first sneeze
Kleenex box
stuck in bed
Sara Siegfried |
empty Kleenex box
all she wants
is her mother
Natalie Zelman |
bath time
my off-key singing
makes it fun
Sara Siegfried |
happily alone
a wooden spoon serves as
a microphone
Natalie Zelman |
empty Kleenex box
all she wants
is her mother |
happily alone
a wooden spoon serves as
a microphone |
|
happily alone
a wooden spoon serves as
a microphone
top
quarter champion |
|
TOP half Chamption
balance on
the sidewalk curb
wind between my fingers
|
bottom
quarter champion
balance on
the sidewalk curb
wind between my fingers
|
balance on
the sidewalk curb
wind between my fingers
|
crunch leaves
walking across campus
heavy bookbag
|
walking alone
her leather jacket squeaks
like a mouse
Natalie Zelman |
balance on
the sidewalk curb
wind between my fingers
Valina Hoang |
crunch leaves
walking across campus
heavy bookbag
Deja Finley |
cold windy walk
to class
friends
Deja Finley |
|
TOP
half champion
balance on
the sidewalk curb
wind between my fingers
|
|
CHAMPION
wishing well
trying to stop
remembering her
|
wishing well
trying to stop
remembering her
BOTTOM
half champion |
blistering heat
a group pauses
beneath a shady tree
Brandi DeLeonardo |
hopelessly lost
with closest friends
corn maze
Alec Campbell |
mint in a windowsill
moved to block
the sun
Danna Herbach |
windowsill
our mint grows
towards the sun
Natalie Zelman |
hopelessly lost
with closest friends
corn maze |
windowsill
our mint grows
towards the sun |
|
hopelessly lost
with closest friends
corn maze
top
quarter champion |
|
BOTTOM
half champion
wishing well
trying to stop
remembering her
|
bottom
quarter champion
wishing well
trying to stop
remembering her
|
piano keys ripple against the lake
|
wishing well
trying to stop
remembering her
|
piano keys ripple against the lake
Trista Smith |
paddle drips into boat
flinches
Taylor Hagerdorn |
newishestarshineveninglimmer
Alexandria Wilson |
wishing well
trying to stop
remembering her
Alec Campbell |
© 2014, Randy Brooks • Millikin University. All rights returned to authors upon publication.
first sneeze
Kleenex box
stuck in bed
Sara Siegfried |
empty Kleenex box
all she wants
is her mother
Natalie Zelman |
bath time
my off-key singing
makes it fun
Sara Siegfried |
happily alone
a wooden spoon serves as
a microphone
Natalie Zelman |
These two work together so well because I correlate being sick with wanting my mum. Whenever I don't feel well, she's been the person I look to for soothing whatever is upset. She was always ready with a hug, water, warm washcloth for my forehead, more blankets—you name it and she had it. Being away at school was
really, really cool UNTIL I got sick the first time. That was the first test of maturity, in my opinion. I had to learn how to take care of myself by doing a poor job of it for a while. Even though I can take care of myself (for the most part), I still miss her when I don't feel well. Taylor |
These two haiku were my favorite pair in the matching contest. They both indicate a time when the author was alone and felt comfortable enough to sing. I love both of these poems because they are so personal because it was a sneak peek into their lives; however, at the same time they are relatable because everyone has those moments when they just let go and sing their hearts out. The structures of both of these haiku are similar, starting with a setting and then two lines about what is going on. They represent a fun time when you can just let go. Danna
This was my favorite pairing because it does not use the exact same words, but it still conveys the same thoughts and ideas. I also liked it best of all of the other pairings because most of the other pairings had at least one of the two haikus written as a sentence instead of with the gaps that a haiku normally has. Also, the other pairings did not fit together quite as well as this one. The only thing I wish this haiku pairing did do is tell a continuous story, instead its subject matter is the same, but it would have been more interesting if the haikus also flowed straight into one another. Allie
I love this matching pair. I can imagine a little girl, maybe four or five years old in the bath tub. I can see it being night time, right before bedtime. They are in the tub splishing and splashing each other. They are singing to the top of their lungs and playing with rubber duckies. They are trying to have one last blast of fun before bedtime. With the second poem, I can imagine one of those girls all grown up. She is in her apartment cooking and singing the same song she would sing in the tub as a child. This is a great pair! Deja |
walking alone
