porch lights on
I run through the
dark streets
Rebecca Murphy |
too old to trick or treat
a friendly face
still answers the door
Stark Winter |
I am the snow queen
my sister:
fire
Gwen Klinkey |
Minnesota halloween
fairy wings
over a winter coat
Mara Currens |
too old to trick or treat
a friendly face
still answers the door |
Minnesota halloween
fairy wings
over a winter coat |
|
Minnesota halloween
fairy wings
over a winter coat
top
quarter champion |
|
TOP half Chamption
Minnesota halloween
fairy wings
over a winter coat
|
bottom
quarter champion
Dorothy
and Frodo
the odd couple
|
college halloween
Princess Leia
uncorks the Fireball
|
Dorothy
and Frodo
the odd couple
|
Halloween
I thought
this was a costume party . . .
Sadie Scott |
college halloween
Princess Leia
uncorks the Fireball
Mara Currens |
Dorothy
and Frodo
the odd couple
Danica Brezovar |
no one wants
a slutty witch
tarot cards and booty shorts
Gwen Klinkey |
|
TOP
half champion
Minnesota halloween
fairy wings
over a winter coat
|
|
CHAMPION
Minnesota halloween
fairy wings
over a winter coat
|
on top of blankets
ghosts tell stories
of living things
BOTTOM
half champion |
all the sour candy
finds its way
into my sister's bag
Micky McNaughton |
trading Reese's
for two Starbursts and a Skittle
real diplomacy
Stark Winter |
a successful heist
unload the haul
from pillow cases
Grant Unruh |
candy mountain
on the floor
all tootsie rolls
Sydney Griggs |
trading Reese's
for two Starbursts and a Skittle
real diplomacy |
a successful heist
unload the haul
from pillow cases |
|
trading Reese's
for two Starbursts and a Skittle
real diplomacy
top
quarter champion |
|
BOTTOM
half champion
on top of blankets
ghosts tell stories
of living things
|
bottom
quarter champion
on top of blankets
ghosts tell stories
of living things
|
the candlelit ofrenda
one packet of M&M's
and pictures of Papa
|
on top of blankets
ghosts tell stories
of living things
|
the candlelit ofrenda
one packet of M&M's
and pictures of Papa
Bryn Sentnor |
he passes through the veil
3 AM
All Saint's Day
Gwen Klinkey |
under the covers
the ghost hides
from me
Sadie Scott |
on top of blankets
ghosts tell stories
of living things
Sadie Scott |
weight shifts
my bed
I'm not alone
Danica Brezovar |
back scratch
it kept going
after I stopped
Adrian Sanchez Rodriguez |
lights flicker
I pull out a chair
my invisible roommate relaxes
Danica Brezovar |
tell the ghost
it's going to be okay
they're just as scared as you
Nicole Dadoly |
weight shifts
my bed
I'm not alone |
tell the ghost
it's going to be okay
they're just as scared as you |
|
tell the ghost
it's going to be okay
they're just as scared as you
top
quarter champion |
|
TOP half Chamption
haunted house
I ask the ghost
to pay rent
|
bottom
quarter champion
haunted house
I ask the ghost
to pay rent
|
haunted house
I ask the ghost
to pay rent
|
haunted house
scared
of the man without a mask
|
alone with only
my thoughts
haunted house
Emily Kemp |
haunted house
I ask the ghost
to pay rent
Sadie Scott |
haunted house
scared
of the man without a mask
Kyle Jordan |
different masks
this year—
a lot more to be scared of
Rebecca Murphy |
|
TOP
half champion
haunted house
I ask the ghost
to pay rent
|
|
CHAMPION & GRAND GRAND
trick or treat
a murder of crows
devour his body
|
trick or treat
a murder of crows
devour his body
BOTTOM
half champion |
shadows lurking
in the graveyard . . .
the clock strikes twelve
Bryn Sentnor |
foggy cemetery
never felt
so alive
Nicole Dadoly |
fog chokes my vision
as the moon
comes within reach
Rebecca Murphy |
night wind
turns the fall leaves
into confetti
Sydney Griggs |
foggy cemetery
never felt
so alive |
fog chokes my vision
as the moon
comes within reach |
|
fog chokes my vision
as the moon
comes within reach
top
quarter champion |
|
BOTTOM
half champion
trick or treat
a murder of crows
devour his body
|
bottom
quarter champion
trick or treat
a murder of crows
devour his body
|
running in heels
horror characters
are kind of stupid
|
trick or treat
a murder of crows
devour his body
|
running in heels
horror characters
are kind of stupid
Emily Kemp |
screaming for help
but no one can hear
glass box
Emily Kemp |
unusual silence
their heads piled
in the hall
Adrian Sanchez Rodriguez |
trick or treat
a murder of crows
devour his body
Adrian Sanchez Rodriguez |
© 2020, Randy Brooks • Millikin University. All rights returned to authors upon publication.
