The objective of this competition is to develop closer ties across the European community of haiku creators (although haiku authors from other parts of the world are welcome to submit entries as well). Starting 2018 we are planning one competition yearly: EUROPEAN KUKAI (in 2013-2017 we organized 4 separate quarterly competitions in each year: EUROPEAN QUARTERLY KUKAI). The competition is led in cooperation with the Publishing House KONTEKST from Poznań.

Tuesday, March 21, 2023

Results of the EUROPEAN KUKAI 2023 (#5/25) - the last


Dear participants and sympathizers!

It is with undisguised sadness that we announce the end of the last edition of European Kukai (2018-2023), previously known as European Quarterly Kukai (2013-2017), which we had the pleasure of leading with the participation of Kontekst Publishing House.

242 authors from 50 countries took part in the last 25th edition. We have already managed to get used to the high level, accepting many times your suggestions that casting votes for only 3 haiku out of over two hundred is too small to choose from.

Our last meeting ended with the victory of Daniela Misso from Italy, who overtook Vladislav Hristow from Bulgaria and Daniel Birnbaum from France. Congratulations to the winners and all participants of the last European Kukai. The victorious haiku was won by spring, manifested in flowers and birds. After all, it is the most beautiful time of the year in our climate.

Since 2013, we were connected by a common interests, we created a great global group from all corners of the world and in our opinion that was the most important thing. Our Japanese masters would be proud of the statement "Haiku connects us" and probably surprised the worldwide success of their legacy.

From 2013 to 2023, during the 25 editions, you sent us the huge number of 4,877 haiku. Thank you very much for every poem, for every vote you cast. You are and will remain our friends.

This is our last meeting. We have been through peaceful times together as well as the covid pandemic. We hope that the war in Ukraine (on which there have been many poignant haikus in this edition) will soon end and we will enjoy peace around the world again.

As organizers, we say goodbye to the hope that we will meet in new projects. The world and time do not stand still, changes are constantly taking place. So we're not saying goodbye to you, but see you again.


Robert Kania and Krzysztof Kokot
European Kukai team

March 21, 2023.


Edition 2023 (#4/25) - 242 participants from 50 countries:

Australia (4), Azerbaijan (1), Bangladesh (1), (2), Belgium (2), Bosnia and Herzegovina (1), Brazil (6), Bulgaria (19), Canada (12), Colombia (1), Croatia (19), Cyprus (1), Denmark (1), Finland (1), France (7), Germany (13), Hungary (1), India (18), Indonesia (1), Iran (1), Ireland (1), Israel (2), Italy (25), Japan (1), Kazathstan (1), Lithuania (5), Montenegro (2), Nepal (1), Netherlands (2), New Zealand (2) North Macedonia (2), Norway (6), Pakistan (2), Palestine (1), Philippines (3), Poland (11), Portugal (1), Romania (16), (5), Serbia (4), South Africa (1), Spain (1), Sri Lanka (2), Sweden (1), Taiwan (1). Tajikistan (1), Trinidad and Tobago (1), United Kingdom (10), Ukraine (1), USA (18)

FIRST PLACE:

095 Daniela Misso, Italy
(8-10-5) = 49 points
(from:CAN, FRA, ITA, IND, AUS, NED, CAN, BUL - IND, ITA, IRE, ROM, IND, USA, BUL, ITA, UK, LIT - ITA, CRO, IND, ITA, ITA)


orphanage 
at the side of the road
forget-me-nots


SECOND PLACE:

085 Vladislav Hristov, Bulgaria
(10-3-2) = 38 points
(from: ROM, PAL, BUL, ITA, CRO, BUL, ROM, ITA, TRI, USA - GER,    , IND - CAN, ITA)


a child raises his hand
to catch it –
nightingale’s song


THIRD PLACE:

120 Daniel Birnbaum, France
(6-5-5) = 33 points
(from: USA, POL, BUL, GER, NOR, ROM - IND, FRA, MAC, CYP, BRA - UK,   , NED, BUL, SWE)


the bird on the fence
knowing nothing
about fences

 

4th place - 28 points (2 authors):

grassland
the wind
has no home


029 Stefanie Bucifal, Germany
(6-3-4) = 28 pts

==

mandala -
the spider designs
a new world

108 Florin Golban, Romania
(6-5-0) = 28 pts

5th place - 26 points:

forget-me-nots..
what if tomorrow starts
without me

210 Kashinath Karmakar, India
(5-3-5) = 26 pts

6th place - 25 points:

broken rice bowl -
I never stopped
to be a daughter

070 Maria Teresa Sisti, Italy
(3-5-6) = 25 pts

7th place - 24 points:

long illness -
the seasons go by
at her window

172 Maria Teresa Piras, Italy
(7-1-1) = 24 pts

8th place - 23 points:

Gaza morning-
perching on the barbed wire,
a migratory bird

056 Rita Odeh, Palestine
(6-2-1) = 23 pts

9th place - 22 points:

train slumber
every second station
a dream

149 Jon Vassbotn, Norway
(4-4-2) = 22 pts

10th place - 21 points:

clear morning
a little girl talking to
a flower

140 Nikolay Grankin,
(3-4-4) = 21 pts

20 points (2):

rockets in the sky-
in the eyes of a child
the shooting stars

028 Angela Giordano, Italy
(4-2-4) = 20 pts

== 

dropping the fish-
a seagull feeds
its reflection

223 Pamela Cooper, Canada
(4-3-2) = 20 pts

19 points (3):

grandpa's funeral
my fingers tightly grip
dad's hand

039 Ravi Kiran, India
(2-5-3) 19 pts

== 

starting convoy ...
palms of father and son divides
a cold bus window

042 Silva Trstenjak, Croatia
(4-3-1) = 19 pts

== 

talk of war—
the girl on the swing
swings

106 Brendon Kent, United Kingdom
(3-3-4) = 19 pts

17 points (2):

snow falling
on the bamboo …
again cancer

024 Deborah Karl-Brandt, Germany
(4-1-3) = 17 pts

== 

blank pages
my sick diary
of alzheimer's

063 Vincenzo Adamo, Italy
(3-3-2) = 17 pts

16 points:

end of festivities
a star disappears
in the vacuum cleaner

048 Eleonore Nickolay, France
(1-4-5) = 16 pts 

15 points (2):

rubble in Kiev –
a lost child prays
even the moon

001 Dennys Cambarau, Italy
(4-1-1) = 15 pts

== 

crossroads...
the wind has no reason
to pause

047 Srini, India
(4-0-3) = 15 pts

14 points (4):

crabapples
three fall down
as I reach for one

026 Radka Mindova, Bulgaria
(3-1-3) = 14 pts

== 

abortion -
my snowman melts
once again

049 Archana Kapoor Nagpal, India
(4-0-2) = 14 pts

== 

deep forest
rainwater vibrates
in the tiger's pawprint

114 Iliyana Stoyanova, United Kingdom
(2-2-4) = 14 pts

==

bombardment
the swallow does not find
its nest

203 Nazarena Rampini, Italy
(2-2-4) = 14 pts

13 points (3):

autumnal wind
the crowns are filling
with sky

045 Gabriele Hartmann, Germany
(3-1-2) = 13 pts

== 

mountain sunset
if only you would stay
a little longer

060 Sandi Pray, USA
(1-3-4) = 13 pts

==  

liberation
the sign on the scarecrow:
мін немає
* translated from Ukrainian - No mines

152 Artur Lewandowski, Poland
(2-3-1) = 13 pts

12 points (3):

spring hike...
I find myself praying
for world peace

033 Ed Bremson, USA
(2-3-0) = 12 pts

== 

reflection on the glass
landing on the moon
a moth

065 Christiane Ranieri, France
(2-3-0) = 12 pts

== 

night train
the full moon is shaking
with passengers

083 Zoran Doderovic, Serbia
(1-2-5) = 12 pts

11 points (6):

summer wind -
among the rubble
a book of haiku...