her leather jacket squeaks
like a mouse
Natalie Zelman |
balance on
the sidewalk curb
wind between my fingers
Valina Hoang |
crunch leaves
walking across campus
heavy bookbag
Deja Finley |
cold windy walk
to class
friends
Deja Finley |
I really liked both of these haiku. I think that both of them addressed the topic of solitude nicely, but I liked that the tones of the two were slightly different. The first one was a bit more tense, in a way. I'm not sure if that is the right word to describe it—it just seemed to me that the person in the haiku was somewhat anxious, or maybe distracted. The jacket may have squeaked with her hurried movements across campus. Perhaps she was hurrying because she had somewhere to be, and she was worrying about being late. The second one was more peaceful, in my opinion. The word "balance" kind of slowed the haiku down, and gave it a more steady pace. The person in the haiku is alone, but she is okay with being alone- she is at peace with her solitude. She does not mind it; she is just happy to be outdoors in the fall wind. Both haiku dealt with the topic of being alone, but they both also did a good job of introducing different emotions as well. Mackenzie
I love these two together because they reflect on such small
but happy life moments. The peaceful feeling of walking alone, with weather cool enough to be wearing a jacket. It also must be pretty quiet to be able to hear the leather jacket squeaking. It gives such a sense of peacefulness. The other haiku gives this feeling too, but also has a childlike wonder. Balancing on a sidewalk curb, one must be in at least somewhat of a good mood, feeling the wind between my fingers. Both these haikus connect us with small little moment in everyday life that offer a sense of peace in such a fast past world. Trista |
I love the feeling of season change in these haiku. The first paints a picture of Millikin in the fall painted with the colors of the leaves. I can picture myself walking through piles of leaves on my way to classes prevented from enjoying the colors by the weight of my bookbag. In the second I picture a cold winter day on campus where even five layers can't keep me warm. I picture myself hurrying to class where my friends are waiting for me. I love the use of "cold windy city" in this haiku because of the picture it creates. Overall I really enjoyed all the pairings in our first matching contest, however these were my absolute favorites. I enjoy how the season seems to change in the matter of a line, and how each of these accurately depict life in Decatur in the fall and winter. Sara
Although these are not my two favorite haikus, I find that as a pairing they complement each other quite well. What I love is the way they tell a story of on one side, being along and taking in the beauty of the autumn, while the other story tells of social interaction and the physical closeness that often comes when it is cold outside, as in friends walking right next to each other to stay warm. I imagine almost that this pairing is before a class and after a class. The student walks alone to class and then leaves class with a small group of friends, trekking to their next class. Olivia
These two haikus were a great matched pair. The flow between them is apparent and it seems as if they wrote it together as a story! The first haiku is much more descriptive. I could feel and hear the leaves crunching beneath my shoes and also feel the heavy weight of my books and laptop on my back. It reminds me of this time of year. It doesn't leave much room to imagination, but I appreciate that it is very descriptive and imagery-filled. The second one is open-ended. I can feel the cold wind against my skin. I could also picture my friends and I walking in silence or laughing or looking at our phones. This haiku is not as limited as the first one. But I like how they were paired because the haikus seem like a continuation of the other. Valina |
blistering heat
a group pauses
beneath a shady tree
Brandi DeLeonardo |
hopelessly lost
with closest friends
corn maze
Alec Campbell |
mint in a windowsill
moved to block
the sun
Danna Herbach |
windowsill
our mint grows
towards the sun
Natalie Zelman |
|
|
|
|
balance on
the sidewalk curb
wind between my fingers
Valina Hoang |
happily alone
a wooden spoon serves as
a microphone
Natalie Zelman |
balance on
the sidewalk curb
wind between my fingers
Valina Hoang |
wishing well
trying to stop
remembering her
Alec Campbell |