porch lights on
I run through the
dark streets
Rebecca Murphy |
too old to trick or treat
a friendly face
still answers the door
Stark Winter |
I am the snow queen
my sister:
fire
Gwen Klinkey |
Minnesota halloween
fairy wings
over a winter coat
Mara Currens |
|
|
I think that what really draws my attention to this match is that they are related in a lot of senses. Both of them involve costumes, and trick or treating. Also, there is coldness in both of them: the snow queen and the winter coat. When I first read the first poem, I don't know why, but I thought of a dragon, which has wings, just like fairies! The second one was one of my favorites overall. It is both cold and warm, and that effect is produced in just two words: winter coat. We know that it is cold enough so that the fairy needs a winter coat, but we know that it is also warm enough, as the fairy is able to go trick or treating, because of the winter coat! Love it! Adrian Sanchez Rodriguez, Fall 2020
This was my favorite match because of the juxtaposition of temperature in both haiku. The first is very obvious with the snow versus fire, and the second uses the setting and the clothing to set the weather. The first haiku allows for the temperature to describe the relationship between the siblings - opposites. The second haiku allows the child's stubbornness to shine through as the weather is cold and the sparkly warm weather fairy is ready to go. Both are very cute and nasolgic and make me think of Disney. Micky McNaughton, Fall 2020 |
|
|
|
|
Halloween
I thought
this was a costume party . . .
Sadie Scott |
college halloween
Princess Leia
uncorks the Fireball
Mara Currens |
Dorothy
and Frodo
the odd couple
Danica Brezovar |
no one wants
a slutty witch
tarot cards and booty shorts
Gwen Klinkey |
|
I especially liked this matching of these haiku because of the ridiculousness of both situations. I would never have expected to see a character from Star Wars downing shots of Fireball or Dorothy and Frodo, people from two different types of literary universes, going to a party together. Both ideas are very whimsical and I really like the funny nature of both. Emily Kemp, Fall 2020
Response: I loved the juxtaposition of this comparison. I really felt like I was transported to a costume party and was surveying the various different costumes around. I honestly felt like both of these could be at the same party - but again, with the contrast of these haiku, so too do the individual haiku provide contrasts in themselves. With the first, placing the image of a Princess next to the space princess, one foot planted in fantasy, the other very much firmly in reality. And with the second, not only was it cute, but a great use of pop culture and contrast. Great haikus either way you split it. Grant Unruh, Fall 2020
I chose these haiku as a pair because I love how in both poems you see how our perceptions change on Halloween. It is funny to see Princess Leia drinking as well as Dorothy and Frodo being in love. The costumes we pick for Halloween say a lot about us so I always find it interesting to know what people are dressing up as. In this case it makes perfect sense that Princess Leia would be the life of the party and that the adventurous yet nerdy Dorothy and Frodo couple would be seen as out-of-the-box. Both of these haiku brought a smile to my face and I thought they made a great pairing. Rebecca Murphy, Fall 2020 |
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|
|
all the sour candy
finds its way
into my sister's bag
Micky McNaughton |
trading Reese's
for two Starbursts and a Skittle
real diplomacy
Stark Winter |
a successful heist
unload the haul
from pillow cases
Grant Unruh |
candy mountain
on the floor
all tootsie rolls
Sydney Griggs |
This is another pair of haiku that I really enjoyed. I think it perfectly captures the type of relationship siblings have, which is why I also thought they were really funny. It reminds me of the times when as a kid I would also try to trade things or food with my brothers and sisters. Or sometimes when I hit my brother too hard, I'd give him candy or something he wanted to coax him into not ratting me out to mother. I like that these haiku represent the “understanding” between siblings in the sense that we find a way to solve the crisis between us without involving the parents since involving parents means trouble for both. Binny Tamang, Fall 2020
This was my favorite match from the first contest because it brought back the best memories of Halloween. My neighbors and I are around the same age, so we would always go trick-or-treating together, and my siblings are all younger than me, so there was a fair amount of candy trading. I like that these both involved candy and giving or trading it to someone else because little kids are so protective of their hard-earned candy. Additionally, I read both of these haiku with a slight bitterness, almost. In the first one, the sibling is sneaking all the sour candy into her sister's bag because they don't like it—but the sister doesn't like it either. For the second one, “real diplomacy” sounded sarcastic—the speaker thinks that Reese's are worth more far than two Starbursts and a Skittle, and they're going to bug their sibling for a better deal. I liked how similar these two haiku were in the voice I read them. Maggie Kusar, Fall 2020 |
