Alex Bergland

I just loved the picture used for this poem it is so beautiful and amazing and it gives you such an innovative idea of the literal since of the poem. If there is a hidden meaning behind this poem, I would love to know it because it seems so mysterious. I love the words used in this poem because it seems so strong and powerful and the words just feel so crisp. This poem is just so beautiful in ever since from the words being so important that none should be cut at all. Michael Hoelting, Fall 2019

Alex Bergland

I really like this Haiga because of the picture that goes with it. It's a picture far away from these two people standing on a bridge. Those people look so small standing on the bridge. I love that the picture shows that yes people are small but the poem reminds us that we matter. The poem just makes me happy. It makes me fall all warm and fuzzy because I am being told that even though the universe is infinite, I am still enough. I still matter to the vast universe. Cassie Reed, Fal 2019

I love this. Two years ago, my family travelled to Colorado in the Summer, and at night, driving into the mountains under millions and millions of stars, I realized so much. I struggle with being enough daily, since I have intense anxiety. Seeing the night sky away from city lights, you begin to grasp that you'll never fully grasp how big the universe is, especially with it infinitely expanding. This was comforting to my anxiety for some reason, it made my decisions have less weight. This haiku matched with the mountains reminds me of my drive into Colorado. Maddie Curtin, Fall 2019

This haiga took my breath away. The text is a beautiful reminder that we do not get nearly enough in this life. This universe is endless and the worlds within it are uncountable. You are still enough. I hope to repeat this enough times until I grow to believe it. This text laid on top of the breathtaking landscape was a great choice. You can feel the life and air in this photo. You can imagine the amount of life within the woods. You are so, so small in this world, but you are still enough. Madeline Wilson, Fall 2019

I thought this haiku was uplifting and powerful. The use of words like “ever expanding” and “infinite” were good words to describe how large scale our world really is. Just being one person may seem extremely insignificant when compared to everything and everyone else in the world, but one person truly can and does make a difference in so many people’s lives. Overall, I enjoyed the message in this haiku. Tori Stuart, Fall 2019

Alex Bergland

This picture and this poem are both exquisite. First, I see the picture and I am just in awe. Then, alliteration at the beginning of the haiku grabs my attention away from the image. I loved the use of divorce and then veil alluding to a marriage between the day and night. Each returning for another, never to find what they seek. The picture just goes along with the haiku so perfectly. Jon Kuebler, Fall 2019

I end the days with my boyfriend. It's typically the only time I get to see him, but seeing him in the morning and then again at night makes the in between so much easier, especially since I have depression. The in between times are hard, so many things separate us, but then we always come back together at the end of the day to watch a movie or eat together and just enjoy each other. This haiga reminds me of that, and the sunsets that make me think of him. Maddie Curtin, Fall 2019

Elizabeth Napier

Clouds block the sunlight, and so to do comfort zones block growth. There’s a lot to be said about the value of leaving your comfort zone to start a new chapter in your life, to meet new people, and to go new places, but they are all opportunities to blossom. It takes more work and time, but no growth is easy. The photo captures that feeling well with the dark clouds taking up most of the picture, but the bright sun shines through. Even a small amount of light can illuminate the darkness. Alex Bergland, Fall 2019

Personally, I think this haiku is beautiful on its own. The words themselves are very powerful to me. I have always been the type of person to stay within a set comfort zone. I am eaten alive by anxiety if I ever try to do something that feels different or strange. But once I get past than anxiety, I am able to grow. Do something outside of my comfort zone is always a total challenge, but it teaches me things about myself that I never knew before. Also, I love the picture that was chosen for this haiku. The dark clouds are strange and terrifying, but beyond them lies a golden sky. This picture symbolizes exactly what the words of the haiku are meant to mean. Gillian Genardo, Fall 2019

I really liked this haiga because I truly believe that a person reaches their full potential when they step out of their comfort zone. No one can grow from not pushing themselves to the limits and seeing their true potential. I also like this haiga because I think that the picture correlates well with the haiku. The dark rain clouds show how intimidating it can be for someone to step out of their comfort zone. Then the light in the center of the photo represents what happens when you finally push yourself and reach your goals. Jessi Kreder, Fall 2019

This haiku gives me a feeling that lasts more than five minutes. Going out of my comfort zone is scary but it has made me who I am today. It is the reason I am a musical theatre major; it is the reason I got a part in Chicago this semester, and it is the reason I love who I am. If I were to always make the safe, risk-free choice, I would not have a meaningful life. This poem encourages me to keep taking risks, even if I make mistakes along the way. I also always enjoy poems from a female perspective because I am constantly rediscovering who I am as a woman from hearing other women’s points of view. Rebecca Jaffe, Fall 2019

Elizabeth Napier

I love this haiku because I can connect so personally to it. I have always been fascinated by old antique or vintage items. I think its because I know that those objects have some kind of history and I want to learn as much of it as I possibly can. This past summer, I got really into antique shopping. My mom and I went to a bunch of different antique stores and vintage markets. My favorite thing to do with my mom was to try and place a year on some of the items that we found. It was just a really fun experience, and when I saw this Haiga, I thought of all the fun I had antique shopping this past summer. Gillian Genardo, Fall 2019

Elizabeth Napier

I really liked the words and the cute picture associated with this haiga. I really liked the simplicity of it and how it can apply to so many relationships in people’s lives. Finding that pure joy in the relationships we have with other’s is so important and I love how that poem demonstrates this idea. I thought about all of the people I am so lucky to have in my life and how joyful I am when I see them or get to talk to them. I just love the idea of finding pure joy when we are with other people that we are lucky to know and this poem was a good reminder to surround myself with people who I feel that with. That is why this haiga is one of my favorites; plus the picture was super cute and I loved it. Joel Ochoa, Fall 2019