These two haiku, though not paired together originally, came together to make a pair over the course of the tournament and I really loved how they fit together. Both haiku focus on a solitary moment, but these moments are not negative. The first states explicitly that the moment is a happy one, and the second implies it. The mental image of someone walking alone, arms out at their sides as they try to balance on a sidewalk curb and wobbling a little before grinning as he or she regains their balance, is a pleasant one. Both haiku have a bit of a whimsical air about them, almost childlike with the imagination and abandon of singing into a wooden spoon and the innocent impulsivity of walking on the curb just because. Natalie |
These two haikus created an image of life. I was transfixed by the complexity and the dichotomy of images that these haiku created; the blend created this movie in my mind's eye, and I am still in awe of the compatibility that these haikus possessed. The first haiku spoke of simplicity and novelty and the second haiku accompanied it by showing a later scene in the story. I just feel the emotion behind these minimalistic haikus, and I loved how they played off of each other. There's so much sensory detail in both haiku, and I created this image of someone with a heart of stone and a wistful way about them, making their way through the places that they used to go with their lover (in this case, a woman, but sex almost seems arbitrary). This pairing just makes me think of someone walking down Warwick Avenue, and there's this really interesting characteristic of being alone and content but still in deep reflection. If I were to meet this individual that these haikus created, I wouldn't need to ask questions—there is a great sense of knowing here, and I couldn't help but just walk by. These haiku just have this quality of life about them, and I love them. Bravo. Jonathan
I like this pair the most because it tells a story. The story of friends that were running through the corn mazes and having fun and then all of a sudden it flashes forward to the happy couple broken up. It kind of reminds me of the movie UP when the wife passes away and Carol is trying everything to stop remembering how sad he is. Mikayla |
piano keys ripple against the lake
Trista Smith |
paddle drips into boat
flinches
Taylor Hagerdorn |
newishestarshineveninglimmer
Alexandria Wilson |
wishing well
trying to stop
remembering her
Alec Campbell |
Between these two haiku there is a definite theme of serenity. I think that the first haiku is absolutely amazing actually. I would have thought that this one would have won the kukai for sure. In the first haiku the most important part is the word "against" which really gives it its imagery. Alec
I liked this pairing because of the pictures I saw in my head of just a piano playing and creating the ripples of a song. Then I see someone rowing a boat, listening to the world around them, then getting shocked awake by a drip of the water on their skin. I love the visuals of water in my head, and I can feel the water on my skin and hear the music being played on the piano and picture all the notes as they ripple across the water. The reason I liked the piano one more is because it is just such a unique idea, the thought of piano keys making the water dance and intercept ripples. Brandi
I thought both of these haiku were very interesting in that they both played with the form. I am starting to like one liners the more that I see them. I think that this one liner especially works well because of the content of the haiku. It is talking about a lake. The author could be trying to symbolize water by making it a one lined poem. I also really enjoy the image that shows up in my head when I think about the piano keys rippling on the lake. I am a pianist myself so this may be why I connected with this haiku. When I get into the routine of playing, I get a great feeling inside that makes me feel amazing; the haiku is a representation of what I feel. In the other haiku, there is an actual person in a boat on the lake. I think this is a much more simplistic haiku, reenacting an instance that meant a lot to the author. This poem is a more realistic haiku and is pretty straightforward. Although it is simple, the imagery is very clear and precise. Daniel
I really liked these haikus and how they were paired together. I think that the images are very similar even though they aren't about the same things. The image of water dripping and creating ripples comes to mind when I read these haikus. The piano keys affect the water of the lake and the drips off of the paddle affect the water that may be inside of the boat. They are also less than three lines which is unique. Erin |
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