the smell of cinnamon as I
walk into the kitchen
snickerdoodles

Jordan Comish (4)

Oldest of fi- no, si-
     Seven.
Six point five?

Kaia Ball (5)

on the highway
talking about nothing
glad to speak again

Douglas Sherrill (4)

dark night
bright moon
peace

under the caress of
the willow's arms
cool summer shade

Jordan Comish (5)

chicken on a raft
a drunken sailor's ode
to the world

Jordan Comish (2)

thick sauce
thin noodles
off the fork

Savannah Riestenberg (3)

tye dyed tees
running in circles
on the playground

Shannon Netemeyer (4)

scuffed leather
torn laces
my first mitt

Owen Pulver (5)

a blue lanyard
lays on the counter
popcorn on the floor

sun already set
I walk
on lonely streets

Matthew Vangunten (4)

beer pong table
cups all set
ready for action

music plays from
a speaker
the girl taps her pen

meal with my
daughter
the smoothest pearl

Jordan Comish (5)

empty mug sits
unused
no pencils to hold

Pink Floyd
the peace
of lunacy

Douglas Sherrill (4)

trying to finish
homework in silence—
the cricket

butterflies in my stomach
she watches me
tie my tie

dress up:
new scrubs
and a stethoscope

Anna Harmon (5)

college:
walmart trip
in our pajamas

blood red paint
stains              the
black leather jacket

Saturday night
dinner and a movie
or two

tickle in my throat
when I wake—
uh-oh

rustling in a bush
a chickadee
plays hide and seek

in a perfect world
a serene lake
legs hanging off the dock

Morgan Vogels (10)

This haiku automatically soothes me. I can imagine myself sitting on my aunt's dock out on her small lake just looking around me at the simple beauty of nature. As my legs sewing off of the dock, I feel like a child again. I look below me to try and catch a fish in the act of swimming with his friends. Overall, I am just happy. The air around me is warm and I turn and smile to my mom who tells me it's my turn to try and test my luck on the fishing pole. Alyssa

sunlight
finds it way
through tall trees

stroll outside
for a breath of fresh air
manure

Alyssa Becker (5)

driving home
kids play
in the middle of the street

Matthew Vangunten (8)

the puppy
stops to explore
all of the flowers

Matthew Vangunten (8)

I like this haiku because it reminds me to take a step back and appreciate what is around you. The puppy in this haiku reminds me of going somewhere with my little siblings (5 year old twins and a 3 year old). Everything is interesting to them and it can be hard to reign them all in to get stuff done. This haiku reminds me of that interest and curiosity about everything around them. Anna

past midnight Tuesday morning
I take the long
     way home

Kaia Ball (10)

I like this haiku because it creates a very strong sense of peace for me. This haiku really makes me think of those times where your relish in you alone time and have some room to breathe. I think a reason that this haiku had so many votes in our kukai is because it is a feeling that everyone can relate to, and because it can have so many different meanings behind it. I think that this is one of those haiku where a lot of the meaning comes from the individual memories and experiences that the reader has. Anna

ceramic curves
between my fingers
steam rising

xxxxx

This haiku creates such a vivid image for me without directly saying what's happening. The reader is able to create their own image in their mind, and eventually use the senses described in the haiku to picture washing dishes. We all wash dishes but I wonder how the mental images change from person to person! Anna

fall storm
flashlights
laughing in the basement

Douglas Sherrill (4)

petals falling one by one
she likes me
she likes me not

Douglas Sherrill (3)

homeless man
shaking his cup
a trembling hand

Owen Pulver (5)

car to car
I tune out
the catcalls

first impressions
mean everything
I shake her hand

a foreign language
I wonder if they're
making fun of me

Ryan Sikora (8)

patterns on my hand
in ink
that fades

Shannon Netemeyer (3)

earthworms
out of place
the wet sidewalk

hairspray
mothballs
church singers

rain falls and she stares
out a window
his retreating figure

finding your old sweatshirt
in the back
of my trunk

Anna Harmon (6)