waving stripes
bright stars
a fallen soldier

Alex Pratt (5)

returning home
from a busy day of classes
dirty dishes

Austin Taylor (4)

I liked this haiku because I can just sense my own reaction to the mess that these dirty dishes are most likely causing. I can feel my blood pressure rising for every dirty dish that I see and can feel the frustration that is growing. I want to get started on my homework, or just relax, but instead I have to clean up other people's dirty dishes. I'm getting mad just thinking about it, ugh! Ben

fiery charcoal
open fire crackling
flipping sizzling burger

brown eyes
the most beautiful,
warm honey

Maya Dougherty (8)

dishes clank
my watch ticks
I nap

sunlight through the blinds
I touch the warm imprint
he left beside me

Trey DeLuna (7)

This is a haiku that will immediately bring you a very warm kind of feeling. It brings to mind feelings of love and affection, and more importantly, how those feelings linger once that person has left you. But what I like is that Trey has made it very positive; like even though the person is gone, the reader seems to know that they're coming back, and that the narrator can still sense their presence. Beautiful. Mackenzie

family portrait—
hidden in the attic
behind boxes

Georgia Martindale (5)

I liked the questions that this haiku raised when I read it. It brought a lot of great imagery to my mind. I pictured a frame with dust and maybe cobwebs, that most likely has not been touched in years. The old boxes and attic also further contribute to the atmosphere of it. It made me wonder why this photo was kept in the attic of a house and why it has been there so long. Furthermore, what is the significance of the picture being behind boxes? I imagine it is the photo of a family who had lived in the house a long time ago, and the new owner is just now discovering the history of the house and who lived there before. Trey

the smell of newspaper
my mother and father
sip their coffee

Maya Dougherty (4)

I really like this Haiku because of how much it appeals to the sense of smell, which is something that I haven't gotten from a lot of haiku before. Before, most of what I would get out of a haiku would be visual and have to do with things like color and other things like that. This is a new type of experience for me as far as haiku is concerned. It also helps that these are a couple of my favorite smells. Lucas

calm music
collapsing onto the bed
insomnia

black coffee
vibrant flannels . . .
the middle of summer

top bunk
bottom bunk
sisters share the silence

Maya Dougherty (4)

hearing my phone
buzz during science class
eyes lock onto me

Austin Taylor

This haiku reminds me of the first day of class this semester. My professor for discrete mathematics had just got done going over the syllabus and all her rules. One of her big rules was that phones must be off or silent. Unfortunately for me, not ten minutes after she finished explaining these rules, I got a phone call. And my ringer was turned all the way up. Talk about awkward... I, just like the person in this poem, could feel people's eyes burning holes into me. I quickly apologized and put it away. It was a legitimate accident, but still not a good start to the semester. Ben

stone country path leads
to a pond—
purple dragonfly

middle school dance—
running to the bathroom
after being asked out

Georgia Martindale (3)

warm ocean breeze
     blowing back my hair
I smell dead fish

Kalli Farmer (3)

wife sick in bed
he brings her
breakfast and a kiss

Mia Klek (6)

I like this haiku because it is very sweet, simple, and the wording is neat. It makes me think of a romance movie or TV show. I enjoyed how the husband isn't just bringing her breakfast, but a kiss as well. I like how the author worded "he brings her" a kiss instead of giving her a kiss. It was simple and effective. Austin

twirling fork
the strings rotating clockwise
disappear in her mouth

sunday afternoon
slicing the fresh flesh
of watermelon

Benjamin Maynard (8)

I enjoyed this haiku as well because of the relaxing image that came to my mind when I read it. The first line helped create the calming image because most of the time, I use my Sunday for relaxing and enjoying myself. I also liked the wording of the “fresh flesh” of the watermelon. It gives a personification to the watermelon that makes you think about the haiku in a different way after reading the last line. Alex P.

church bells
crunch of dead leaves
as we walk

Lane Casper (3)

I sit in the backseat
two raindrops
race each other

Lane Casper (10)

I liked this haiku because I reminds me of myself as a child. Most times as a child, I would be riding in the backseat and be bored out of my mind. I would always have to distract myself by coming up with something to look at or think about. As a child, when it rained I have done this action before mentioned in the haiku and I think it, in one way, can just show the creativity of a child. Kalli