052 Vanice Zimerman, Brasil
(2-1-3) = 11 pts

== 

apples on the snow ...
the abandoned garden
in no man's land

118 Natalia Kuznetsova,
(3-0-2) = 11 pts

== 

my life
comes full circle  -
blank page

179 Vinay Leo R., India
(3-1-0) = 11 pts

== 

morning mist
skipping stones
to wake the lake

180 John Pappas, USA
(1-2-4) = 11 pts

== 

black marble
a widow sweeps away
the first snow

226 Sebastian Chrobak, Poland
(2-2-1) = 11 pts

==

spring wind
an old farmer breathing in
the earth's fragrance

232 Cristina-Valeria Apetrei, Romania
(1-3-2) = 11 pts

10 points (3):

at the cemetery
competing with themselves
tombstones

025 Bakhtiyar Amini, Tajikistan/Germany
(1-2-3) = 10 pts

== 

old classroom
never seen oceans
in winter sunlight

041 Anna Viazmitinova, Ukraine
(1-3-1) = 10 pts

== 

outdoor acting class
a longhorn beetle
plays dead

162 Tomislav Sjekloća, Montenegro
(2-1-2) = 10 pts

9 points (6):

birth –
an innocent prisoner opens
the door of sin

016 Aljoša Vuković, Croatia
(2-0-3) = 9 pts

==

the moon
in her white linen
growing each day

170 Amrutha V. Prabhu, India
(2-1-1) = 9 pts

== 

starry night -
there is no way to say goodbye

178 Nicoletta Ignatti, Italy
(3-0-0) = 9 pts

==

5 star hotel
day-long seminar
subject: poverty

182 Tanzeev Haque, New Zealand
(1-2-2) = 9 pts

 ==

passing clouds
the green of the bushes
waxes and wanes

187 Suraja Roychowdhury, USA
(2-1-1) = 9 pts

== 

home late -
all the dandelions
blown by the wind

233 Mihaela Iacob, Romania
(2-1-1) = 9 pts

8 points (13):

poplar trees
the misty sky splits
into a rook's cry

005 Marilyn Ward, United Kingdom
(2-0-2) = 8 pts

== 

turning over the soil
a robin's song
follows me

019 Claude Lagadec, France
(2-1-0) = 8 pts

== 

losses
and crosses
winter fields

044 Mike Fainzilber, Israel
(2-1-0) = 8 pts

== 

mid-winter
the variation
in the blackbirds silence

079 Oddbjørn Aardalen, Norway
(1-2-1) = 8 pts

== 

breaking dawn
across the border post
a dung-beetle rolls the day

127 Pitamber Kaushik, India
(1-2-1) = 8 pts

== 

fresh snow -
another shade or two
of white

143 Nikola Đuretić, Croatia
(1-1-3) = 8 pts

== 

a vine
aiming for the sun
joins the queue

160 Vibha Malhotra, India
(2-1-0) = 8 pts

== 

spring dawn ...
when did you come back
little bird with no name?

197 Lucia Cardillo, Italy
(2-0-2) = 8 pts

== 

now blue
now green again
unfurling wave

208 Mike Gallagher, Ireland
(1-2-1) = 8 pts

== 

earthquake
gaping cracks
in our souls

214 Kristina Todorova, Bulgaria
(2-1-0) = 8 pts

== 

inheritance...
the neighbour's bees
preserved our garden

234 Mihovila Čeperić-Biljan, Croatia
(0-2-4) = 8 pts

==

Mother’s Day
can surgery mend
a broken heart

240 Elena Calvo, Canada/Spain
(2-1-0) = 8 pts

==

thunderstorm
the unexpected cracks
on your hands

241 Sandra St-Laurent, Canada
(2-0-2) = 8 pts

7 points (9):

cold morning
silence from the light
fills the empty nest

023 Vibeke Laier, Denmark
(1-1-2) = 7 pts

== 

midwinter flatland
a bit of blue sky
goes a long way


067 Keith Evetts, United Kingdom
(2-0-1) = 7 pts

== 

open gate -
still distant
the moon

068 Ana Drobot, Romania
(2-0-1) = 7 pts

== 

migration
waves touching the seashore....
somewhere

101 Bernard Gieske, USA
(2-0-1) = 7 pts

== 

until crocuses…
we sleep the sleep
of bees

105 Tony Williams, United Kingdom
(0-3-1) = 7 pts

== 

the silence as she
pours the tea,
stinging nettles

126 Amada Burgard, USA
(0-3-1) = 7 pts

==

Woodpecker's tapping
a forrest ranger learns
the Morse code

186 Karolina Piotrowska, Poland
(1-2-0) = 7 pts

== 

breath on the window
I miss my mom
the entire time

201 Stanka Boneva, Bulgaria
(1-2-0) = 7 pts

== 

old cemetery –
more cherry petals fall
on the cold stones

235 Maria Tirenescu, Romania
(2-0-1) = 7 pts

6 points (20):

his remembrance day
pushing out of the ground
crocus flowers

003 Silvia Kempen, Germany
(1-1-1) = 6 pts

== 

glacial moon. . .
every time you sign
a slight tremor

004 Surashree Joshi, India
(1-1-1) = 6 pts

== 

nightfall
scavengers tilt 
the darkness

040 Lakshmi Iyer, India
(0-2-2) = 6 pts

== 

rumble behind the hill --
and my empty page
for a last haiku

062 Vanya Stefanova, Bulgaria
(2-0-0) = 6 pts

== 

forest fire —
what little remains
when we are gone

076 Mona Bedi, India
(0-2-2) = 6 pts

== 

nightingale song
outside the open window
the doctor allowed

100 Wiesław Karliński, Poland
(1-1-1) = 6 pts

== 

vernal morning –
on the electric wire the couple
kiss of beak

107 Mauricio de Oliveira, Brazil
(2-0-0) = 6 pts

== 

cracked ice
long overdue
intimate conversation

109 Philmore Place,
(0-2-2) = 6 pts

== 

one by one sink the stars
in the fishing net
daybreak


112 Radostina Dragostinova, Bulgaria
(0-3-0) = 6 pts

== 

emptiness and fullness
leaves fall
on leaves

132 Sława Sibiga, Poland
(1-1-1) = 6 pts

==

Ukraine invasion—
the hawk’s eye
on the pigeons’ nest

139 Rick Clark, USA
(1-1-1) = 6 pts

== 

the wind frees -
a soul of a kite
from every prison

146 Patrizia Cavallone, Italy
(2-0-0) = 6 pts

== 

the underground tremors
flips over instantly
a whole life 

154 Nijolė Kerušauskienė,  Lithuania
(2-0-0) = 6 pts

== 

earthquake...
her birthday cake's cream
on her own corpse

168 Munia Khan, Bangladesh
(1-1-1) = 6 pts

== 

Valentine's Day-
my gray hair wrapped
in her smile

173 Franjo Ordanić, Croatia
(0-3-0) = 6 pts

== 

tourist sight
the oohs and aahs
in every accent

200 Mona Iordan, Romania
(0-2-2) = 6 pts

== 

sunrise licks the field
a donkey takes the apple
from a child's open palm

209 Karin Hedetniemi, Canada
(1-1-1) = 6 pts

== 

arriving in Paris . . .
paper signs
with refugees' names

221 eddy lee, Germany
(0-2-2) = 6 pts

==

devastated village
a stork doesn't find
its family nest

229 Ivan Georgiev, Germany
(1-1-1) = 6 pts

== 

maple harvest-
a snowball lands
in the sap bucket

239 Ellen Cooper, Canada
(1-0-3) = 6 pts

5 points (18):

all that I learn 
from a leaf in the wind
slanting rays

010 Anitha Varma, India
(1-1-0) = 5 pts

== 

autumn sidewalk
through the twirling leaves
a giggle

034 Martin Gotlieb Cohen, USA
(0-2-1) = 5 pts

== 

catholics, orthodox
prayers aloud -
bombing

037 Antonio Mangiameli, Italy
(1-1-0) = 5 pts

== 

drizzling
drenches the meadow
autumn sadness

057 Dejan Ivanovic, Serbia
(0-2-1) = 5 pts

== 

spring wind -
imagine a space
around the heart

066 Mauro Battini, Italy
(1-0-2) = 5 pts

==

steady rain—
a wall between us
and the neighbours

078 Beth Skala, Canada
(1-1-0) = 5 pts

== 

calm sea
my image in the water
hides the excitement

088 Viktoriya Marinova, Bulgaria
(0-1-3) = 5 pts

==

birds of passage -
without wings the sky
is about to fall

104 Dan Iulian, Romania
(1-1-0) = 5 pts

== 

greenwashing father’s grave snowdrops

124 Tim Gardiner, United Kingdom
(1-0-2) = 5 pts

== 

travel journal
in the folds of a leaf
scribbled elegy

136 Teji Sethi, India
(0-2-1) = 5 pts

==

boundless sky...
a sudden wish to become
an eagle

150 Daniela Rodi, Finland
(1-1-0) = 5 pts

== 

heron's cry
the south wind
awakes the sea

153 Françoise Maurice, France
(1-0-2) = 5 pts

== 

twilight
mouse-colored
daikon tail

158 Nataliya Yerkhova, Kazakhstan
(1-1-0) = 5 pts

== 

sultry night . . .
the saxophonist plays
in blue

161 Marion Clarke, Northern Ireland
(1-1-0) = 5 pts

== 

a snowy apple tree–
in my hands
your breath

174 Jolanta Szymańska, Poland
(1-1-0) = 5 pts

== 

scarecrow
I learn to open
myself

177 Alvin B. Cruz, Philippines
(1-1-0) = 5 pts

==

stand up
in the teacup
a smile

212 Hans Egerer, Germany
(1-1-0) = 5 pts

==

yellow notes in May –
my whole short-term memory
flying out the window

218 Anne Zooey Lind, Norway
(1-1-0) = 5 pts

4 points (21):

