hole in one
the jealous glares
at the queen

Savannah Riestenberg (3)

dad offers me pizza
I tell him
what I've done

Alexsenia Ralat (10)

In class, people were interpreting this poem as a college student coming home and catching up on recent events that they have not experienced together. However, I interpret it differently. I imagine that the dad orders pizza to catch up with his daughter, and then the daughter confesses a surprising update. After this confession, I can imagine the two conversing awkwardly over the pizza, with the pizza standing by as a witness to this changing relationship. Alyssa

shopping with mom
I grab
the expensive food

fingers gracefully
sliding down my back
I'm sorry

Alexsenia Ralat (11)

The situation I imagine in the haiku happens all too often to me. I make some clumsy mistake which causes something horribly wrong to happen. Out of embarrassment, I always place my hand behind my neck nervously, and try and say the sincerest apology I can.  I always feel bad about these situations because something that I either was ignorant/clumsy about or too lazy to double check always ends up hurting someone else. Although I learn from my mistake for that situation, I always end up being clumsy in some other way. Even though I say college is about making mistake, I would rather refrain from being clumsy all the time. Ryan

gorgeous fall day
i float away
to Bob Marley

Alyssa Becker (13)

I really like this one. Just reading it makes me feel so relaxed. I can just picture a beautiful spring day with a soft breeze rolling through the trees, the smell of flowers filling my nostrils. It's just so calming. Jordan

last warm day
spent with friends
hitting a ball

white t-shirt
the same one
worn yesterday

Renee Sample

I don't interpret this poem as being very literal in meaning. I think the white t-shirt represents a persona or front that the writer puts up, and to say that it was the same one worn yesterday indicates that the person regularly wears a sort of social mask. This is probably to keep people out, because they were hurt in the past. Jordan

walking down
a dusty sidewalk:
hard-hats only

Caroline Lodovisi (3)

"Kids!"
when did I
stop turning my head.

Kaia Ball (9)

a pill vial
in the bottom of a drawer
I don't tell him at first

Alexsenia Ralat (9)

cracking skin
the bugs gnaw away
at paper

first date
pasta and corn
home cooked

I bounce the baby
she weeps
without knowing why

Kaia Ball (2)

something needs to change
my big blue eyes
my biggest judge

Alyssa Becker (8)

plastic pumpkins
swinging as children
walk down the street

math major
can't make things
add up

Kaia Ball (8)

This haiku is also just humorous to me. As a math major, many people call me crazy for being good at, or even enjoying math. When I read “can't make things/add up”, I see the other people's confusion on their faces and in their voice. They tilt their head to the side as if they are observing a new specimen, the mathematician. Their voices have doubt in them, as if they don't believe what I tell them when I tell them how much I enjoy math. I see this haiku as a broken question that's asking, “You're a math major? That just doesn't make sense! Why would anyone want to pursue that?” Ryan

October wind
chills my bones
the walk home

bowl on the stoop
full of sweets
only take one please

pulling on my jeans
I think about my values
what they used to be

Alyssa Becker (12)

monkey paw
holding her sister's
inheritance

Jordan Comish (7)

fall breeze through
the archways
liquor doesn't freeze

Jordan Comish (7)

time; so much to kill
or never enough
Goldilocks

Jordan Comish (6)

the fairy gasped
my father died
different novels

Savannah Riestenberg (4)

late night pizza
gossiping over
the pepperoni

Morgan Vogels (6)

This haiku really makes me laugh.  I can just imagine a group of friends circled around a pizza box, or many of them, on the floor talking about absolutely nothing important. The last line makes me think the conversation is about nothing because it is not important to talk about pepperoni. To me, these kinds of night are the best because you never think about anything that is going on outside of your circle of friends, so you truly are at peace and as relaxed as possible. Ryan

new parents—
shiny fishbowl
and colored gravel

Anna Harmon (7)

dark funnel clouds
surrounding a cornfield
hail on my windshield

Caroline Lodovisi (4)

my only friend
the shadow
on the distant path

Alyssa Becker (7)

digging into
my back
train tracks

Shannon Netemeyer (7)

night rain
laughing
in the stuffy car

moon pulled
lasso'd from
the backseat window

Anna Harmon (11)

This piece reminds me of It's A Wonderful Life, so that's part of the reason it's a favorite. It also just gives an overall romantic feeling that anyone can resonate with, if they've been in love. Jordan