This match just gives off a certain energy of cartoonishness. With these two haiku paired up, it almost reminds me of a cartoon, where a few kids are running around, collecting mounds and mounds of candy, without paying attention to what their hoard is composed of, only to return home, empty their pillowcases, and discover that it's all a candy they hate. Each haiku individually reads positively to me, with the tootsie roll mountain belonging to someone who loves them, but together they read like a short comedy. Stark Winter, Fall 2020 |
|
|
trading Reese's
for two Starbursts and a Skittle
real diplomacy
Stark Winter |
a successful heist
unload the haul
from pillow cases
Grant Unruh |
|
|
I really really like this match. The second one clearly expresses an act of robbery (I hope it's only for the sake of haiku and not that they actually robbed a lot of candy), and the first one kind of lands on the same area. As someone noted in class, this can be interpreted as if they were trading a single skittle, which would be an act of trickery, hidden under the word “diplomacy”. Adrian Sanchez Rodriguez, Fall 2020
I liked this match that decided the top quarter champion in the Halloween Traditions matching contest. I love that they both describe situations involving candy using words and analogies that have nothing to do with Halloween. Describing the process of trading certain kinds of candy as “real diplomacy” was hilarious, in my opinion, and I think it's even more funny if you know that certain kinds of candy (like the chocolate candy bars) are “worth” more than others (like skittles, smarties, and starbursts). Additionally, I love the word choices in the second haiku—especially “heist,” “unload,” and “haul.” It almost makes it sound like someone just robbed a bank, but nope, it's just kids trick-or-treating. Bryn Sentnor, Fall 2020
I like these two together because they both make fond childhood memories into complex events. Trading candy is something we can all relate to, but it's humorous and fun to describe it as an intense negotiation. It's not a lie either, but just a different. It is a deal between two parties, but it's painted from a different perspective. The other one does the same. If stealing is taking something without payment, Halloween is a weird holiday, and the best time for a “heist”. Sadie Scott, Fall 2020 |
the candlelit ofrenda
one packet of M&M's
and pictures of Papa
Bryn Sentnor |
he passes through the veil
3 AM
All Saint's Day
Gwen Klinkey |
under the covers
the ghost hides
from me
Sadie Scott |
on top of blankets
ghosts tell stories
of living things
Sadie Scott |
|
|
I love this match-up because they are so similar and create an image of ghosts being far more sentient than we are used to. The mention of ‘ghosts' is the second line for both haiku, the first line denoting the reference to the bed (blankets, covers), and the third line references the author or humans in general. They are structured relatively the same. I just wonder what a coincidence it was for the authors to be on the same brainwave when writing this haiku. I personally have an affinity for the second haiku, because it reverses the trope of hiding under the covers, noting to the reader that this world is inverted. And the line ‘ghosts tell stories' is reminiscent of ‘ghost stories' and is yet another inversion. And ‘living things' is far more spooky sounding than ‘humans', showing that the ghosts are afraid of us. Mara Currens, Fall 2020
I really like this matched pair because of the unique role reversal that the ghosts in these haiku share. In the first one, the ghost is hiding from humans as if we are the scary ones. I also like the fact that the first one puts the ghosts under the covers when, typically, ghosts are portrayed as just a single sheet. The second one I like more, just because it puts the ghosts into a complete switch from the human world. Typically, you would think of telling ghost stories at a slumber party or something in the same realm, but this puts the ghost telling stories things that are still alive. I just think that's a really neat comparison that this haiku brings forward. Kyle Jordan, Fall 2020 |
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This has to be one of my all-time favorite haiku. I love this flipped view of the common image of kids hiding under blankets telling ghost stories at sleepovers. There are so many ways that I can see this haiku going that every time I read it, I can imagine a different situation. At first, I saw this haiku as clever, then I read deeper into it. I saw the upside-down version of our world where there were two kids under the blanket and there were two ghosts on top telling stories of the other type. Then I imagined a sadder version, where two kids who passed away are telling stories, they usually go under the covers, but for some reason they don't feel the fear they usually do and decide to stay on top, not knowing that they have passed away. I just loved this haiku, I can't really express fully why, I just did. Danica Brezovar, Fall 2020
I like the opposite energy that this has. I also love the cute little ghost cartoons that often find their way around instagram and the likes. I think this could be paired with one of those very easily and that makes me happy. I love fall, but I hate scary things so the Halloween stuff I normally like is the cute stuff. I can really picture the ghosts setting up their blanket fort and sitting in front of a fire with cider and cookies. Gwen Klinkey, Fall 2020 |