empty deck chairs -
echoes of laughter
in summers gone

002 Anne Curran, New Zealand
(0-1-2) = 4 pts

== 

funeral and wedding
on an unknown grave
the wind howls

006 Ljiljana Dobra, Croatia
(1-0-1) = 4 pts

== 

a curlew’s cry
stirs me from my dream . . .
your sudden passing

013 Cynthia Rowe, Australia
(1-0-1) = 4 pts

==

winter migration
news of your passing
darkens the sun


020 Michael Henry Lee, USA
(1-0-1) = 4 pts

== 

Rust on brake discs
Salt sprinkled on icy roads
Poetry of life

032 Jo Mykle Hofseth, Norway
(0-2-0) = 4 pts

==

at the patient's bed
perceived in a new way
haiku of the ancient masters

035 Igor Shugan, Taiwan
(1-0-1) = 4 pts

== 

fewer fireflies
we don't know
our neighbors

077 Tom Bierovic, USA
(1-0-1) = 4 pts

== 

veiling clouds
the crystalline song
of a warbler

086 Klaus-Dieter Wirth, Germany
(1-0-1) = 4 pts

== 

in Fukushima
red spider lilies outlive
our own atom bomb

089 Gregory Skala, Canada
(0-2-0) = 4 pts

== 

piano concerto
white peacocks and black swans
together

094 Maya Kisyova, Bulgaria
(1-0-1) = 4 pts

== 

rain of cherry petals
mom’s eternal home
in a spring rainbow

119 Stoianka Boianova, Bulgaria
(0-2-0) = 4 pts

== 

painted kites
over the ocean
flight to infinity

130 Minko Tanev, Bulgaria
(1-0-1) = 4 pts

== 

sunflowers bend over the grass war

133 Mariangela Canzi, Italy
(0-2-0) = 4 pts

==

winter solstice--
ravens in my haiku
make room for chickens

145 Eugeniusz Zacharski, Poland
(0-2-0) = 4 pts

== 

Among the ruins
A young tree is
The strength of survival

147 Virginija Sakalauskiene, Lithuania
(0-2-0) = 4 pts

== 

All Souls' Day
on the leaves a breath
of frozen wind

157 Eufemia Griffo, Italy
(0-2-0) = 4 pts

==

snow silence
even cicada forgets
its lyrics

185 Sudebi Singha, India
(0-1-2) = 4 pts

== 

rain falls
on the first flower bud
his sudden passing

191 Maria Concetta Conti, Italy
(0-1-2) = 4 pts

== 

a walk in the park
between us
the smell of lilac

204 Andrzej Dembończyk, Poland
(0-1-2) = 4 pts

== 

tank traces
full of snowdrops...
armistice

230 Cezar Ciobîcă, Romania
(0-1-2) = 4 pts

==

the sky has floated
down to earth
bluebells

238 Julia Wakefield, Australia
(0-2-0) = 4 pts 

3 points (19):

It´s a tender breeze
that caresses my whole face
with Sakura petals

007 Fabián Padilla Hernández, Colombia
(1-0-0) = 3 pts

== 

sleet in graveyard
on the soldier's feet
boots never worn

054 Mirela Brailean, Romania
(0-1-1) = 3 pts

== 

winter morning
the path in front of me white
with snowdrops

055 Vessislava Savova, Bulgaria
(0-1-1) = 3 pts

== 

sunwarmed patio
peaceful catnap in sunbed
cuckoo alarm sound

064 Ellen Margrete Grong, Norway
(1-0-0) = 3 pts

== 

huddling in the dark…
burnt edges of grandad’s
chestnuts

071 Stella Pierides, Germany
(1-0-0) = 3 pts

== 

sea wind...
the bead curtain
tinkles slightly

074 Ana López Navajas, Spain
(1-0-0) = 3 pts

== 

winter dusk —
losing myself in hours
of bad television

080 Goran Gatalica, Croatia
(0-1-1) = 3 pts

== 

heavy snow on roof
cracking interior drywall -
the weight of one haiku

097 Louise Carson, Canada
(1-0-0) = 3 pts

== 

A twist in the Earth
Keeps green running at high speed,
Past life regression.

113 Marieta Maglas, France
(1-0-0) = 3 pts

== 

cracks deepen
in granny’s glasses…
curdled sky

115 Hifsa Ashraf, Pakistan
(0-0-3) = 3 pts

== 

Winter sea.
The barefoot wind walks
on the water.

116 Daniela Koleva, Bulgaria
(0-1-1) = 3 pts

== 

looking at the sky
farmer with folded hands
ask for rain

137 Reneu do Amaral Berni, Brazil
(0-1-1) = 3 pts

== 

snowflakes
I give milk
to stray cat

138 Marco Pilotto, Italy
(0-1-1) = 3 pts

== 

one cloud
bleeding with beauty -
unnoticed

155 Gordana Kurtović, Croatia
(1-0-0) = 3 pts

== 

deep winter
a destination
at every step

192 Carmela Marino, Italy
(0-1-1) = 3 pts

== 

Swallow's nest -
an old woman retraces
forefathers' footsteps

196 Ornella Vallino, Italy
(1-0-0) = 3 pts

== 

train noise –
a deer jumps through
the field of rye

207 Tomislav Maretić, Croatia
(0-1-1) = 3 pts

== 

ripening sun
the many languages
of surprise

222 Mark Gilbert, United Kingdom
(1-0-0) = 3 pts

== 

minefield
two-leaf clovers
all around

237 Henryk Czempiel, Poland
(1-0-0) = 3 pts

2 points (18):

master artist -
the moons portrayal
no flaws

011 Miclaus Silvestru, Romania
(0-1-0) = 2 pts

== 

birch
in misty rain
the abandoned pram

015 Arne Haukdal, Norway
(0-1-0) = 2 pts

==

street flash flood  –
in upturned umbrella
sails some mud

036 D.V. Rożić, Croatia
(0-1-0) = 2 pts

== 

between rain and snow -
butterflies and wasps fall down
in this warm winter

050 Dante Bianchi, Italy
(0-1-0) = 2 pts

 ==

the game of tides
scattered with shades of blue
picture of sun 

051 Zvonko Jurčević, Croatia
(0-1-0) = 2 pts

== 

sitting aloof
in his place
a sunlit rock

058 Richa Sharma, India
(0-1-0) = 2 pts

== 

yellow crocus
where the snow angel’s halo
should be

061 Jennifer Thompson, USA
(0-0-2) = 2 pts

== 

starry sky
and fear freezes
over Ukraine

084 Refika Dedić, Bosnia and Herzegovina
(0-1-0) = 2 pts

== 

abandoned house ----
a mournful standing
of a leafless tree

110 Manoj Sharma, Nepal
(0-0-2) = 2 pts

==

rough hug --
dawn with a frosty mantle
draped rose

121 Štefanija Ludvig, Croatia
(0-1-0) = 2 pts

==

I seem to see you
In the spray of images
Of the wild rivers

123 Ma. Milagros T. Dumdum, Philippines
(0-1-0) = 2 pts

==

A yellow herbarium
I recall
grandmother’s hands

131 Yelizaveta Yevstigneeva,
(0-1-0) = 2 pts

==

long war
the candles of the chestnuts
drip

148 Lyudmila Hristova, Bulgaria
(0-1-0) = 2 pts

==

in brazilian lands
warm, sun, and sea
days of rain

181 Sandra Laurita, Brazil
(0-1-0) = 2 pts

== 

modern plumbing-
the path to the old outhouse
overgrown with weeds

189 Sally Quon, Canada
(0-1-0) = 2 pts

== 

dolls eyes
covered with dirt
town in rubble

199 Nadejda Kostadinova, Bulgaria
(0-1-0) = 2 pts

== 

lake crowded with swans . . .
the way my daughter learns
trigonometry

220 Ivan Gaćina, Croatia
(0-1-0) = 2 pts

== 

milky way
unfolding paper
snowdrops

228 Lori Kiefer, United Kingdom
(0-1-0) = 2 pts

1 point (25):

Ocean waves hitting
into the cleft granite walls …
Watching it a while

008 Horst Ludwig, USA
(0-0-1) = 1 pt

== 

winter cold—steel knife
slicing clouds to thin grey threads
obscured stars grateful