I enjoyed this haiga because the language matched the imagery perfectly. The whole class’s reaction showed that the poem and the image paired together inspired pure happiness. Everyone reacted in a chorus of “awwww”’s. I enjoy poems that affect people, and this poem was effective. It brought me “pure joy,” just like the first line of the haiku. I want to know more about the story behind the second and third lines. Who is the narrator lucky to know? Though the poem is simple and sweet, it inspires questions for me. Rebecca Jaffe, Fall 2019

Charlize Pate

The pairing of haiku and photo is great here. The reflection of the mantis does block some of the view of the building behind it, but at the same time, the mantis is what is in focus, not the view behind it. I think this highlights how sometimes we try to look far off in the distance for something to appreciate, when really there is beauty right in front of us if we change our focus. Even in the reflection there is beauty and depth that could be easily missed, evident in the layered reflection. Alex Bergland, Fall 2019

I liked this poem mostly because the photo feels like a fourth line of the poem. Without the photo, I would never imagine this poem to be about a praying mantis. The insect adds a lot to the tone of the poem, and lightens it. This poem is a little short, even by haiku standards, but the photo fills it out and compliments it. Morgan Bode

John DeAngelo

I really enjoyed this haiga because of how the haiku and picture worked so well hand in hand. It was one of the pics that I could imagine myself seeing this picture in my life because I feel like this poem is super true in college. Sometimes it is better to just sit and do homework in the presence of others just to have others around. There does not need to be talking but everyone is still creating and typing things in one room together. I loved the image and the words that went along with it and I could imagine myself in that same room while reading it. I thought it was a successful haiga and one of my favorites because of it. Joel Ochoa, Fall 2019

Madeline Curtin

I have seen this exact garden in the photo. I love the city of Chicago so much it hurts. I always wondered how it must feel to be a plant in a city garden, to exist in an environment that was not designed for you to thrive. Is it isolating or freeing? The photo is also gloomy and rainy, which lines up with the text of the poem, which helps emphasize the gloomy vibes of the poem. I loved this haiga initially because I could relate instantly to the photo’s location, but I continue to love it because of its simplistic beauty. Madeline Wilson, Fall 2019

The photo gives context to the haiku. Without it, the haiku is a little confusing to someone who isn't familiar with cities. The picture, which is gorgeous, adds clarity and beauty to the haiku to make it into the best haiku it can be. Meghan Hayes, FAll 2019

Madeline Curtin

When I was little I believed that when someone died, they turned into a star. When I see this, I see the hand of a deceased grandfather extended his hand made out of the stars out to his young granddaughter, allowing her to see the cosmos up close. Lizzie Napier, Fall 2019

Rebecca Jaffe

This haiku spoke to me as an artist. The picture went so beautifully with the haiku. I imagined that the statue was once a great artist of some sort but created art only from places of pain. What a way to turn pain into beauty. This statue is also alone, which makes me wonder if she focused so much on her art that she lost relationships. Lizzie Napier, Fall 2019

Jessi Kreder

I like this poem because I use the opposite of this saying a lot because the six feet under usually means dead or lifeless. I always tell people I am happy because I am six feet above the ground and have no problems because I am alive. I love how the author twisted to bring light to this saying because instead of talking about death we talk about the joys of life and the future. It makes me so happy to read this poem and fully enjoy the words and think about this in a deeper meaning. Michael Hoelting, Fall 2019

I really liked this Haiga because I loved the tree that they picked in the picture. The roots are very vast and they are all different colors. It shows that our roots can be vast and different. I love that the tree is also dead looking on top but the roots are so colorful underground. It helps remind us that the outside appearance of something is not everything. I also like the word play on six feet under because that is usually used to talk about something that is dead. But this poem is talking about something new that is growing. Cassie Reed, Fal 2019

I liked the imagery and message of this haiku. The symbol of the tree and its roots created good imagery, but more than this I liked the story this haiku can tell. I think it is very important to realize that everyone has different pasts, and that everyone goes through extremely difficult struggles throughout their lives. You really don’t know what people have been through, and that’s why its important to treat everyone with kindness and compassion, because there is no way to tell where their roots are coming from. Tori Stuart, Fall 2019

Jessi Kreder

I like this haiga because it was paired so beautifully with its painting. Without the painting, the haiku is nice but seems like it's missing something. Seeing the ice and snow mixed with the pinky sky makes the haiku fully formed. It's stunning. Meghan Hayes, FAll 2019

Meghan Hayes

I think that this really shows how big an impact people can have on our emotions. It sets up a really pretty picture of someone that is down on themselves being picked up by the two little words “let's dance”. It shows how even the smallest of gestures can flip a person’s mood and make their day. I think the picture goes well with the haiku because of the word rain. I think it was vital for it to be in cursive so the word rain was made into something beautiful and less melancholy. Jessi Kreder, Fall 2019

I really liked this Haiga because I was struck by the meaningful poem. It was so powerful to imagine someone being stuck in a struggle only to be pulled out by someone embracing their struggle. Dancing in the rain is truly the best way to embrace the dark times and let happiness in. The love in this act of kindness is so deep. I also loved how the word rain was incorporated into the haiku. It really brought the deep meanings of the poem perfectly into the picture. Jon Kuebler, Fall 2019

Jonathan Kuebler

I like this poem because the photo clarifies the poem and brings the words to life. I also love the line “no rest” in combination with the action in the photo of the athlete being in the middle of a kick. I enjoy that this haiga is about sports, a topic not featured much in the haiku we have examined in class so far. It’s always nice to see something unique but still accessible to every reader. Morgan Bode