Christmas decorations

 hanging baubles

one after another

memories with mom
--Cezar Florescu 

A very bittersweet haiku.  I read it as the mother has passed implied by the poet reminiscing about her.  Line 2 works as a pivot like a zeugma between Lines 1 and 3 so it can be read as 'hanging baubles one after another' and 'one after another memories with mom'.  I can read it as a general reminiscing of my mother as I hang Christmas decorations on the Christmas tree or imagine with each light or Christmas ball as I search for a place to hang them my mind flits to different memories of this season with her.  I also think about the smattering of family heirloom decorations or made by me or my siblings as children saved by my mother, literal memories now hung on my tree.  I like the word choice "baubles" it has a nice analogy to memories as sparkling gems.  My only reservation about baubles is would I have know they were Christmas decorations if I hadn't already known they were this contest theme and I can't unknow it to be sure.  But with the clues in the phrasing and that Christmas is often reminisced I think I would have known.

Review by Michael Baribeau

The Theme of this kukai was Christmas Decorations

Full Results HERE

shopping

homeless -
above the shopping cart
a sky full of stars
-Ana Drobot (Romania)

I like that the first line was homeless and not 'the' homeless allowing the reader to also see it from a homeless person's eyes.  Dealing with homelessness and even the humbling image of carrying along their possessions in a shopping cart to my ear has an unpretentious melancholy mood of wabi sabi. But I also like how line 3 can give us pause to see the virtues of such a life, modest, harsh, and fleeting as they may be, to live not only on the streets but among nature and beneath the stars, and the symbolism of stars reminds us that they too can hope and dream.

Review by Michael Baribeau

The theme for this kuaki was shopping

Full Results HERE