014 Lawrence Wilson, United Kingdom
(0-0-1) = 1 pts

== 

Valentine's Day –
in the orchard floating
a dove flake

017 Capotă Daniela Lăcrămioara, Romania
(0-0-1) = 1 pts

== 

he says, too loudly
I turn pages of the book -
snow moon insomnia 

021 Goda Virginija Bendoraitienė, Lithuania
(0-0-1) = 1 pt

== 

narcissi
knowing no better
—war garden

027 Ingrid Baluchi, North Macedonia
(0-0-1) = 1 pt

== 

winter stars…
we share my bowl of rice pudding
and your armchair

038 Steliana Cristina Voicu, Romania
(0-0-1) = 1 pt

== 

cat food
first lesson to the puppy
don't touch

043 Slobodan Pupovac, Croatia
(0-0-1) = 1 pt

==

spring breeze...
watching the pinwheels spin
in the garden

092 Nancy Brady, USA
(0-0-1) = 1 pt

== 

at the phone –
you listen to the blackbird
from my garden

111 Angelica Seithe, Germany
(0-0-1) = 1 pt

==

fog from the sea...
slowly dissolved
the first shadows

117 Angiola Inglese, Italy
(0-0-1) = 1 pt

==

magnolia buds--
in the front yard
gibbous moon

128 Tuyet Van Do, Australia
(0-0-1) = 1 pt

==

looking out the window 
snow and  frost are sibblings -
carols on the radio

129 Mariana  Tanase, Romania
(0-0-1) = 1 pts

==

reading Shiki
under my lemon tree
a robin sings

134 Margherita Petriccione, Italy
(0-0-1) = 1 pt

==

spring leaves -
I keep talking
to no one

141 Anna Maria Domburg-Sancristoforo, Netherlands
(0-0-1) = 1 pt

==

sunflower seeds
discount to buy 2 summers
for the price of 1

144 Dainius Dirgela, Lithuania
(0-0-1) = 1 pt

==

snowdrops
draw with white
in the sky

164 Lilia Racheva, Bulgaria
(0-0-1) = 1 pt

== 

rustling leaves-
browns and yellows envy
the polka-dot hat

166 Aleksandra Guzik, Poland
(0-0-1) = 1 pt

==

Whispering for us
Paths of the cemetery
By fallen leaves

169 Jonas Vaicekauskas, Lithuania
(0-0-1) = 1 pt

==

chrysanthemums
on the headstone
their unbearable weight

176 David Josephsohn, USA
(0-0-1) = 1 pt

== 

autumn moon
warm glow of kettled rice
upon my face

183 Douglas J. Lanzo, USA
(0-0-1) = 1 pt

== 

night's Lady -
forgotten letter
sense aroma

184 Marisa Tereza de Sá, Brazil
(0-0-1) = 1 pt

== 

full moon filled
an empty window
a child cries

216 Sovjeta Grubešić, Serbia
(0-0-1) = 1 pt

==

in the bomb shelter –
the young girls sing a song
in close harmony

217 Annette Akkerman, Netherlands
(0-0-1) = 1 pt

== 

covid ward -
a beeping monitor
redefines my life

225 Eleni Antoniou-Constantinou, Cyprus
(0-0-1) = 1 pt

== 

my pride
overtakes
my only chance to jump

231 Goran Lowie, Belgium
(0-0-1) = 1 pt

no points this time (42):

razor-wire fence
cries of grief echo
a crimson sunrise

009 Corine Timmer, Portugal

== 

a womb
without ready-made penalty -
spring bud

012 Ernesto P. Santiago, Philippines

== 

Happy music resonates
The last goodbye
To my extraordinary grandmother

018 Solène Lagadec, France

== 

footprints in the snow -
a snow man wears
his tartan scarf

022 Gillena Cox, Trinidad

== 

davos
how can we forget the sparks
of the dying campfire

030 Eduard Tara, Romania

== 

At his departure
many tears at the window-
alone in the house

031 Liette Janelle, Canada

== 

shooting stars
the border guard
first patrol

059 Marta Chociłowska, Poland

== 

salt gathered
from the tears
muddy track

069 Barbara Anna Gaiardoni, Italy

== 

The start of rain
The mother dog licks her puppy
Road side.

072 Hossein Habibi, Iran

== 

cocktail party
one alone out of mood
his father’s cudgel 

073 Sarma Radhamani, India

== 

land by the blue sea
dark floods are threatening
mirroring the sky

075 Wolfgang Rödig, Germany

==

troubled water
rusting
love

081 Birk Andersson, Sweden

== 

Hand-me-down books from
Beloved older cousin
My own library

082 Jennifer Gurney, USA

== 

yellow to one tree's leaves
all the others
teeming with sunlight

087 Marshall Hryciuk, Canada

== 

lunar eclipse -
by dint of the perfume
you'll find me

091 Diana Teneva, Bulgaria

== 

after moonset
barely shimmering
a  few fireflies

093 Vasile Moldovan, Romania

== 

not a single firefly
curious who turned off
the last light

096 Isabella Kramer, German 

==

budding forsythia
his first wobbly rides
without training wheels 

098 Joseph P. Wechselberger, USA

== 

roses in bloom -
yet the old is dressed
in his greatcoat

099 Branka Vojinović Jegdić, Montenegro

== 

cat's cradle
things got more confusing
as we grew up

102 Alex Malley,

==

apart from
the pole and the bird
thick, thick fog

103 Viviane C. M. Leite, Brazil

== 

rusty skis –
ski slopes
are waiting for snow

122 Vladimir Ludvig, Croatia

== 

matcha
bamboo spoon
in a gray cup

125 Željko Vojković, Croatia

== 

flower bike -
riding from source
to mouth

135 Danijela Grbelja, Croatia

== 

a fly on another –
the nicest way to die
my darling says

142 Marie Derley, Belgium

== 

storm outside
woman blows her hardest
kindling the hearth

156 Ashoka Weerakkody, Sri Lanka

== 

a bunch of ants
creating river
- sunken courtyard

163 Nina Šesto, Croatia

== 

stooped woman smirks
the board reads-
Angelic Smile

171 Hema Ravi, India

== 

breeze of dragons’ breath
baby shrieks shatter Mama masks
berg wind blues

175 Ayesha Kajee, South Africa

== 

begging calls...
among the fallen yellows
the baby leaf

188 Yasir Farooq, Pakistan

== 

my daughter
returning from salon -
kingfisher on a coconut palm

193 Radhika De Silva, Sri Lanka

== 

In a nursing home
I recite for an old bloke
One day I'll be him.

194 Marcell Domonkos, Hungary

== 

creek Stones
I still believing
in first light

195 Mircea Moldovan, Romania

==

along the alley
and on the back of my dog
white petals falling

198 Tsveta Omilla, Bulgaria

==

sodden forest floor
heavy boots leave a mud trail
in mockingbird’s repertoire

202 Emin Masimli, Azerbaijan

==

persistent rain -
fluorescent sticker stars
inside the room

205 Maria Tosti, Italy

==

Icicles gone
cherry trees budding out
in silence

211 Hidenori Hiruta, Japan

==

A sense of relief
Swept upon so suddenly
But the sun still shines

215 Prisha Patel, USA

== 

silent warm dusk
drawing a staff
song for a guitar and fireflies

219 Albena Todorova, Bulgaria

==

frosty morning
rye baguette
floured

224 Andrey Nemo,

== 

the first spring rain
touches the black tulips slowly
nature's first kiss

236 Rolanda Stefanova, Bulgaria

== 

i complement
the young moon
with one muffin

242 Toni Pavleski, North Macedonia

no results (authors who didn’t vote - 11):

light touch -
with pointed roofs
snow drips

046 Silvia Bistocchi, Italy

== 

confined
in his bed...he waves
to the falling snow

053 Marilyn Henighan, Canada

== 

springtime blossom
petals dance to robin's song
dreams in perfumed air

090 Christopher Calvin, Indonesia

== 

a mint leaf
dipped in the cup of tea
the sun rises

151 Arunachala Shiva Ravisankar, India

== 

tumbledown house
cheerful hubbub of children
mum is doing laundry

159 Ljubinka Tošić, Serbia

== 

in between
the baby's cry --
a full moon

165 Joan Canby, USA

== 

Pieces spread on my table
Puzzle of The World
where do I fit in?

167 Rivka Tzur, Israel

== 

little I imagine
in the world
peaceful as a haiku

190 Maria Cezza, Italy

==

The migrant's nest adorned
with a couple of leaves that bear
the colors of autumn.

206 Šime Škribulja, Croatia

==

Crowd sinks like hotpot,
waves of chandeliers light hope;
feeling winters' warmth.

213 Helen Tung, Australia 

==

Winter lull.
Cutlets left again
in the field kitchen.

227 Boris Tikhomirov,

 

Friday, January 20, 2023

Invitation to the EUROPEAN KUKAI 2023 (#5/25) - THE LAST EDITION

Dear Haiku Friends, 

we invite you to the EUROPEAN KUKAI 2023 (#5/25). This is the fifth annual (twenty fifth counting quarterly editions in 2013-2017) and the last edition.

Topic: any
Entrants: open to anyone
Haiku: one unpublished haiku
haiku must remain anonymous until the results are posted,
co-editors reserve the right not to accept an entrant / haiku,  
by sending haiku author agrees to the publication without a pay in a planned almanac 
Language: English
Style: unlimited
Period for submission: Monday, January 23 – Sunday, February 19, 2023
Voting period: Saturday, February 25 – Sunday,  March 12, 2023
Results: no later than Tuesday, March 21, 2023
Prizes: e-diplomas for authors from 1st, 2nd and 3rd places
Address for all Kukai correspondence: european.kukai@gmail.com  
- please use "2023 submission” (or “2023 voting” in voting phase) in the subject line  
- please write your entry in the body of e-mail, attachments are not accepted
- please sign your submission and ballot (name and country)
Note: Accessing the competition is tantamount to consenting to the processing of the participant’s personal data for the purposes necessary to organize and conduct the competition and with the consent of the authors of submitted haiku for publication on the internet site europeankukai.blogspot.com. Expressing consent is voluntary, but necessary to participate in the competition.

the EK team

Saturday, July 10, 2021

Results of the EUROPEAN KUKAI 2021 (#4/24)

The fourth annual edition of the European Kukai (and twenty fourth edition overall) has finished. Congratulations to the winners: Julia Wakefield (first time in Top 3), Zoran Doderovic (first time in Top 3), Rita Odeh (second time in Top 3) and Eleonore Nickolay (second time in Top 3). Thanks to all participants: 262 - is the largest number of participants in history of our kukai (since spring 2013).

We invite you to the European Kukai 2022.

