VOTING BEGINS on One Perfect Ku (5/7/5) – 24-Hour Spring Haiku Contest(c)

AND THE WINNER IS:  MERRIL ALLEN

There, beneath the snow,   A flash of green and purple    Shimmers in the sun.    Merril Allen

Merril not only received the most votes, she received the most delegates…meaning she had more individual people vote for this Haiku.  It’s very satisfying that way, but it is not inevitable as some people voted with 1 or 2 points.  I will be sending you a very fanciful but practical, collapse-able umbrella soon, but can you please tell me what the green and purple was, Jack In the Pulpit??? Left over Mardi Gras beads?

2nd and 3rd places were very close.  But send your congratulatory notes to:             Casey Holt  and Peter W. Bucklin

And for what it’s worth I played loose and free with the quantity of Haikus any one submitted and I did not count the syllables.  If someone was off, so be it; it made for good reading.  But I did stick to the posted time frame this time.

NOW FOR A BRIEF ANNOUNCEMENT:  In order to continue providing this platform for artistic expression and very valuable prizes, I must increase the number of entrants and voters.  Please enter.  Please continue entering and encourage others to enter.  If you enter, please vote; if you don’t enter, please vote. And to gain additional exposure for your efforts share, share, share this blog. 

 

One Perfect Ku (5/7/5)     HAIKU BALLOT

Thank you, voters, for coming out to vote.  There are 26 very short takes on spring haiku.  Please read  and digest each little morsel, maybe in tiny little “no-see-um”-sized bites.

In springtime, nature

Wakes first to tap on windows

Still closed to the cold

by Alison Colby-Campbell

 HOW TO VOTE

 The voting will be very different this time due to the high quantity of entries.  This new system is described in the four rules below.  Understanding and complying with the new rules will not only provide a display of your haiku preferences, it will also unintentionally act as a test of your mental acuity – making sure your mind is not fogged by spring fever (no known cure) and pollen (take a Claritan).  You may want to print them, and take them outside to a spot in the sun for added inspiration  giving new meaning to the phrase – “Get Out to Vote”  – ahhhh, nice, but not mandatory.

MANDATORY RULES & REGULATIONS

I  Each voter has 20 points to distribute among the entries.

II  You must vote for at least 2 entries

III  Your second choice must receive at least 5 points*

IV  All votes must be submitted on the blog in the comment section in the following format examples below: 

  KU #40  8 points,    KU #28  5 points,   KU # 76 4 points,  KU #102 3 points

OR

  KU #54  15 points,     KU #27    5 points*

* 2^nd choice must receive a minimum of 5 points

PLEASE, DOUBLE CHECK YOUR MATH

Voting ends:  Thursday March 22 at 11:59 pm

Though there seem to be so many, please, respect the entrants and read all the ‘ku.  Together they constitute less than a third of the character count for my typical blog, and if you can get through that, these little gems should be no problem at all.

HAIKU 26 ENTRIES 

1  Gazing at the Clouds,    Imagining the Flowers,   April Showers Bring               by Kathleen Bennet Hutchinson

2 Single bug circles,    Antennae stretching sunward,  Dizzy with spring warmth by Elizabeth Chambers

3  Driving hurts in spring!    Mud season’s blooming frost heaves.   Cross arm over chest.    By  Elizabeth Chambers original title “Endowment”

4  Jasmine wafts aloft      Gloat not nor boast of breezes     some breathe by machine  by Lisa Rhoades

5  just beneath the skin     a liquescent temptation     coursing to the pail     by Casey Holt…Casey, can I borrow this for my maple blog??

6  boots give way to pumps    and knees come out of hiding    my heartbeat quickens  by Casey Holt

7  a hint of death past    with overtones of promise    nature blows a kiss   by 2nd place winner Casey Holt

8  Daffodils in March    Hail the Ascent of Springtime     Life is Born Anew      by Nissi Campbell

9  Freed, a single drop     Trickles down the swollen bud     Splashes on flowers.   by Merril Allen

10  The rock warriors rise     In the soil once again     To fight my shovel.    by Merril Allen

11  Chorus in the night     Hallelujahs in the woods     Songs of tiny frogs.   by Merril Allen

12  Leaf buds bulge on trees     Reflect the robin’s belly     And spring holds her breath.   by Merril Allen

13  There, beneath the snow,     A flash of green and purple     Shimmers in the sun.   1st place winner by Merril Allen

14  Rising from black earth     Weed’s child lifts its two dear hands     To cup the bright sun.   by Merril Allen

15  They built stairways, round     seeking the tops of flowers,    blooming sweet scent, alive   3rd place by Peter W Bucklin

16  The last of it, drips     away, sojourns running free     lively the arrival     by Peter Bucklin

17  Pending arrangements     a new passage, a different     storm opens all new          by Peter Bucklin

18  Swirling winds change tunes     brighter passages opening colors     ahhhh, the freshness lights   by Peter Bucklin

19  100 different skies race     running streams laughing past another     dazzling colors now    by Peter Bucklin

 20  Swinging bird feeder     Chickadees laughing at me      tell me what is peace    by Sailor Woman

21  Rushing melting ice     raging o’er the rocky bed     softness cuts granite   by Sailor Woman

 22  Warm breeze laughing sun     spring peepers calling early     icy hearts can melt    by Sailor Woman

23  Sun opens the sky      Beckoning forward life       Grass angel souls stir   Marjorie Kaye 

  24  Light of prism glass      Seeing cool and warmth of day      Snowdrops join loving heart       by Marjorie Kaye

 25  Relentless mind knots      Undone with one promised breeze     Sit on dunes of sand    by Marjorie Kaye

26  Spring arises and     Surprises with pre and post     Season disguises!   by Elizabeth Chambers

NOTES TO AUTHORS:  Titles were omitted as they added extra syllables.  Haiku are written in this format because it makes the total quantity appear shorter and thus makes each entry more likely to be read.  I am not advanced enough to know how to change fonts when converting from Word to this blog format.

(c) 2012 by Alison Colby-Campbell and the authors of the individual haiku