we used to throw mud
at each other
we don't talk much anymore
Alexsenia Ralat |
taking turns
pushing each other
the old swing set
Owen Pulver |
brother and I
riding bikes to the creek
carrying fishing poles
Owen Pulver
|
hot summer day
mom drives us
to the local pool
Matthew Vangunten |
we used to throw mud
at each other
we don't talk much anymore |
brother and I
riding bikes to the creek
carrying fishing poles |
|
we used to throw mud
at each other
we don't talk much anymore
top
quarter champion |
|
TOP half Chamption
alone in the chapel
replaying
an old voicemail
|
bottom
quarter champion
alone in the chapel
replaying
an old voicemail
|
my child stares
at his phone
the zombie stares back
|
alone in the chapel
replaying
an old voicemail
|
dinosaurs
ride skateboards
at dusk
Shannon Netemeyer |
my child stares
at his phone
the zombie stares back
Ryan Sikora |
checking my phone
the only texts
are from my siblings
Morgan Vogels |
alone in the chapel
replaying
an old voicemail
Shannon Netemeyer |
|
TOP
half champion
alone in the chapel
replaying
an old voicemail
|
|
CHAMPION
alone in the chapel
replaying
an old voicemail
|
family cafe
where everybody knows your name
foreclosed
BOTTOM
half champion |
family cafe
where everybody knows your name
foreclosed
Alyssa Becker |
the loving mother arrives
with sweet coffee and dinner
I turn around
Ryan Sikora |
the pillow
intricately designed,
goes unnoticed.
Renee Sample |
an outsider
I cover my ears
with my pillows
Alexander Erickson |
family cafe
where everybody knows your name
foreclosed |
the pillow
intricately designed,
goes unnoticed. |
|
family cafe
where everybody knows your name
foreclosed
top
quarter champion |
|
BOTTOM
half champion
family cafe
where everybody knows your name
foreclosed
|
bottom
quarter champion
sitting in my pocket
on my bed in my closet
love notes
|
sitting in my pocket
on my bed in my closet
love notes
|
flashing red and blue
mom
please wake up
|
looking down
a white aisle
the rest of her life
Caroline Lodovisi |
sitting in my pocket
on my bed in my closet
love notes
Alexander Erickson |
flashing red and blue
mom
please wake up
Alyssa Becker |
air conditioning off
I finally realize
no one's home
Anna Harmon |
© 2016, Randy Brooks • Millikin University. All rights returned to authors upon publication.
we used to throw mud
at each other
we don't talk much anymore
Alexsenia Ralat |
taking turns
pushing each other
the old swing set
Owen Pulver |
brother and I
riding bikes to the creek
carrying fishing poles
Owen Pulver
|
hot summer day
mom drives us
to the local pool
Matthew Vangunten |
These two haiku are all about old memories and remembering fun times as a kid. The haiku about the mud is all about being such good friends only to have time slowly drift the two apart. This happened to one of my best friends from my childhood. He is currently somewhere at sea for the marines and I haven't talked to him for a while. The haiku about the swing reminds me of old times but it doesn't bring the lost friendship aspect to it nearly as much as the other one. This haiku makes me think of a lasting friendship that has lasted all of thoseyears and the friends are recalling the good times they had. Matthew
This haiku makes me think of childhood friends that would always mess around with each other that eventually grew apart. It reminds me of being really silly with friends that you had as a child, and reflecting back on those memories. I also think that this haiku could be about a really toxic friendship, where the mud throwing is more emotional abuse/harsh words. Anna
Two people who were once the best of friends, now indifferent. Either indifferent or enemies. This haiku just makes me think of someone looking off into the distance with a soft, pained look on their face. They are reminiscing the past, when everything was great. Something happened, and now all they can do is sigh sadly. The piece could also be taken as people would metaphorically throw mud at each other, verbally. They were friends, fought, and now the fighting is done because there's no interaction. I just like this one because I've felt that multiple times throughout my life, and it's a quiet, coldness. Jordan
