Competition Corner (4): Kukai Results ~ Rainbow

Rainbow over Mumbles, Swansea, Wales, UK

My Haiku below was voted 7th in the 3rd International Kukai on Rita Odeh's Catching the Moment site. The kigo was 'rainbow'. There were 145 haiku from 59 haijin, representing 16 countries.

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 7th Place:

a dark day–
my spirit restored
by a rainbow

Caroline Gill, UK
0,2,1=5

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If you would like to take part in the FOURTH INTERNATIONAL KUKAI, you will find details here. According to the Haiku World site, 'a kukai is a peered review poetry contest. A topic is assigned by the secretary, and all poets submit their poems on that topic to the secretary. An 'anonymized' list is then distributed to all participating poets and they are invited to vote. Votes are returned anonymously to the secretary who tallies the votes and re-sends the poems to the participants, this time with names and points revealed.'

International Echoes (16): 5th Place in International Kite Kukai

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5TH PLACE

a kite arches
under the rainbow,
over the spring tide

# 08. Caroline Gill, UK

I was delighted to discover that my 'kite' Haiku above had come 5th in the Second International Kukai over on Rita Odeh's Catching the Moment blog.

Competition Corner (3): Kukai Results

Sparrow in Philadelphia

I enjoyed taking part in the 1st International “sparrow” Kukai organised by editors, Rita Odeh from Nazareth and John Daleiden over at Catching the Moment. The kigo (season word/topic) was SPARROW/S. 

I read on the Haiku World site that 'a kukai is a peered review poetry contest. A topic is assigned by the secretary, and all poets submit their poems on that topic to the secretary. An 'anonymized' list is then distributed to all participating poets and they are invited to vote. Votes are returned anonymously to the secretary who tallies the votes and resends the poems to the participants, this time with names and points revealed.'

There were some excellent entries, and some real surprises in terms of the approach to the challenge. There were also some familiar Haiku words and phrases that popped up in more than one entry, e.g. cherry blossom, Spring, sun, rain, wind, silence, song ... and perhaps more surprisingly, mailbox.

As participants, we were invited to cast votes up to a total of six points, which could be divided between three entries. One of my Haiku failed to make the long-list, but the other two came in at 7th and 9th place. I hope to enter future Kukai, and to hone my Haiku skill as I go along.

• Catching the Moment
• International Kukai

There are various kukai on the web, e.g. the Romanian Kukai site. If you would like to enter Rita's next one, you can find the details here. You have until 10 May.

P.S. My thanks (once again!) to Crafty Green Poet, who drew my attention to the Sparrow kukai.