I enjoy this one a lot just because of how many times I have actually done thing. This haiku is so soothing. It brings back so many memories of driving in the back seat of my car with my family. Whether it would be long car rides to soccer games, or family gatherings, whenever it was raining, I would always look out the window to the raindrops literally race the raindrops down the window. I would get so into it, and would bet with myself over which raindrop would win. It would pass by so much time on the long car rides, and it was nice listening to my dad's classical music while do something as calming as watching raindrops take their destined time coming down the window. This haiku brought back these memories which created a warm feeling within me. Mia

I like this haiku because it reminds me of a lot of different times in my life. It has this sort of gloomy feeling for me, which I think comes from the fact that it is raining. I just see it as a cloudy type of day that just has everybody kind of sad. Then being in the back of a car, you don't really feel like interacting with anybody because it just feels like so much effort for the moment so you end up placing bets on the raindrops in your mind. Lucas

one eye on the clock
shaky hands apply makeup
first date

Lane Casper

movie date—
sharing buttery popcorn
is not my specialty

Georgia Martindale (5)

first graders
down the hallway
holding hands

Kalli Farmer (4)

When I read this haiku I immediately thought of the two first graders and them walking down the hallway holding hands. The image is described in the haiku itself, but what I really took away was the feeling behind the image. The innocence of children so young is so nice because they have such pure minds and are holding each other's hands because they enjoy each other's company. They are not yet aware of problems in the world or other negatives that happen in life. Alex H.

the pain
lessens day     by day
people notice my smile

Masha Kostic (4)

worn out
like an old pair of scissors
that just won't cut

Lucas Chatterton (3)

swimming in the lake
a light drizzle
contours it's surface

Georgia Martindale (4)

I really liked this haiku because it created a vivid image in my head. I imagined myself sitting on the sandy bank of a lake at night time by myself, after a day of swimming. I imagined just staring at the calm lake, and watching as the light rain starts to disrupt the surface of the water. The whole scene is peaceful and quiet—almost solemn. I really enjoyed the imagery and tone of this haiku. Lane

father lectures
over and over
a broken record

Lucas Chatterton

I liked this haiku because it reminds me of my own father. I can see the father in this haiku lecturing their child because they aren't doing what they were told to do. Every time the father has to repeat himself, he gets angrier and angrier. The child complains, in his/her own head, that their father sounds like a broken record but doesn't realize it is their fault. If the child just simply did whatever task was being asked of them many headaches could be avoided. But what kid wants to listen to their parents? Ben

I enjoyed this haiku because it reminds me perfectly of my own dad. He's one of those parents that is constantly overexplaining and repeating things that he is talking about. From the smallest things to the biggest, most conversations I have with him are like a revolving door of the same thing being said over and over. Alex P.

reaching for pizza
shaky hands
first date

Mackenzie Martin (4)

I like this haiku because it encompasses the awkwardness of a first date. Both parties try their best to impress each other and appear their best to each other but it continues to be awkward. Masha

the lake
at sunset
an acoustic song

Madeline Delano (3)

riding his bike
for the first time
dad lets go

busy streets
crowded sidewalks yet
still          alone

Austin Taylor

While reading this haiku, I imagined myself walking down a crowded street in Chicago alone, feeling nervous because of all the people. I imagined myself as I was reading, because I experience a similar feeling very often. I related to this haiku, and enjoyed it very often. Georgia

To me, this haiku illustrates the paradox of the city lifestyle. The streets are noisy and crowded but everyone is walking by themselves and they feel lonely with all these people around them. It's easy to feel lost and alone in a place with so many people. Masha

debating and arguing
fighting and screaming
but love conquers all

rumblings
of another war.
back to my homework

Benjamin Maynard (4)

twinkling eyes
whispering to each other
from across the room

Masha Kostic (4)

I like this haiku mainly because of how the "twinkling eyes" are used for "whispering" instead of their true use of vision. It was clever to word it this way. I also liked how sometimes you just have to look at someone's eyes and you can communicate without actually speaking. Austin