|
At first, this haiku actually reminds me a little bit of the Andy Griffith show when Andy and his son Opie go fishing. However, after hearing it a second time, I felt something very special from this haiku. Some of my most genuine and memorable times with my little brother are when we set off to do activities on our own. These special "just kids" moments were ours to share and no one else's. This journey of two brothers traveling to the creek together on their bikes is something only they share. I cherish those moments so much. I also love that I can see the movement in this poem: the boys bouncing up and down as they pedal to the creek on a bumpy dirt road, with the fishing poles awkwardly swaying back and forth in their grubby hands. I believe Owen was the author of this haiku, and he honestly hit it out of the park, especially with sending me back to my own childhood experiences. Alyssa |
|
|
|
|
|
dinosaurs
ride skateboards
at dusk
Shannon Netemeyer |
my child stares
at his phone
the zombie stares back
Ryan Sikora |
checking my phone
the only texts
are from my siblings
Morgan Vogels |
alone in the chapel
replaying
an old voicemail
Shannon Netemeyer |
These haiku paired together represent to me how much technology has changed childhood. The first haiku shows the imagination and creativity of youth and how an entire day could be spent pretending dinosaurs are riding skateboards. Anything and everything could be made into a game with minimal props required. The second haiku shows how dependent children are on technology for entertainment. Whether you interpret the zombie as part of a game or video the child is enjoying or the child itself, it still shows the ingrained connection the child has to the phone. I personally like to think of the zombie as the child, no longer feeling his own feelings or being creative. In that way the dinosaurs of the first haiku could be the technology-less children that have since gone extinct. Savannah |
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This haiku really resonated with me because it brought up a lot of memories. My mother passed away when I was 7, and after she died my dad kept the voicemails she had left on his phone. My sister and I would always listen to those voicemails over and over, even though they were usually about nothing special. Listening to those voicemails was a way that my sister and I would cope, and this haiku really creates that image. Anna |
So I really really love this one because it reminds me of those old books that we read as kids. It's so whimsical and childish and nice. The feeling that I get from it is a feeling of nostalgia, I remember my brother and I trying to skateboard as kids and me failing miserably. He went on to be pretty good at it while I decided to stick to ordinary skates. Overall, it's a very happy feeling. Alexsenia |
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Every time I read this I honestly get the chills. I can easily put myself into this situation. I feel that I went to the chapel specifically to listen to the voicemail because it was going to be something difficult to listen to again. Perhaps it was from an ex-lover that would be a dangerous situation to go back to, and therefore I would need to turn to prayer. Perhaps the voicemail was from a family member or friend that had passed away and you are mourning them greatly. I can feel the almost eerie quiet, still air that fills the church. I'm alone, but I'm not. Beautifully written, as I am surprised but also can feel myself in this chapel. Alyssa |
|
|
|
|
family cafe
where everybody knows your name
foreclosed
Alyssa Becker |
the loving mother arrives
with sweet coffee and dinner
I turn around
Ryan Sikora |
the pillow
intricately designed,
goes unnoticed.