 

Robert Kania and Krzysztof Kokot
The EK team

 

Edition 2021 (#4/24) - 262 participants from 43 countries:
Australia (3), Austria (3), Azerbaijan (1), Belarus (2), Bosnia and Herzegovina (1), Brazil (4), Bulgaria (18), Canada (16), Croatia (19), Cuba (1), Denmark (1), Finland (1), France (9), Germany (15), Greece (1), Hungary (1), India (24), Indonesia (2), Iran (3), Ireland (1), Israel (1), Italy (17), Japan (1), Lithuania (7), Luxembourg (1), Malta (2), Montenegro (3), Netherlands (4), New Zealand (1) North Macedonia (2), Norway (10), Philippines (3), Poland (14), Romania (19), Russia (14), Serbia (4), Sri Lanka (1), Switzerland (2), Tajikistan (1), Trinidad and Tobago (1), United Kingdom (8), Ukraine (5), USA (15)

 

 

FIRST PLACE:

094 Julia Wakefield, Australia
(4-8-3) = 31 points
(from: POL, ROM, TRI, ISR - RUS, NZL, AUS, CAN, ITA, POL, RUS, UK - UK, USA, USA)

 

a cloudless day
gulls stitch the cliff edge
to the ocean

 

SECOND PLACE (2):

003 Zoran Doderović, Serbia
(5-4-7) = 30 points
(from: GER, BUL, NOR, PHI, CAN - BUL, CRO, RUS, GER - MAC, IND, CRO, IND, GER, NOR, POL)

morning dew
my old shoes
shine like new



016 Rita Odeh, Israel
(5-6-3) = 30 points
(from: CUB, IND, CAN, CAN, AUS - BRA, UKR, ITA, USA, CRO, NOR - CRO, USA, IND)

 

Gaza's sky -
falling into the rising smoke,
the setting sun

 

THIRD PLACE:


176 Eleonore Nickolay, France
(6-5-1) = 29 points
(from: RUS, ITA, CAN, GER, RUS, GER - SRB, NOR, MLT, USA, IND - GER)

 

first day on the beach
the child is digging a hole
for the ocean

 

 

4th place - 28 points:

 

broken hourglass -
a handful of sand
in the wind

 

052 Mihai Moldoveanu - Mirco, Romania
(7-2-3) = 28 pts

 

5th place - 27 points:


winter twilight. . . 
the steam no longer rises
from my dad's cup

 

209 Surashree Joshi, India
(5-4-4) = 27 pts

 

6th place - 25 points:

 

an abandoned home
the garden is blue with
forget-me-nots

 

204 Liudmila Hristova, Bulgaria
(6-2-3) = 25 pts

 

7th place - 23 points:

 

storm
the sky gives back
the borrowed sea

 

244 Eugeniusz Zacharski, Poland
(3-5-4) = 23 pts

 

8th place - 22 points (3):

 

without the moon -
just a firefly
to make me light

 

007 Dennys Cambarau, Italy
(2-7-2) = 22 pts

 

 

summer clouds –
once in a while the moon
takes off its mask

 

106 Steliana Voicu, Romania
(3-5-3) = 22 pts

 

 

waiting for the bus
my growing shadow
swallows the daffodils

 

246 Emin Masimli, Azerbaijan
(5-2-3) = 22 pts

 

9th place - 21 points (4):

 

after the funeral...
stars, yet not enough
for a constellation

 

037 Damir Damir, Montenegro
(5-3-0) = 21 pts

 

 

harvest moon
in the straw bowl
the song of a cricket

 

043 Radostina Dragostinova, Bulgaria
(3-5-2) = 21 pts

 

 

wings of a butterfly
how many ways to touch
a poppy's heart

 

124 Vibeke Laier, Denmark
(4-2-5) = 21 pts

 

 

tears in mine
trust in my dog’s eyes
the last injection

 

205 Bo Jaroszek, Poland
(4-4-1) = 21 pts

 

10th place - 20 points:

 

first millipede
my kid with
a 1000 whys

 

082 Tomislav Sjekloća, Montenegro
(3-4-3) = 20 pts

 

19 points (2):

 

field of crickets
a circle of silence
moving with me

 

069 Eduard Tara, Romania
(3-3-4) = 19 pts

 

 

lavender field
stretching for the sun
a single poppy

 

187 Nadejda Kostadinova, Bulgaria
(4-3-1) = 19 pts

 

17 points (2):

 

closed temple         
I return my prayers
back home

 

045 Viktoriya Marinova, Bulgaria
(2-3-5) = 17 pts

 

 

dad departed
his slippers
in the dog's mouth

 

129 Vladislav Hristov, Bulgaria
(3-3-2) = 17 pts

 

16 points (2):

 

family gathering
sharing our bread
with ghosts

 

002 Stefanie Bucifal, Germany
(3-3-1) = 16 pts

 

 

my comb
lost a tooth of 
the time

 

111 Štefanija Ludvig, Croatia
(4-1-2) = 16 pts

 

15 points:

 

The mirror and I --
A boy gazing
At an old man

 

254 Sergio Milametto, Brazil
(1-4-4) = 15 pts

 

14 points (3):

 

quarantine –
he caresses
her nightgown

 

005 Udo Mansfield, Germany
(4-0-2) = 14 pts

 

 

cold rain
on the kitchen window
my children's noseprints

 

047 Christof Blumentrath, Germany
(1-4-3) = 14 pts

 

 

shells necklace
the sound of wind
at every step

 

192 Eufemia Griffo, Italy
(2-4-0) = 14 pts

 

13 points (3):

 

cherry blossoms
my daughter wants
punk popcorns

 

023 Radka Mindova, Bulgaria
(2-2-3) = 13 pts

 

 

from the garden
he brings me red roses -
the smell of his sweat

 

197 Djurdja V. Rozić, Croatia
(1-4-2) = 13 pts

 

 

blackbird's call
suddenly so clear
baby's first move

 

229 Zuzanna Truchlewska, Poland
(3-1-2) = 13 pts

 

12 points (6):

 

edge of the forest
another step and it will begin
the starry sky

 

022 Alex Malley, Belarus
(3-1-1) = 12 pts

 

 

where we used to meet
now blooming 
another tree

 

068 Bakhtiar Amini, Tajikistan/Germany
(2-1-4) = 12 pts

 

 

nightingale song
fell silent for a while
monk prayer

 

117 Wiesław Karliński, Poland
(2-3-0) = 12 pts

 

 

tombstone
mother's name in the gold
of the sun

 

154 Christa Beau, Germany
(2-3-0) = 12 pts

 

 

we take turns
retrieving the ball
old spaniel

181 Tom Bierovic, USA
(3-1-1) = 12 pts

 

 

broken shells -
all those words that
I wanted to listen

 

210 Dan Iulian, Romania
(1-4-1) = 12 pts

 

11 points (9):

 

april fool's day
there's no point
hiding my face

 

010 Evgeniy Plekhanov, Russia
(1-3-2) = 11 pts

 

 

soap bubbles   ... 
breaking the illusion 
of forever 

 

084 Teji Sethi, India 
(2-1-3) = 11 pts

 

 

reading li po -
and when i close the book:
a giant moon.

 

128 Julio C. Torres Toro, Cuba
(2-1-3) = 11 pts

 

 

starry night –
meteors falling into
the cricket song

 

144 Tomislav Maretić, Croatia
(2-0-5) = 11 pts

 

 

summer breeze
Mexican waves
in the field of barley

 

146 Ingrid Baluchi, North Macedonia
(1-4-0) = 11 pts

 

 

white butterfly
summer opens 
i t s  w i n g s

 

169 Roberta Beary, Ireland
(3-0-2) = 11 pts

 

 

scattered drop
a moment in the life
of a stalactite

 

199 Silva Trstenjak, Croatia
(2-2-1) = 11 pts

 

 

leaf fall
it's so easy
to keep silent

 

208 Helen Barysheva, Russia
(2-1-3) = 11 pts

 

 

warm spring rain
birdsong spilling
from a hidden nest 

 

239 Ulrike Narwani, Canada
(1-3-2) = 11 pts

 

10 points (7):

 

still
at rush hour
a daylily

 

015 Elizabeth Alford, USA
(1-2-3) = 10 pts

 

 

green buds
on the old lilac
a new doctor

 

017 Sandi Pray, USA
(3-0-1) = 10 pts

 

 

sundial
cuckoo
is late

041 Dmitry Shestakovsky, Ukraine
(1-2-3) = 10 pts

 

 

half empty moon
or half full? …my breast
cancer operation

 

099 Maya Daneva, The Netherlands
(2-0-4) = 10 pts

 

 

Sunday mass
a choir of grasshoppers
around the temple

 

116 Serhiy Shpychenko, Ukraine
(3-0-1) = 10 pts

 

 

hottest day....
I sit with the daisies
making shade

 

133 Tony Williams, Scotland
(1-3-1) = 10 pts

 

 

a sunny day
shadow and me on a walk
together

 

221 Gordana Kurtović, Croatia
(2-1-2) = 10 pts

 

9 points (7):

 

cherry-trees bloomed -
passed into the background
Mount Fuji

 

032 Frățilă Genovel-Florentin, Romania
(2-1-1) = 9 pts

 

 

a nameless bird
on a nameless tree
flies away suddenly

 

059 Ram Chandran, India
(1-2-2) = 9 pts

 

