Romanian Weekly Kukai no. 651

First Place – Mihai Talașman

grandma’s house -
mended by a spider
broken window

Second Place – Cecilia Birca

closed school -
the spider draws his web
over the world map

Third Place – Ion Cuzuioc

abandoned orchard -
hanging on to weeds
sunset

Third Place – Mihai Pascaru

early morning –
in the flower girl’s basket
a peony yawns

Mention – Mihai Pascaru

morning prayer -
on a spider's thread
dew drops

Mention 2 – Cristina Apetrei

rainbow in the window -
completely dry in the schoolbag
watercolours

Mention 2 – Cornel C. Costea

walking together –
a beetle takes a sit
on the hat

Mention 3 – Ion Cuzuioc

ripe cherries –
elegantly dressed
the scarecrow

Mention 3 – Cristina Apetrei

after the rain -
the old acacia's shadow
not fitting in the puddle

Daily Haiku for 13 April

arrivals and departures -
swallows’ nests
in the old train station

Argentina Stanciu


We deal with an empathic-ironic way of taking over the duties of a station decommissioned by the bieds. A perpetual movement of going to and fro revitalizes the building. The swallows have found a more stable shelter there. For the human beings, the train station is abandoned and ruined, but for the birds it has a secure future. A muffled, slightly acid lyrical compensation. (Comment by Corneliu Traian Atanasiu)

Romanian Monthly Kukai March 2020

Special Prize

early thaw -
the child changes the book
with the makeup kit

Argentina Stanciu


First Place

old cross -
the thaw makes lighter
Jesus’ cross


Cezar Florescu


Second Place

first thaw -
sky and earth
in a puddle


Ioana Bud



Third Place

thaw on a mountain lake -
crushed among trouts
Polar Star


Ion Rășinaru



Fourth Place

thaw weather –
the antique dealer gets out
his table with old books

Mona Iordan



defrosted river -
the night carriages starting
full of stars

Lucreția Horvath


Fifth Place

window thaw -
dripping from the flower
the last petal

Ion Cuzuioc



Sixth Place


early thaw -
heartbeats
are getting faster

Béa Hurmuz


late thaws -
on the old woman's shirt
only rivers

Mihai Pascaru

haiku poem

quarantine line -
the buds pop to the rhythm
of the jackhammer

Corneliu Traian Atanasiu

Weekly Romanian Kukai no 644

First Place – Cornel C. Costea

state of emergency -
plenty of sparrows
in the school yard


Second Place – Dana Ene

time for thaw -
a wheel of the Big Dipper
skidding


Third Place – Mihai Talașman

poppy seed -
a tiny grain gives birth to
a supernova


Mention1 – Mirela Brăilean

the rotten fence –
the cherry trees in the orchard
beaten by blooms


Mention2– Luminița Ignea

seclusion -
even the moon’s face
with a mask of clouds


Mention3 – Cecilia Birca

deserted city -
the bees’ buzz
reviving the street

Weekly Romanian Kukai no. 635

First Place – Luminița Ignea

child’s eyes -
to the moon and back
on a dew drop


Second Place – Mirela Brăilean

everyone with nothing on the head -
wearing the new hat
only grandpa


Second Place – Cecilia Birca

ice layer in the window -
only the sky keeping for a while
the mitten’s shape


Third Place – Dana Ene

convalescence -
the ivy holds
the mud wall


Mention – Lucreția Horvath

divorce section –
gloves without their pairs
next to the bin


Mention – Marius Voinaghi

children playing -
grandma lighting the fire
with yesterday’s coal


Mention – Mihai Talașman

last kiss -
in a silvery coat
all the roses

Weekly Romanian Kukai contest no. 631 - first place poem

bridge over the night -
beyond the shore always
a new dawn

(Alice Ostafi)



Both shore and night are transfigured, with that kind of spiritual optimism which knows that the night offers the best advice. It is important to keep open to the freshness of a new beginning whenever possible. (Comment by Corneliu Traian Atanasiu)