This is a very cool haiku in its wording. I like how the eyes are personified - how they're literally staring so intently at each other that their eyes are talking. "Twinkling eyes" is also very powerful in conveying how in love the two clearly are. The feeling that Masha seems to be illustrating is that its almost like a puppy love - newly discovered love that the two can't keep to themselves, even on opposite sides of the room. Mackenzie

cracked pavement
he slowly disappears
from view

arms length apart
he smells like sweat
middle school dance

Georgia Martindale (4)

he comfortably sits
on his bed
of lies

Trey DeLuna (12)

I liked this haiku because I like the twist it has at the end. When reading it I picture this young guy, being happy and having no thoughts of changing what he is doing and really just reflecting while he is sitting on his bed. Then, when the haiku states it's a bed of lies, then it makes me think that this man is not a nice person in being content in his wrongdoing. Kalli

I love the play on words in this haiku. “Bed of lies,” is a common expression, and I think it definitely provided a surprise factor. I imagine the man sitting on his bed, where he has slept with many women, making it literally his bed of lies. However, he feels no remorse about it, he sits there comfortably, almost proud of himself and his ability to lie to and deceive others. Maya

I like the imagery in the haiku. Without many words it gives a decent picture of someone who is completely fine with lying over and over again for whatever purpose they have. I get the feeling that this person potentially lies so much that they get stuck in all their lies, but I more see someone that is not a great person and would lie to anyone at any time because they do not care. The middle line seems like it brings two meanings to the haiku. Alex H.

I was pleasantly shocked by the ending of this haiku. The first two lines conjured an image of a man just calmly sitting on his bed, enjoying himself. But the third line changes the entire poem to something completely different. This was shocking, but in the best way. It made me think about people in my own life who have been much too comfortable lying to people they care about—or don't care about. It's definitely a relatable haiku and made me question my own relationships and friendships in my life. Lane

throwing stones
at my window
I was fast asleep

Georgia Martindale (2)

lies and cover ups
just want the truth
catfish

the family calls her
his fiancé
at his funeral

Lane Casper (12)

I love this haiku. It's so heartbreaking. I imagine that the man was planning to propose to her, and he told his family about it, but he died before he ever got the chance to ask her to marry him. If she didn't know about this until the funeral, that makes it even more devastating. It's so sad to think of what could have been for the two of them. They could have gotten married, had kids, and grown old together, but their time together was cut expectantly short. It's so unfair. Maya

This haiku pops out to because of the surprise at the end. The first two lines create a nice little intro to the story, that seems all sweet and dandy until getting to the third line, which totally swerves the haiku in the polar opposite direction. It makes me take a deep breath and collect myself every time I read that line! I can only imagine where people's minds would wander off to with this haiku. Personally, when looking at the haiku as whole I imagined a man that has just asked his girlfriend to marry him, and that they were in the beginning stages of planning their wedding. However, he died a sudden death before they could get married so during the funeral, instead of referring to her as his almost wife, they keep her title to him in the present time and still call her his fiancé even though there is no possible way for them to get married anyone. But another person could interpret it as the man was about to ask the woman for her hand in marriage before he passed and she had no idea but the family did, which would be absolutely devastating for the woman to find out that way. So many ways of interpreting such a tragic yet beautiful haiku. Mia

This haiku was one of my favorites because it was so powerful when I read it. At first, I didn't quite know what perspective the author was writing from. Was the family calling her his fiancé because they were married and nobody knows about it, or was the fiancé going to be proposed to and she didn't know, but the family did. I like the second image because it makes the haiku even more sad and powerful. I also like how the author structured the haiku. Leaving "at his funeral" till the end really added that surprise element into the haiku that would have been missing if it was earlier. Trey

eyes closed
I listen to his soothing voice
guiding me to peace

in the airport
after two years at war—
they don't let go

Mia Klek (3)

halfway through
the movie
he stretches his arms

breathtakingly beautiful
in every way
crooked nose

Mackenzie Martin (5)

a rubber band
stretching
the truth

Masha Kostic (7)

a dozen roses
dropped
on her front porch

Mia Klek (3)

I imagined it being valentine's day. A boyfriend went to his girlfriend's door with a dozen of red roses. She opens the door and breaks up with him. He drops the flowers on her porch and sadly walks away. I imagined this to be a sad haiku, that involved a break up. Georgia

he brushes
the hair from my face
kisses my nose