 

braille writing-
through your eyes
the colors of the world

 

063 Angela Giordano, Italy
(1-3-0) = 9 pts

 

 

distant thunder
a firefly vanishes
on my balcony

 

110 Angiola Inglese, Italy
(2-1-1) = 9 pts

 

 

my diet plan–
the cat insists on showing me
the way to the kitchen

 

135 Capotă Daniela Lăcrămioara, Romania
(2-1-1) = 9 pts

 

 

Sunset
glues new lashes
an elderly prostitute

 

198 Pepa Odjakova, Bulgaria
(2-1-1) = 9 pts

 

 

last year's
frozen rhubarb...last year's
sour taste

 

238 Louise Carson, Canada
(1-3-0) = 9 pts

 

8 points (9):

 

cherry in  blossom -
there is not another dream
so fragranced

 

035 Mariana Tanase, Romania
(1-2-1) = 8 pts

 

 

x-ray results -
shadows chase away
the sun

 

039 Cynthia Rowe, Australia
(2-1-0) = 8 pts

 

 

empty train station
scribbled on the wall
believe

 

044 Shanmao, Russia
(1-2-1) = 8 pts

 

 

wheelchair
the fading marks
of a hopscotch 

 

053 Vandana Parashar, India
(2-1-0) = 8 pts

 

 

this precious
meeting with myself-
solitude

120 Anne-Marie Joubert-Gaillard, France
(1-2-1) = 8 pts

 

 

the family plot
grandma liked 
wildflowers

 

158 Maria Concetta Conti, Italy
(1-2-1) = 8 pts

 

 

park paths -
which way to you
spring

 

160 Andrzej Dembończyk, Poland
(1-2-1) = 8 pts

 

 

quiet wind
who are you telling
fairy tales, grandma

 

163 Nelly Dobrinova, Bulgaria
(1-2-1) = 8 pts

 

 

all that remains
after your kiss -
a crescent moon

 

241 Christiane Ranieri; France
(2-1-0) = 8 pts

 

7 points (14):

 

A face
watching me watching
Tsukimi 

 

013 Miriam Dunn, Canada
(2-0-1) = 7 pts

 

 

the angle 
of the summer rain 
hyacinth 

 

027 Pere Risteski, North Macedonia
(1-2-0) = 7 pts

 

 

deep breaths. . .
at dusk the jasmine
undresses her scent

042 Marilyn Ashbaugh, USA
(0-2-3) = 7 pts

 

 

remission
the trampled grass
still green

 

071 Jennifer Thompson, USA
(2-0-1) = 7 pts

 

 

white sound of silence
a yellow ribbon
around the moon

  

093 Oddbjørn Aardalen, Norway
(2-0-1) = 7 pts

 

 

on a bus abroad
stranger than the chickens
I

 

100 Viviane C. Moura Leite; Brazil
(1-2-0) = 7 pts

 

 

late winter
the river bears cherry blossoms
from the south

 

156 Maya Kisyova, Bulgaria
(1-2-0) = 7 pts

 

 

old cemetery
the gurgling croak
of ravens

 

161 Iliyana Stoyanova, UK
(1-2-0) = 7 pts

 

 

nightingale’s song -
the intimate lines
of a new tattoo

165 Luisa Santoro, Italy
(1-1-2) = 7 pts

 

 

sun after rain
butterflies and children
among the weeds

 

180 Nikolay Grankin, Russia
(2-0-1) = 7 pts

 

 

Mum remembers ...
just names of rose
and mine

 

201 Nazarena Rampini, Italy
(0-2-3) = 7 pts

 

 

petrichor...
the raindrops
that fell for it

 

225 Arvinder Kaur, India
(1-2-0) = 7 pts

 

 

under her mask
I hear
a smile​

251 Olivia Roslansky, Germany
(1-1-2) = 7 pts

 

 

hot summer day
border guards enjoying
quarantine and ice cream

 

263 Vitali Khomin, Ukraine
(1-1-2) = 7 pts

 

6 points (14):

 

flat sky
the slow breathing
of the sea

 

018 Maureen Sudlow, New Zealand
(1-0-3) = 6 pts

 

 

family picnic...
all the hugging and talking
about the missing

 

019 Ed Bremson, USA
(1-1-1) = 6 pts

 

 

third quarter Moon-
I finish
my puzzle

 

036 Aljosa Vukovic, Croatia
(0-1-4) = 6 pts

 

 

wave after wave
the steady rise and fall
of death rates

 

058 John Hawkhead, UK
(1-1-1) = 6 pts

 

 

flea circus . . .
the child's eyes jump
jump

 

066 Johnette Downing, USA
(1-1-1) = 6 pts

 

 

self-isolation
how to care for a tree
of my childhood?

 

073 Danijela Grbelja, Croatia
(2-0-0) = 6 pts

 

 

no more mask -
in each shop window
a known smile

 

092 Mirela Brăilean, Romania
(0-2-2) = 6 pts

 

 

last rolling thunder
puddles full of
moonlight

 

097 VaiNone, Russia
(0-3-0) = 6 pts

 

 

mayfly snow —
the magpie’s path
becomes water

 

122 Alan Peat, UK
(1-1-1) = 6 pts

 

 

lifting mist —
mother refuses to go
to the hospital

 

141 Goran Gatalica, Croatia
(2-0-0) = 6 pts

 

 

shadow of a plum tree
catching the clouds
in a bucket


159 Carmela Marino, Italy
(1-1-1) = 6 pts

 

 

dinner moon
her laughter comes
from the belly

174 Ernesto Santiago, Greece
(1-1-1) = 6 pts

 

 

painted lady-
from branch to branch
the evening sun

216 Ellen Cooper, Canada
(1-1-1) = 6 pts

 

 

pressed red poppy...
helping her to forget
that rape

 

255 Cezar-Florin Ciobîcă, Romania
(1-1-1) = 6 pts

 

5 points (10):

 

old together
we trim back the flowering quince
in our downsized garden

 

014 Naomi Wakan, Canada
(1-1-0) = 5 pts

 

 

yellow calla
the long soft drizzle
of spring

 

025 Deborah Karl-Brandt, Germany
(1-1-0) = 5 pts

 

 

old diary-
the beggar digs
in misery

 

031 Vincenzo Adamo, Italy
(1-1-0) = 5 pts

 

 

engthening days -
on a blade of grass the snail
takes its time

 

046 Minh-Triet Pham, France
(1-1-0) = 5 pts

 

 

scent of wisteria...
sounds from the past
call me home

 

062 Marina Bellini, Italy
(1-0-2) = 5 pts

 

 

wheat field 
moving in the wind 
distant war 

 

115 Daniela Misso, Italy
(1-0-2) = 5 pts

 

 

wedding anniversary
forty years together
in a rose
 
148 Željko Funda, Croatia
(1-1-0) = 5 pts

 

 

summer love
the tease
of a day moon

 

170 Susan Mallernee, USA
(0-1-3) = 5 pts

 

 

anniversary -
passes me by
a butterfly


185 Giuliana Ravaglia, Italy
(1-1-0) = 5 pts

 

 

seasons change –
I become slowly 
a chameleon

 

196 Dragan J. Ristić, Serbia
(0-2-1) = 5 pts

 

4 points (24):

 

last trip -
waves intertwine
between the borders

 

011 Maria Teresa Sisti, Italy
(1-0-1) = 4 pts

 

 

your smile
in front of the curtain
and behind

 

029 Sonja Raab, Austria
(0-2-0) = 4 pts

 

 

calling out 
distant relatives 
the caged parrot 

 

056 Tanvi Nishchal, India
(1-0-1) = 4 pts

 

 

friendly wind
a child raising
the other child's kite

 

060 Clara Toma, Romania
(0-1-2) = 4 pts

 

 

cherry tree
lets go of last petal -
reluctantly

 

070 Vijay Joshi, USA
(1-0-1) = 4 pts

 

 

No correspondence
in my mailbox this morning-
Just a big cobweb

 

079 Liette Janelle, Canada
(0-1-2) = 4 pts

 

 

covid melancholy ---
a red rose on her hairpin
fills my vacuity 

 

095 Manoj Sharma, Nepal
(1-0-1) = 4 pts

 

 

neglected boilerhouse
a wagtail nest
in the grass

105 Elena Lopatina, Russia
(1-0-1) = 4 pts

 

 

distant highway noise...
faintly visible in the fog
camellia buds 


108 Anna Viazmitinova, Ukraine
(1-0-1) = 4 pts

 

 

hearing 
into someone 
her son's heartbeat 

 

121 Sudebi Singha, India
(1-0-1) = 4 pts

 

 

willows by the river
in the rhizomes fishes
in the branches birds

 

131 Stoianka Boianova, Bulgaria
(1-0-1) = 4 pts

 

 

all encompassing
the touch of a spider web
capturing my face

 

143 Harvey Jenkins, Canada
(1-0-1) = 4 pts

 

 

Children's Day
rusty swing is groaning
in the wind

 

172 Dominik Kasicki, Poland
(0-2-0) = 4 pts

 

 

cherry blossoms
on the antique bookshelf
brand new poems

 

177 Sebastian Chrobak, Poland
(1-0-1) = 4 pts

 

 

pesticides smell
the uncertain flight
of a bee

 

211 Ezio Infantino, Italy
(1-0-1) = 4 pts

 

 

vaccination

the cloudless sky

outside the window

 

218 Alexander Shytkovskiy, Ukraine
(0-2-0) = 4 pts

 

 

lilacs for the girl 
doesn’t know the passing of years 
the unsated heart

 

220 Zbigniew Żuchowski, Poland
(1-0-1) = 4 pts

 

 

In the silence of the night
the sky speaks to the mountain –
shooting stars.

