Groundhog Haiku Finalists--Vote Now!

Here we are. The moment you've all been waiting for. We had twelve Official Entrants for the contest, and it's up to me to pick the top five for you to vote for. Tough calls--some were really good, but I had to disqualify them for failing to follow the 5/7/5 syllable pattern. If I didn't select your entry, it's not because I don't love you. It's because I'm a cold, ruthless individual who has no heart.

The winner gets a named character in my next book (currently in draft form): TARNHELM.

Here's how voting's going to work. Everybody gets one vote. You can only vote by leaving a comment on this post. Rigging the vote is encouraged--get as many of your friends to vote for you as you can. The more the merrier. All I ask is that you respect the one person/one vote rule--you're on your honor. (And yes, you can vote for your own entry.) Voting closes at midnight in one week (March 7th).

Got that? Any questions?

So without further ado, here are the candidates, in random order. May the best haiku win.

Candidate 1

A groundhog I am

Call me Punxsutawney Phil

I'll eat your garden 

Candidate 2

Groundhog Day is here.

Quit messing with my winter,

Brown and furry rat.

Candidate 3

O shadow watcher,

The earth spins on its axis,

But you summon spring. 

Candidate 4

Looking from my lair

Unbroken clouds fill the sky.

Daffos soon will dil!

Candidate 5

Groundhog, take a bribe?

For the love of sunshine warm,

Don't see your shadow!