needing a word
between Like & Love . . .
I ampersand You

Derekah Williams

I like you
I mean—
I think I like like you

Aundrea Marsh

your necklace
disappearing in your striped shirt—
our first encounter

Sierra Birdsell

back and forth
the butterfly searches
for the perfect flower

Alex Zalar

I like you
I mean—
I think I like like you

your necklace
disappearing in your striped shirt—
our first encounter

I like you
I mean—
I think I like like you

top quarter champion

TOP half Champion

a deep breath
the leaves dance
across      ground
the

bottom quarter champion

a deep breath
the leaves dance
across      ground
the

summer sunset
milkshakes after chores
together

a deep breath
the leaves dance
across      ground
the

summer sunset
milkshakes after chores
together

Alex Zalar

streetlight glow
I see you walking away
down the train track

Jeffrey Davis

a deep breath
the leaves dance
across      ground
          the

Garrett Mayberry

another cloudless sky.
when will I stop
wishing for rain?

Nicholas Scarpinato

TOP half champion

a deep breath
the leaves dance
across      ground
the

CHAMPION

the ocean waves
for the first time
I wave back

the ocean waves
for the first time
I wave back

BOTTOM half champion

your name
lights up my screen
then my face

Lauren Bartel

smiling for no reason,
    or am I
        thinking of you?

Alex Zalar

her name in the sand
girlfriend
we are nothing more

Jeffrey Davis

the ocean waves
for the first time
I wave back

Lauren Barte

smiling for no reason,
    or am I
        thinking of you?

the ocean waves
for the first time
I wave back

the ocean waves
for the first time
I wave back

top quarter champion

BOTTOM half champion

the ocean waves
for the first time
I wave back

bottom quarter champion

I danced
the first night we met;
I can't dance

best friends
we exchange our Valentine's
in March

I danced
the first night we met;
I can't dance

Rubik’s cube
resting on my knees
learning his joys

Aundrea Marsh

best friends
we exchange our Valentine's
in March

Derekah Williams

dance party for two
puts the stress at bay
for the next 3 minutes and 22 seconds

Lauren Bartel

I danced
the first night we met;
I can't dance

Sierra Birdsell

my engine
runs for hours
in front of your house

Nicholas Scarpinato

home alone
playing Rock Band
in my underwear

Garrett Mayberry

rushing to class
a strand of hay
tangled in my hair

Aundrea Marsh

the blonde
becomes brighter
the suns rays

Sierra Birdsell

my engine
runs for hours
in front of your house

the blonde
becomes brighter
the suns rays

my engine
runs for hours
in front of your house

top champion

Champion

my engine
runs for hours
in front of your house

bottom champion

a streetlamp shines
on a playful grin
is it curfew already?

a streetlamp shines
on a playful grin
is it curfew already?

from her parents
she learned what love
shouldn't look like

actually having
to put make up on
a night on the town

Sierra Birdsell

a streetlamp shines
on a playful grin
is it curfew already?

Nicholas Scarpinato

from her parents
she learned what love
shouldn't look like

Derekah Williams

“You make me
feel so young”
my grandparents waltz

Nicholas Scarpinato

your name
lights up my screen
then my face

Lauren Bartel

smiling for no reason,
    or am I
        thinking of you?

Alex Zalar

These two were matched in our contest, and I liked the pairing so I chose it for my own comparison. They both convey they same feeling, but they get there in different ways. The haikus are talking about how it feels when you're in a relationship and you can't stop thinking about the other person, or the mention of their name makes you happy. It could be taking place at the beginning of the relationship, or just in the comfort of going steady. The structure of the haikus is very different. The first is more conventional, while the second is a little more creative. The slanting lines match the daydreaming feeling in the second one. They both have a break between lines, but the first one breaks after the second line, while the second haiku breaks after the first line. I think the word choice is similar between the two. Neither used huge words, but when the words together paint the right picture. Lauren

another cloudless sky.
when will I stop
wishing for rain?

Nicholas Scarpinato

streetlight glow
I see you walking away
down the train track

Jeffrey Davis

from her parents
she learned what love
shouldn't look like

Derekah Williams

“You make me
feel so young”
my grandparents waltz

Nicholas Scarpinato

Reading these haiku gave me a similar feeling. The first is the sense of longing for the rain, while the second is the longing for the person walking away to turn around and come back. Both also start with a location/setting line. The top one seems more like a morning setting and the second is obviously a dusk/night setting. Aundrea

I like this pair from the matching contest because they show both sides of love. The second one portrays an unconditional, old generation, innocent love between 2 people who have probably been married over 50 years. The first one portrays this generation's idea of love in my opinion. Nowadays people don't really know what true love is and end up marrying people for the wrong reasons. Courtney

ghostly dandelion seed
       floating in the breeze
take me for a ride

Jeffrey Davis

steel bars
no door latch
no escape

Aundrea Marsh

These haiku go well together in my opinion. Both of these haiku seem to be about freedom in some way. The first haiku has a seemingly longing desire to be set free. The author wants to go for a ride and float on through life much like a dandelion seed floats in the breeze. The second haiku, however, represents a lack of freedom. The author is trapped inside some internal cage longing for escape. The author should look to the dandelions for freedom. Jeffrey

skipping stones
alone
dad casts another line

Nicholas Scarpinato

poisoned apple
no longer my gateway
to Eden

Jeffrey Davis

black and white ivory
dissonance here
new found love

Jeffrey Davis

I want to hold your hand
you'd rather hold
your grudge

Nicholas Scarpinato

poisoned apple
no longer my gateway
to Eden

black and white ivory
dissonance here
new found love

black and white ivory
dissonance here
new found love

top champion

Champion

black and white ivory
dissonance here
new found love

bottom champion

narrow hallways
cafeteria smell
was I really this small?

growing in corner
with no light      unable to move
wallflower

narrow hallways
cafeteria smell
was I really this small?

comerunhideawayalone

Jeffrey Davis

growing in corner
with no light      unable to move
wallflower

Nicholas Scarpinato

high school cafeteria
overcrowded
solitary confinement

Derekah Williams

narrow hallways
cafeteria smell
was I really this small?

Lauren Bartel

standing here
staring at a punnet square
the wrath of genetics

Sierra Birdsell

ghostly dandelion seed
       floating in the breeze
take me for a ride

Jeffrey Davis

Hakuna Matata
no worries
in love with you

Sierra Birdsell

I want to hold your hand
you'd rather hold
your grudge

Nicholas Scarpinato

ghostly dandelion seed
       floating in the breeze
take me for a ride

Hakuna Matata
no worries
in love with you

ghostly dandelion seed
       floating in the breeze
take me for a ride

top champion

Champion

ghostly dandelion seed
       floating in the breeze
take me for a ride

bottom champion

the smaller version of myself
snuggles against me
so good to be home

the smaller version of myself
snuggles against me
so good to be home

the smaller version of myself
snuggles against me
so good to be home

Lauren Bartel

steel bars
no door latch
no escape

Aundrea Marsh