 

228 Antoaneta Pavlova, Bulgaria
(1-0-1) = 4 pts

 

 

flood in Venice
first to float the smell
of espresso

 

230 Irena Szewczyk, Poland
(1-0-1) = 4 pts

 

 

I love
the nearby elm,
it knows me

 

231 Spiros Zafiris, Canada
(1-0-1) = 4 pts

 

 

migrating
from living room to bed
four seasons’ view

 

253 Anna Yin, Canada
(1-0-1) = 4 pts

 

 

after hailstorm
a spider patching
its web

 

256 Cristina Apetrei, Romania
(1-0-1) = 4 pts

 

 

after the fight
night ebbs and flows
in the crickets' dirge

 

258 Anitha Varma, India
(1-0-1) = 4 pts

 

 

floating upon meadows
music between stars -
cricket choirs

 

259 Silvestru Miclaus, Romania
(1-0-1) = 4 pts

 

3 points (31):

 

Pentecost’s
oratory wonder -
mockingbirds

 

009 Paul Callus, Malta
(1-0-0) = 3 pts

 

 

dark of the moon
with every item packed
a goodbye

 

012 Vera Constantineau; Canada
(0-0-3) = 3 pts

 

 

that evil Sunday
sadness pouring from the sky
divorce finalized

 

021 Tahera Mannan, India
(1-0-0) = 3 pts

 

 

sunset
through branches in bloom
a leave-taking 

 

024 Anna Maria Domburg-Sancristoforo, The Nederlands
(1-0-0) = 3 pts

 

 

luxury car
every week I check
lottery ticket

 

033 Dubravka Scukanec, Croatia
(1-0-0) = 3 pts

 

 

may God allows,
I draw a ladybird
with green spots

 

034 Ali Rezaei, Iran
(0-1-1) = 3 pts

 

 

sunset -
birds are of prey circle
the battle field

 

050 Uma Anandalwar, India
(0-1-1) = 3 pts

 

 

howls of keening
dry oasis
teeming with drought

 

072 Scott Wiggerman, USA
(1-0-0) = 3 pts

 

 

Won't close my eyes
Till I could see you open
Cherry Blossom

 

074 Amir Hasanvandi, Iran
(1-0-0) = 3 pts

 

 

flapping wings
waterhens on the run
across sunlight

078 Klaus-Dieter Wirth, Germany
(0-1-1) = 3 pts

 

 

Everything I touch
Those not yet dead
Longer Nights

 

085 Jo Mykle Hofseth, Norway
(1-0-0) = 3 pts

 

 

plane spotting
amongst the clouds
my eye floater

 

088 Robert Kingston, UK
(1-0-0) = 3 pts

 

 

Bursts of laughter between friends
All positive covid
Infinite sadness without him

 

090 Solène Lagadec, France
(1-0-0) = 3 pts

 

 

dancing girls
plums blossoms swaying
in the wind

 

096 Yuri Gomoyunov, Russia
(0-1-1) = 3 pts

 

 

keeping close 
yet physically distanced -
starling murmuration

 

101 Luminita Suse, Canada
(1-0-0) = 3 pts

 

 

starry night
an evening 
with the stars

 

103 Ana Marie Dollano, Philippines
(1-0-0) = 3 pts

 

 

pink lady slippers
the doctor recommends
heel cups

 

107 Jim Krotzman, USA
(1-0-0) = 3 pts

 

 

farewell in the rain –
gutter and pavement yellow
from pollen

 

130 Angelica Seithe, Germany
(1-0-0) = 3 pts

 

 

wave after wave -
divine idea for space
with countless versions

 

132 Minko Tanev, Bulgaria
(0-1-1) = 3 pts

 

 

spring thaw
the crows are playing
musical chairs

 

134 Alexey Golubev, Russia
(0-1-1) = 3 pts

 

 

summer day
ice cream drop
on your breast

 

138 Pavel Vorontsov, Russia
(0-1-1) = 1 pts

 

 

frozen traveler
by stepping in the train
he hopes for heating

 

140 Zvonko Jurcevic, Croatia
(1-0-0) = 3 pts

 

 

night train -
passengers keep to themselves 
their silence 

 

150 Benedetta Cardone, Italy
(0-1-1) = 3 pts

 

 

animal in the wall
sounds of sleet
eating

 

167 Marshall Hryciuk, Canada
(0-1-1) = 3 pts

 

 

midday heat
ripples
the heron’s foot makes

178 Brendon Kent, UK
(1-0-0) = 3 pts

 

 

unframed blue crags...
this window is open
in front of me

 

183 Vania Steafanova, Bulgaria
(1-0-0) = 3 pts

 

 

the white clover
my country sandals
without heels


186 Anastasia Alexandrovna Samuilova, Russia
(1-0-0) = 3 pts

 

 

Cuckoo’s song
in the woods over there
into my ears

 

200 Hidenori Hiruta, Japan
(1-0-0) = 3 pts

 

 

insomnia -
in the night window
fullmoonscream

 

240 Andrius Luneckas, Lithuania
(0-1-1) = 3 pts

 

 

harbinger of winter -
on the cherry branch
three leaves…

 

260 Vanice Zimerman, Brazil
(0-1-1) = 3 pts

 

 

the salt was passed
and the woman opposing him
showed no affection

 

261 Andreas Hvammen, Norway
(0-1-1) = 3 pts

 

2 points (20):

 

dear ten-year-old self 
looking at mounds of lemons… 
quick - make lemonade!  

 

004 Tanja Cilia, Malta
(0-1-0) = 2 pts

 

 

snow melts on the roads
a child refugee enters
borderless bookshop

 

020 April Mae M. Berza, Philippines
(0-1-0) = 2 pts

 

 

eighteen
nervous breakdowns
covid-19

 

030 Arne Haukdal, Norway
(0-1-0) = 2 pts

 

 

Early rays of sun
Crow pecking on a dead rat
Washing beak in pond

 

040 Ellen Margrete Grong, Norway
(0-1-0) = 2 pts

 

 

track side puddle
muddy toads
become face masks

 

057 John Parsons, UK
(0-1-0) = 2 pts

 

 

for sake of my soul
angels are shedding tears
- spring rain

077 Zoran M. Jovanovic, Serbia
(0-1-0) = 2 pts

 

 

Waking Camelot
where lilies of the valley
ring in their fragrance

 

087 Horst Ludwig, USA
(0-1-0) = 2 pts

 

 

pandemic silence -
even without the clock ticking
the night lingers

 

091 Gillena Cox, Trinidad
(0-1-0) = 2 pts

 

 

pendulum of a dog
between two armchairs -
old spouses

 

109 Margherita Petriccione, Italy
(0-0-2) = 2 pts

 

 

pilgrimage 
to the holy sites ...
online


113 Natalia Kuznetsova, Russia
(0-0-2) = 2 pts

 

 

 

no olive branch
nesting material
in the crow's beak

 

114 Wolfgang Rödig, Germany
(0-1-0) = 2 pts

 

 

sound the wind
verse by verse
reed warbler

139 Helga Stania, Switzerland
(0-0-2) = 2 pts

 

 

social network
the next fly is tangling
in the spider web

 

152 Kristina Todorova, Bulgaria
(0-1-0) = 2 pts

 

 

galaxy in jar...
my childhood dreams 
kept forever

 

153 Elisa Allo, Switzerland
(0-1-0) = 2 pts

 

 

in the broad daylight -
a fox carrying chicken
by the doghouse

 

168 Franjo Ordanić, Croatia
(0-1-0) = 2 pts

 

 

cherry petals
flies with the wind
light sorrow

171 Jūratė Norvaišienė, Lithuania
(0-1-0) = 2 pts

 

 

in the lake a duck
with seven little ducklings –
one wears a face mask 

 

188 Annette Akkerman, The Netherlands
(0-0-2) = 2 pts

 

 

pine pollen
the scarecrow smiles
through a yellow haze

214 Jon Espen Vassbotn, Norway
(0-1-0) = 2 pts

 

 

dandelion puffs…
two girls
blowing bubbles

 

217 Pamela Cooper, Canada
(0-0-2) = 2 pts

 

 

evacuation site ...
she outlines
her drawing

222 Ken Sawitri, Indonesia
(0-1-0) = 2 pts

 

1 point (18):

 

winds blow
cooler now...
plum rain


001 Pat Geyer, USA
(0-0-1) = 1 pt

 

 

until grandpa sees
adds berries
into grandson's bucket

 

008 Philmore Place, Belarus
(0-0-1) = 1 pt

 

 

A shooting star
in the vast immensity...
secret of silence

 

026 Keith A. Simmonds, France
(0-0-1) = 1 pt

 

 

without branches
naked over the water
old willow

 

048 Vukosav Delibasic, Montenegro
(0-0-1) = 1 pt

 