Renee Sample |
an outsider
I cover my ears
with my pillows
Alexander Erickson |
This haiku matched pair was by far my favorite of each matching contest. The contrast between each gave the haiku a strong connection with differing tones. With the first haiku, the idea of a center of community abandoning its home creates a tone of longing and memory. The second haiku contrasts the first with a warm feeling of a welcoming home, but the person in the haiku clearly has a cold feeling toward home and family. In this instance, the person is turning their back on their family and community, creating a tone of obligation, annoyance, and perhaps even regret. Caroline |
These haiku together seem to illustrate a scene of coldness and detachment, creating distance between the sought after intimacy that is ideal in a home and the reality of home life. Kaia |
I liked this "Cafe" haiku because it reminds me of a restaurant that used to be in my hometown. I grew up in a small farming town, and one of the restaurants was called Phil's Harvest Table. Every evening, the local farmers would gather for coffee. They would talk about the weather, sports, and whatever else was going on in our little town. My family would go there for dinner quite often, and I would order spaghetti every time. When I was in junior high it closed down and was replaced by a 50s diner. My family would still go, but the food was never quite as good, and the atmosphere was not the same. Owen
This haiku had my favorite haiku writing trait. I love the calm and warm feeling the first two lines give the reader. When I read it, I even sing the second line (from "Cheers") because it's such a familiar phrase and it makes me feel at home. Then the third line hits and that feeling is swept away by the cold, harshness of "foreclosed". The use of one word to give that feeling is brilliant because it is very final and definitive. Shannon |
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|
|
looking down
a white aisle
the rest of her life
Caroline Lodovisi |
sitting in my pocket
on my bed in my closet
love notes
Alexander Erickson |
flashing red and blue
mom
please wake up
Alyssa Becker |
air conditioning off
I finally realize
no one's home
Anna Harmon |
I like this set together because of the optimism and feeling of care and love. I may be biased because the one I wrote is my personal favorite haiku of all the ones I've written. The haiku together create a timeline for me, the love notes accumulate and over years together you are surrounded by a clutter of reminders of care and admiration. Finally it all comes together at the end of the courtship and the start of one of the most beautiful concepts I think ever created: a shared life. Alex
From the second matching contest, I really liked the pair "looking down/ a white aisle/ the rest of her life," and "sitting in my pocket/ on my bed in my closet/ love notes." I like the first one because I feel like every girl looks forward to her wedding day. But, I almost see a little bit of uneasiness in this one, almost like she is unsure if that is what she wants for the rest of her life. In my honest opinion, I am worried about this in my future because none of my relationships have lasted long. Even when I have been with someone, there has always been someone I have wanted to be with more, which has led to a lot of break ups for me, whether the other boy knew it or not. The second was extremely relatable for me as well, because middle school was the prime time for passing notes. I actually probably still have some of them, unless my parents found them. I hid them in my drawers, in my closet, and underneath my bed, but most of the time my parents found them and would ask me all about them. Not all of them were necessarily love notes, but some of them probably were the classic "do you like me? Check yes or no" or something like that, I really can't remember. These memories are what were brought back reading this haiku because I don't think I have ever actually been a recipient of a legit love note. Morgan |
I like this pair even though I do not like the haiku. To be clear, they are very good, well written haiku, but they are really sad. They are a good pair because they both have a feeling of sadness to them. The first is sad because I picture a child trying to wake up a dead parent just as the ambulance arrives. It feels as if the sadness in this haiku is very panicky, since it seems as if there is a lot of action going on in that one moment. The second is sad because it paints the picture of someone who is lonely. Maybe it is a young person who just moved away from home, or maybe it is an old person who lives alone now. To any extent, the sad themes of both haiku match up very well. Owen
I like this match because I feel like both haikus are very intense. In the first haiku, I feel like the reader is prone to feeling empty, at the loss of their mother. In the same way, the second haiku gives the reader a feeling of loneliness, at the realization of no one being around. I feel like these match very well because they give an intense, undesirable feeling to the reader. Renee |
Again, I love the feeling this brings to the reader. When I read this, I imagine my own wedding day. I can picture everyone I love and everyone that is part of my life smiling at me as I walk down the aisle to my future husband. It has almost a flash forward moment at the end. I picture seeing each face and imagining how they will fit into my future and loving every step I take down the aisle, even though I would rather run to the end. This haiku just generates a feeling of overwhelming love. Shannon |
I really like this haiku because you can really see the notes everywhere. The lines in this haiku seems to flow one into the other. I can see the piles and piles of love notes, and that these notes are a physical reminder and representation of their relationship with someone. I also like that this means that the author kept the notes, and that they really mean something to them. Anna |
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I found this haiku to be very relatable and with a strong presence. I am a person who greatly enjoys quiet time and time by myself. Growing up, I had a few hours everyday at home by myself, and I valued that time to relax in my own thoughts or just enjoy the solitude. With the line "air conditioning off" it is easy to sense an intense silence throughout the home, and once the haiku revealed the solitary setting, I felt a strong ease and comfort in it. Caroline |