weight shifts
my bed
I'm not alone
Danica Brezovar |
back scratch
it kept going
after I stopped
Adrian Sanchez Rodriguez |
lights flicker
I pull out a chair
my invisible roommate relaxes
Danica Brezovar |
tell the ghost
it's going to be okay
they're just as scared as you
Nicole Dadoly |
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I love this match as it turns things that should be scary, into normal situations. The light flickers? No worries, gotchu a chair. Ghosts are haunting you? “Chill everything's gonna be ok”. Suddenly, a fiend turns into a cute entity. I don't know if that makes them lovely or terrifying. Maybe they are terrifyingly lovely? Adrian Sanchez Rodriguez, Fall 2020 |
lights flicker
I pull out a chair
my invisible roommate relaxes
Danica Brezovar |
fog chokes my vision
as the moon
comes within reach
Rebecca Murphy |
haunted house
I ask the ghost
to pay rent
Sadie Scott |
tell the ghost
it's going to be okay
they're just as scared as you
Nicole Dadoly |
Both of these haiku's have really similar situations and ways of providing a description for them. I really like how they used visuals of receding darkness that is robbing the reader of their eyesight. The focus on seemingly impossible scenarios, where one person comes within reach of the moon and where the other shows hospitality to an invisible person, is something else that I really enjoyed about these haiku. They were pleasantly surprising. Emily Kemp, Fall 2020 |
I liked that both of the haiku in this match to determine the top half champion of Spooky Halloween haiku dealt with communicating with or talking to ghosts, but that the focus isn't on fear. I really liked that take. It reminded me of my mom telling me that if you feel like there's a ghost haunting you or your room or something, you can say something like, “hey ghost, I'm really bothered by your presence and would appreciate it if you left me alone, thanks” and sometimes, they'll actually listen, which I think is really neat. Bryn Sentnor, Fall 2020 |
alone with only
my thoughts
haunted house
Emily Kemp |
haunted house
I ask the ghost
to pay rent
Sadie Scott |
haunted house
scared
of the man without a mask
Kyle Jordan |
different masks
this year—
a lot more to be scared of
Rebecca Murphy |
I see this pair of haiku coming from someone struggling with mental health issues. In the first poem, the narrator sees their dark thoughts as a ghost, spooky and unwanted. They feel helpless and lost. In the second haiku, they take control of the situation, and begin trying to rid themself of these thoughts, by “asking the ghost to pay rent.” It reminds me of the idea of a grudge “living rent free in your mind,” so by asking the dark thoughts to pay up, you take their power away from them. Stark Winter, Fall 2020
I like this matched pair because of how different these two poems are while they still use the same imagery of the haunted house. The first poem feels much more serious and gloomier, while the second poem is a lot more comedic and less dark. I like the imagery that the first one gives, because it captures the idea that the ghosts of your past can still haunt you in the present. The second falls into that more comedic genre of senryu. It takes a twist on the term haunted house compared to the first one and makes it much more literal. Asking a ghost to pay rent feels very much like something my generation would do. This poem feels very much like a gen-z joke with its depressing humor. Kyle Jordan, Fall 2020 |
I really liked this pair and it was really a great match. I liked the message that both haiku were trying to make, and it was done eloquently and given the theme, the contrast in imageries perfectly complement each other. This season of holiday, it is suspected that the covid cases will rise again and it is a perfectly logical prediction. People gather up during holidays all around the world and in recent months we have seen that most people don't even need the excuse of holidays to go on vacation and whatnot. It is scary times and seeing someone without a mask is indeed scarier. Binny Tamang, Fall 2020
These two together talk about the elephant in the room, but in a way that's different than the others. While most of the time we talk about how things are different, these two haikus talk about Covid-19 in way that almost makes things seem… familiar? Like, instead of talking about how things are new, we're almost referring to these fears as normal. Sadie Scott, Fall 2020 |
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This haiku gave me sitcom vibes. Like show where the family moves in the first episode and get really surprised that the house they didn't visit ever before is haunted. They start out really afraid of the ghost, but over time realize that the quirky ghost is actually really cool. One of the episodes, the ghost explores a dimension of the afterlife and discovers some ghost economy. The family then either jokingly or seriously asks the ghost to pay rent. It is just a really funny haiku. Danica Brezovar, Fall 2020 |
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shadows lurking
in the graveyard . . .
