soaking up the sun
for hours
skin cancer or not, I'll look tan

Courtney Ginigeme

the once bright light
burns out
and is replaced

Nicholas Scarpinato

your hands
used to be so warm
frostbitten

Courtney Ginigeme

long sleeves
cover up
all of my pain

Garrett Mayberry

the once bright light
burns out
and is replaced

your hands
used to be so warm
frostbitten

your hands
used to be so warm
frostbitten

top quarter champion

TOP half Chamption

your hands
used to be so warm
frostbitten

bottom quarter champion

vacant room
now filled with music
echoing walls

purple bracelet
as pretty as the flowers outside my window—
DNR

vacant room
now filled with music
echoing walls

jealous clouds
overthrow the sun,
a shrouded earth

Nicholas Scarpinato

purple bracelet
as pretty as the flowers outside my window—
DNR

Courtney Ginigeme

vacant room
now filled with music
echoing walls

Aundrea Marsh

Courtney Ginigeme

TOP half champion

your hands
used to be so warm
frostbitten

CHAMPION
 

old memories
burning in my head
you say I'm worthless

old memories
burning in my head
you say I'm worthless

BOTTOM half champion

another passing glance
when will I stop
searching for love?

Nicholas Scarpinato

I can see the faith
dying
in her eyes

Courtney Ginigeme

sunrise and sunset
meet at the crossroad
my life

Garrett Mayberry

country road
nothing to see
but my shadow

Alex Zalar

another passing glance
when will I stop
searching for love?

sunrise and sunset
meet at the crossroad
my life

sunrise and sunset
meet at the crossroad
my life

top quarter champion

BOTTOM half champion

old memories
burning in my head
you say I'm worthless

bottom quarter champion

old memories
burning in my head
you say I'm worthless

old memories
burning in my head
you say I'm worthless

holding my dog close
because no one else will
tears on his fur.

old memories
burning in my head
you say I'm worthless

Aundrea Marsh

my lips
go numb
when we kiss

Courtney Ginigeme

holding my dog close
because no one else will
tears on his fur.

Aundrea Marsh

firetruck red
the leaves
of a changing tree

Sierra Birdsell

soaking up the sun
for hours
skin cancer or not, I'll look tan

Courtney Ginigeme

the once bright light
burns out
and is replaced

Nicholas Scarpinato

your hands
used to be so warm
frostbitten

Courtney Ginigeme

long sleeves
cover up
all of my pain

Garrett Mayberry

This haiku creates a lot of images to me. I can think of images from movies, books, songs, and my own memories and I think that's why I like it so much. The voice in it is reflective so I can input myself into the haiku and feel the cold hand that used to be warm. Also, this haiku allows the reader to feel the coldness externally with the hand, but internally as well. Sierra

This was just very powerful for me on a personal level. Sometimes relationships that we have with people change over time and it seems that they were not the people that we previously thought they were. Some people may have the warmest hugs, but could be hiding the coldest hearts. It is just what I think about when I read this poem. It's a sense of loss and loneliness as well as regret and remorse. Garrett

jealous clouds
overthrow the sun,
a shrouded earth

Nicholas Scarpinato

purple bracelet
as pretty as the flowers outside my window—
DNR

Courtney Ginigeme

vacant room
now filled with music
echoing walls

Aundrea Marsh

Courtney Ginigeme

This was my favorite haiku from the Kuro Kukai because I thought it was very clever, and made me think about what it was saying. The visual of the purple color really stuck with me in my head. I could imagine the purple on the patient's bracelet, and how it matched the flowers they looked at through the window. Those are such contrasting things so it was interesting to see the author's link. It also appealed to me so much because I am currently watching Grey's Anatomy on Netflix, so my mind has been filled with hospitals and medical cases lately. The fact that the last line stands alone as "DNR" leaves you with an unsettling feeling. It makes you think about it and it sticks with you. Lauren

another passing glance
when will I stop
searching for love?

Nicholas Scarpinato

I can see the faith
dying
in her eyes

Courtney Ginigeme

sunrise and sunset
meet at the crossroad
my life

Garrett Mayberry

country road
nothing to see
but my shadow

Alex Zalar

As with above I see depression in this haiku, only this depression is not mine. The depression here belongs to my ex-girlfriend, who has been the inspiration for many of my haiku. My ex and I used to be so happy. For the couple years I knew her before we were together, we were close friends. I knew after about a year that I had feelings for her. Finally one night I told her and she shut me down. Fast forward a few months and we kiss for the first time. We both fully admitted our feelings for each other and started dating not long after that kiss. Fast forward a few more months. Things got rough. She began avoiding me and closing herself off. I knew in my heart that things were over. I could see it in her eyes that she no longer wanted to be together. This tore me apart. Jeff

I like this haiku because it brings in the aspect of light and dark and how life can be really conflicting. It can be hard to make the right decision in life and this haiku really captures that aspect. Alex

I really enjoyed this haiku because it gives a beautiful picture. The idea of sunrise and sunset equally depicted is great imagery for someone who may be at a crossroads. It also gives a good description of how life is always changing and difficult decisions have to be made constantly. Courtney

old memories
burning in my head
you say I'm worthless

Aundrea Marsh

my lips
go numb
when we kiss

Courtney Ginigeme

holding my dog close
because no one else will
tears on his fur.

Aundrea Marsh

firetruck red
the leaves
of a changing tree

Sierra Birdsell

This haiku is a deeply relatable haiku rooted in rejection and anger. Everyone's been rejected in one way or another, but when it's by another person with whom you once had or want to have a romantic relationship it hurts even more so than by anything else. In this case, I imagine that this takes place after a break up of some sort. The word "burning" especially insinuates an angry tone, with the person being angry that they spent so much time dedicated to the other person only to have it fall to pieces. "Burning" could also refer to the passion that once occupied the hearts of both in the relationship, but since the two are not together anymore, the passion has moved up to the head/memories with nowhere else to go. I picture flashes of memories cycling through the broken-hearted person's while the other person goes off and explains why they're acting out the way they are. Nick