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It's a scary thang to judge this heah Haiku round on account of y'all bein' so clevah. Lemme say, right heah at the top of the post how touched I is that so many wif' other considerations played this week--
Curmudgeon waltzin' off to some (minor!) surgery but tossin' in his contemplative entry first; Boxer-Babe wif' work-weeks from hell overshadowin' her still turned in a ditty that made Aunty chuckle; Moi, a sister-sufferer of all thangs deadline, a true professional, but she bounced over to give us a loveable fright.
Karl, rises from the deep to cast an image of a ghostly schooner, Czar, doin' double duty as editor for several contentious points, managed to guide Aunty into hitherto unknown ghostly territory; Red-Anon rolled Haiku out like clouds across the Big Sky, despite havin' yet to SET UP A BLOG (hint!).An' then, Troll-Man, our Founder, who emerged from the mists of hiatus to Haiku wif' us. A huge round of thanks to all who participated, even if only as ANON observers.
Y'all is a great group of fun-hearted folks. 'Tis a privilege when ya visit Aunty's porches. Thanky thanky!
This week we had particularly fine visuals; they truly added to the fun. Moi's big ole shadowy dawg, an' Fleur's delectable neck, Troll's very scary visuals of OWS, Foamy's misty portrait of her brother, Czar's local history goes ghostal, Princess's music clip, an', a scene from the movie Ghost, Rafa D's own artwork, then Chick9's handpainted gobblin. The challenge wuz not to choose the winner based on the visuals--but to keep visuals as mah ace in the hole in view of any tie.
Wif' so many terrific entries, the judge's job be real tough--an' Aunty's fall back is The Rules. More'n one stellar entry misses the rule mark this week on account of a lack of a Kigo--the seasonal/ nature reference. Oh an' I squirm to apply the Rules 'cause some of the most evocative Haiku had to be set aside.
Twistin' mah hanky in anxiety over this point, I has wondered iffin' this be mah own fault? When the theme GHOST is served up a week a'fore Halloween, is it assumed that the seasonal reference is understood in context? If so mah sincere apologies. On t'other hand, some entries are complete thoughts with nary a wisp of Halloween needed to make them cogent--so in those selections, there is apparently no assumption of Halloween...oh the pressure!!
At least three of yore Haiku have excellent Kierji --the switch from the first impression to a wholly other idea--yet whole/ unified when juxtaposed. When Kierji is done well, it makes Haiky jump at me--the set up, then the unexpected direction/ endin'. But...arrrgggh!!! some of them lacked the seasonal reference ....groan. Boxer-Babe returned to point out her own oversight of The Rules--perhaps for omission of a ghost synonym--so I'll use her entry to illustrate:
Boxer's frame of reference was the movie Ghost ( Princess too). If y'all has seen this movie, mayhap ya recall that titillatin' Demi Moore- Pat Swayze scene of throwin' a clay --er, vase? Anyhoo, Boxer wrote:
Throwing pottery
was never the same again
still, a dumb movie
The first idea evokes a passionate, mud slick embrace--takin' yore mind in one direction, then "still, a dumb movie" dumps a bucket of cold water on the overheated potters. When spoken aloud this Haiku sounds so natural, not as crafted verse. The two ideas do present an integrated movie review, one memorable scene in an otherwise silly movie. Well done B-Babe!
An' Moi's really wunnerful heart-stoppin' moment that most all dawg owners know well:
Lo, what spectral smudge
at midnight haunts my room? Phew!
‘tis only the dog.
We's set up fer a Bates Motel scene in Poe style--relief! It's jes' Ole Mangy.
Fleur's wink to romantic snag is another example of takin' the reader (listener--again, a natural flow when recited aloud) in one direction, then a surprise conclusion.
My heart is a wraith;
haunted and caught, tangled in
your barbed-wire love.
Foamy offered us a reflective on loss..I wanted to reach mah hand out too, the sense of yearnin' wuz so strong. Alas, minus a seasonal reference---grrrrr!
Fishy an' Princess gave us literary Haiku, invokin' Dickens an' Dante--very cool.
But thar's so many fun entries this week--playful is the right note, perhaps, fer Halloween:
Karl's Ghostbusters, Chickory's smilin' Jack- o-Lantern, Princess's candy reward...
and--jes' edgin' by a wisp to the winner's spot? FISHY wif'
All Hallows Eve:
Apparitions swarm
eerily through night shadows.
Chocoholics all!
Two lines of scary but wif' a funny finish:
Congratulations Fishy!
* Announcement: Frankenstein is a'comin'.