the clock strikes twelve
Bryn Sentnor |
foggy cemetery
never felt
so alive
Nicole Dadoly |
fog chokes my vision
as the moon
comes within reach
Rebecca Murphy |
night wind
turns the fall leaves
into confetti
Sydney Griggs |
Response: I will admit, I am a huge sucker for aesthetic poems, and the Halloween aesthetic, especially the spookier/creepier side is a big favorite of mine. The language and word choice used in these two were exquisite, you can feel the chill in the air and the thickness in the air. I honestly can't describe which is my favorite since they're both fantastic and create a scene so well - the feeling of being somewhere you shouldn't be, way past when you should've left… A lot like the second haiku, it's so wrong, it's almost right. Grant Unruh, Fall 2020 |
I liked the opposition that this match had. The first haiku was very ominous to me, with the fog and the vision of a full moon coming out of it. The second one was very joyous—there's a party happening, and the leaves are nature's confetti. And yet, both of these haiku deal with nature and its way of existing. I also liked the spooky images that these haiku brought. Although the second one is more positive, “night wind” made me think of a dark and empty street with no one walking down it, and the leaves are scraping against the sidewalk in the silence. The first one made me shiver because the moon coming within reach through the fog is such a scary image—something that large coming out of the fog at you would make anyone run away. They both bring an unsettling feeling of late at night. Maggie Kusar, Fall 2020 |
lights flicker
I pull out a chair
my invisible roommate relaxes
Danica Brezovar |
tell the ghost
it's going to be okay
they're just as scared as you
Nicole Dadoly |
haunted house
I ask the ghost
to pay rent
Sadie Scott |
different masks
this year—
a lot more to be scared of
Rebecca Murphy |
I love the way both of these haikus humanize ghosts. Horror movies often make ghosts out to be these horrible other-worldly beings. Ghosts are, in fact, just trapped souls. The use of an everyday object and a kind gesture humanizes the first ghost. I see the second one as the passing of advice almost as if a mother is telling her child not to be scared of the ghost because they are also scared. I really love the elegant ways in which these haiku approach the subject of ghosts. Micky McNaughton, Fall 2020 |
I really enjoyed this matched pair. I think they play nicely when put together but are still different enough to feel like a completely different experience. They also have opposing atmospheres within the haiku themselves. The first haiku seems so funny and bright, making light out of a haunting by asking a ghost to pay rent. It's raw. It's real. It's hilarious. The second haiku, however, is also so incredibly honest but in a way that is scary for a different reason. It makes it obvious that a lot of the things we fear most right now are things that are very real and prevalent: viruses, getting sick, etc. I think this piece is genius honestly. Sydney Griggs, Fall 2020 |
running in heels
horror characters
are kind of stupid
Emily Kemp |
screaming for help
but no one can hear
glass box
Emily Kemp |
unusual silence
their heads piled
in the hall
Adrian Sanchez Rodriguez |
trick or treat
a murder of crows
devour his body
Adrian Sanchez Rodriguez |
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I love the dark and horrifying haiku that creates a gothic image of horror: the dark, spooky, haunted feeling. In class, I expressed my love of the first haiku (even though it beat my haiku for the top spot) because it felt so spot on. The use of ‘murder of crows' is so smart as a double meaning, and the verb ‘devour' is perfectly selected. I can say the same about the second haiku, with the interesting phrases that are unusual to read: ‘unusual silence' and ‘heads piled'. It already creates a feeling of dread in the odd language. Both haiku put the focus on something else before getting to the point, which creates that element of surprise that works so well for horror haiku. They both create specific images that I have been thinking about since. What a spooky way to usher in the Halloween season! Mara Currens, Fall 2020
I am obsessed with both of these haiku. They were the spookiest ones to me because of the imagery they created. Both have an absence of sound. In the first it is the headless bodies while in the second it is the body that is being devoured. I could feel the absence of life and the heaviness in the air. Both haiku accomplished a feeling of unease and made the hair on the back of my neck rise. I think that pairing them together only amplifies the spookiness of both haiku, and for this reason it is my favorite match. Rebecca Murphy, Fall 2020
A lot of the Halloween haiku that I enjoy writing and reading tend to be ones that are on the light-hearted side because I scare very easily. These haikus immediately caught my attention. They are so gruesome and vivid. The usage of imagery to tell a scary story in a few syllables was done so well that even though these pieces may give me some nightmares, I had to talk about them anyway. They are amazing and terrifying in the best way. Sydney Griggs, FAll 2020 |
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This one really reminds me of that one Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode where someone summons a chaos demon and turns everyone in town into whatever they dressed as for Halloween. There's no dead body in that episode but it just gives off a Halloween Special episode. I really like the ramp up between each line. We start off with something really soft and innocent and then the crows are a little creepy and then comes the whammy with the dead body. Very cool. Gwen Klinkey, Fall 2020 |