourning dove on her nest | |
| 58 | leaf by leaf through the crack convincing concrete | |
| 59 | lego days the blue square . . . the square hole | |
| 60 | light snowfall nursing her second-born, born an only child | |
| 61 | long hours . . . the way the moonlight fills her scars | |
| 62 | lost look in the mirror patiently trying to recognize herself | |
| 63 | meteors — as small as grains of sand make beautiful streaks | |
| 64 | midnight — I still try to touch the nose with my tongue | |
| 65 | mom’s deviled egg recipe my daughter makes family ties | |
| 66 | moonless night — a solitary flame flickers in the wind | |
| 67 | Morning fox Surveying the sleepy coop For a flaw | |
| 68 | my PhD project in the snail’s footsteps to the top of Mount Fuji | |
| 69 | Nana, Nana guess what I got? a Sonic mask! | |
| 70 | needlepoint canvas . . . she fills in the background stitch by stitch | |
| 71 | NEOWISE the fifteenth and the last day of my prayer to the clouds | |
| 72 | nesting season — he finally gets to yes | |
| 73 | new band ironing out the kinks | |
| 74 | ninetieth birthday grandma’s cooking pot is ready for the feast | |
| 75 | old dog in defiance of autumn storm | |
| 76 | one little leaf still clings to the bare branch fierce winds | |
| 77 | outdoor jazz . . . at last I find the note in a blade of grass | |
| 78 | Paralympic games up in the four wheels to see the sunrise | |
| 79 | perseverance — on my finger the same engagement ring | |
| 80 | perseverance scarlet pansies pushing through the snow | |
| 81 | queen rules . . . grain by grain the anthill | |
| 82 | sand clouds stroking ground with hoof | |
| 83 | seeking light through a roadside crack to blossom | |
| 84 | Sharpening its blade Along winds — Morning grass | |
| 85 | she takes her first steps at nine months post-amputation | |
| 86 | shy of sixty . . . fine-tuning her guitar for a melody | |
| 87 | single parent between dusk and dawn a 2nd shift | |
| 88 | so many folds in these delicate wings — orizuru | |
| 89 | so the tide recurs forgiving morning made whole | |
| 90 | son in OT mother is praying to God with teary eyes | |
| 91 | still on the front-line mankind tries to find a cure for Covid-19 | |
| 92 | strange weather . . . anyway all the flowers go on blooming | |
| 93 | strong wind learning to stand erect young poplar tree | |
| 94 | teacher throws away incorrect haiku; with care he uncrumples it | |
| 95 | Thanksgiving prep Great Grandma insists she’ll make the pies | |
| 96 | the dog on the beach fetches again and again — waves lapping the shore | |
| 97 | the unceasing intention of buds | |
| 98 | this bumpy road yet my goal never far from sight | |
| 99 | this pet rock trying hard just to get it right | |
| 100 | this summer too . . . clinging on a broken pot forget-me-nots | |
| 101 | those scattered pearls vein them in a string and wear a beautiful necklace | |
| 102 | verbal abuse the rose’s stem sustains its bruised petals | |
| 103 | walnut tree with every plop she bends | |
| 104 | what enters black holes fills the void in my quill pen autumn skylight | |
| 105 | window shade last of dusk through it | |
| 106 | winter morning a sigh of relief rich harvest | |
| 107 | wombat’s charred ribcage defiant in the landscape cradles a seedling | |
| 108 | worn-out shoes trying to get last votes |
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!
