social distancing

 each bean

planted four inches apart

the wait

Mark Gilbert, UK

The first line is both engaging and intriguing. It pulls the reader into the haiku, the second gives us a clearer picture of the farm. The distance is represented as 'four inches', each bean is given four inches of earth apart to struggle, to fight for nutrition, to learn to grow on its own. The farm is a metaphor for life, similarly we are given our 'four inches of earth' on planet Earth to struggle, to fight for nutrition, a tireless but essential competition which enables us to grow on our own. The amazing aha line, 'the wait', before we all get plucked away by the harvest of death?. The haiku shows we are truly lonely in this world, we do not truly enjoy anything since we compete for them, we compete for water, housing, shelter, etc. That is why the world keeps running a dire shortage of these things... Gilbert has penned a very thoughtful haiku which he will be remembered for.

Review by Emmanuel Jessie Kalusian

The theme for this kukai was social distancing
The Results HERE