 

tuned tree
the woodpecker starts
the drumming

 

065 Rosa Clement, Brasil
(0-0-1) = 1 pt

 

 

splitting dawn
powerful syllable
her first catch of crow

 

067 Radhamani Sarma, India
(0-0-1) = 1 pt

 

 

our tears mingle
with the oboe's requiem
wilting lilies

 

102 Maxianne Berger, Canada
(0-0-1) = 1 pt

 

 

lonely coastline . . . 
ghost seashells whisper 
of long gone waves 

 

119 Milan Rajkumar, India
(0-0-1) = 1 pt

 

 

hourglass - 
no sign in sight
of deadlines

 

182 Ana Drobot, Romania
(0-0-1) = 1 pt

 

 

swallows on wires
counting five seven five
for haiku contest

 

189 Dainius Dirgela, Lithuania
(0-0-1) = 1 pt

 

 

children run
over the lawn - their feet
wet with dew

 

190 Ljubica Šporčić, Croatia
(0-0-1) = 1 pt

 

 

aging muse
wearing her own Monet
on her hands

 

191 Sandra St-Laurent, Canada
(0-0-1) = 1 pt

 

 

long before dawn
to you too, my rooster
cock-a-doodle-do

202 Stjepan Rozić, Croatia
(0-0-1) = 1 pt

 

 

autumn evening –
alone at the window
watching the clouds

 

227 Maria Tirenescu, Romania
(0-0-1) = 1 pt

 

 

worn out shoes -
the sharp stones hurt
my feet 

 

232 Vilma Knežević, Croatia
(0-0-1) = 1 pt

 

 

After 
Laughter 
Come tears

 

248 Mathieu Pochon, France
(0-0-1) = 1 pt

 

 

walking in wind
rain changes
body language

 

257 Himanshu Vyas, India

(0-0-1) = 1 pt

 

 

a wilting flower 
before the deity - 
the thanks we did not offer  

 

262 Priti Aisola, India
(0-0-1) = 1 pt

 

no points this time (51):

 

picture perfect day
a Mayfly makes
the very most of it 

 

028 Michael Henry Lee, USA

 

 

The Sun and The Moon
they change the world silently everyday
Why are you screaming?

 

038 Rolanda Stefanova, Bulgaria

 

 

supremacy -
the eyes of the universe 
in the rain lilies 

 

049 Carmen Duvalma, Romania 

 

 

news of her death...
a friend’s laughter
still reverberates 

 

051 Madhuri Pillai, Australia

 

 

online prayer
mass on the internet
the COVID resurrection

 

055 Vladimir Suk, Croatia

 

 

Aroma of tea
rich in so many herbs
in my dream

 

075 Ivanka Yankova, Bulgaria

 

 

angels cry 
devil's joy
singing in the rain

 

076 Stefana Stanivuk Veselinović, Serbia

 

 

Summer
darkness covered in gold
the pond

080 Cecilie Cottis Østreng, Norway

 

 

a candle stick
treading the moonless night
all to myself

 

081 Willie R. Bongcaron, Philippines

 

 

somenthing to save -
hidden by a wisteria
our old promise

 

083 Mauro Battini, Italy

 

 

After the rain
Family meeting
The difficult task

 

086 Virginija Sakalauskiene, Lithuania

 

 

blind museum
the touch
to humility

 

089 Ramesh Anand, India

 

 

distant thunder
the voice from the basement
rolls over

 

098 Gabriele Hartmann, Germany

 

 

her french missing grandfather –
with an english death certificate
my mother finally knows

 

104 Claude-Alice Lagadec, France

 

 

marathon --
the tape burst by the chest
of the first runner

 

112 Vladimir Ludvig, Croatia

 

 

spring wind -
the little cat shook
cherry blossom tree

 

118 Florin Golban, Romania

 

 

sipping a cup of tea-
a steaming volcano with
an explosion of joy

 

125 Caroline Moal, France

 

 

he who hated cold
on the mortuary’s ice -
Covid backlog

 

126 Rick Clark, USA

 

 

rip in the wind
a faint sob
In the Angelus bells

 

127 Alegria Imperial, Canada

 

 

pink harvest moon
on an airplane contrail
a dancing tineid moth 


136 Isabella Kramer, Germany 

 

 

a shank
sticked to the lush raspberry
- the former being

 

137 Marta Chocilowska; Poland

 


the cherry blossoms
feed the bees and their offspring
thus, the bees know beauty

 

145 Gerald Jatzek, Austria

 

 

The boat splits away
Visible in the river
Yellow twilight

 

149 K. Rajakumaran, India

 

 

to unburden heart
by the piano of childhood...
just the first etude

 

151 Goda V. Bendoraitienė, Lithuania

 

 

After the rain
Strip lighting of spider webs 
Cold and off

 

157 Safoora Khazaei, Iran

 

 

cold evening
old couple having green tea
the familiar fog

 

162 Ashoka Weerakkody, Sri Lanka

 

 

Empty seesaw swings
In my staring eyes it shapes
a surgical mask.

 

164 Marcell Domonkos, Hungary

 

 

Above the dreamy grass 
Towards the new moon 
A butterfly flies away

 

166 Biljana Kitić Čakar, Bosnia and Heregovina

 

 

paragons
the delineators keep
perfect distance

 

173 Pitt Büerken, Germany

 

 

tree stump
her laughter
deep rooted


175 Ravi Kiran, India

 

 

Between smell of rain
The scent of damp earth blessing
And frog orchestra

 

179 Christopher Calvin, Indonesia

 

 

Little kid's brow
At the window's glass
Kiss of mammy

 

184 Jonas Vaicekauskas, Lithuania

 

 

covid time --
among the white mountains
old borders' echo

 

194 Glauco Saba, Luxembourg

 

 

My wife tending
her mother's grave
The golden chain is blooming

 

195 Helge Torvund, Norway

 

 

boundless distances  ...
listen to what breaking
waves tell you

 

203 Nijolė Kerušauskienė, Lithuania

 

 

First date
The penalty interrupted
The long kiss

 

206 Dimitar Tanev, Bulgaria

 

 

caught in a sun ray
the dragonfly hovers
drizzling light

 

212 Sushama Kapur, India

 

 

calm backwaters
the harvest moon dawdling
on the houseboat

 

213 Lakshmi Iyer, India

 

 

ghostly hands vanishing
on red glowing ground
sunburn

 

219 Stephan Gräfe, Germany

 

 

Earl morning stillness 
Two young magpies 
chopping it

 

223 Anne Elisabeth Danielsen, Norway

 

 

two storks
blowing march snow - 
brainstorming

 

224 Csanad Szava,  Romania

 

 

army camp in Hawai'i
get your paper; generous soldier
happy Hawaiian boy

 

226 Alexis M. Liftee, USA

 

 

leaden skies
waiting for the rainbow --
a dove above

 

233 Mona Iordan, Romania

 

 

autumn leaves…
students discuss
set theory

 

234 Li Xiao, Russia

 

 

time to fly away…
that's what they'll tell me
someday

 

235 Elena Asch, Russia

 

 

snow stopped...
not a trace of a person
in picture from Mars

 

236 Natalia Sedenkova, Russia

 

 

the scream of the night
falls silent in the morning
a mirror's face

 

242 Hans Egerer, Germany

 

 

spring in the orchard
instead of whistling sound
hear wind noise again

 

243 Artur Lewandowski,  Poland

 

 

a morning chirping –
the blueness of the sky
closer and closer 

 

245 Mihovila Čeperić-Biljan; Croatia

 

 

first thaw 
New Year's resolutions
of mine

 

250 Henryk Czempiel, Poland

 

 

in the heat of June
a single thunder strikes 
- muffled moans

 

252 Aleksandra Guzik, Poland

 

 no results (authors who didn’t  vote - 13):

 

woke up suddenly
I see again the angel in my dream
smiling to me

 

006 Vasile Moldovan, Romania

 

 

noiseless disaster
the cadence of a cuckoo
only respite

 

054 Mona Bedi, India

 

 

tauktae cyclone...
his only net and hut 
swepts along

 

061 Gurpreet Dutt,  India

 

 

a lazy summer
spent joining the dots...
ladybirds in love

 

064 Tracy Davidson, UK

 

 

next to a vending machine
dazzling old century
Cola-Cola can

 

123 Marina Soboczyński, Poland

 

 

the library, a shelter
for the homeless now
times, they are a-changin’

142 Goerg Hübner, Austria

 

 

The first uniforms
A little too large
For young men

 

147 Charlotta Sinning, Germany

 

 

berries once
rooted on green fields
now grow in the lab

 

155 Taavi Heikinnen, Finland

 

 

thinking of death . . .
an ivy-covered house
climbs up to the sky

193 Ivan Gaćina, Croatia

 

 

a red dot
in the fold of white shorts
period

 

207 Aaina Sudabehs, Bulgaria

 

 

The ax handle
would bloom, one day
into a cherry

 

215 Ali Siran, Iran

 

 

sometimes
there's no need to say
anything –   

 

247 Brenda de Vaal, Netherlands

 

 

the button you lost
replaced by a red one now
as proposed - your smile

 

249 Thor Henriksen,  Norway

 

===

 

haiku 237 has been withdrawn from the kukai