1

toxic waste
at last
disposing of you

2

creeping, crawling
invading my thoughts
boys will be bugs

India Guerrero (6)

I really like this haiku because of its simplicity and effortlessness. Boys will be bugs is such a cool and creative line that I can only wish to think up of. Nico Velazquez, Fall 2021

3

tearing open wounds
every other word
I never learn

Shay Buchanan (5)

4

treating everything
like a game
how else can I survive

Shay Buchanan (5)

5

lock the door so
loneliness can’t get in
howling wind

Shay Buchanan (7)

6

rotting shell of a human
inside a pretty skin suit
I can finally see you

India Guerrero (8)

7

self worth destroyed
why do I still want you to
like me?

8

“I’m not telling anyone that”
Mom can’t process
bi daughter

9

apathetic eyes
I slept with her
platonically

Trinity Pesko (12)

10

we are what
killed the dinosaurs
our love is god

11

train whistle
I yell for all
the times you lied

Trinity Pesko (9)

12

acid
on my lips
your kiss
burns

13

he returns to his house
no longer his home
waiting

Nico Velazquez (6)

14

what else is there?
stuck on
I’m sorry

Nathan Gallop (8)

15

burn book
you’re my very first page
congrats!

Reece Brown (7)

16

only ever wanted
what i couldn't have
fingers intertwine

17

saying what
you want to hear
dirty mirror

Priscilla Sabourin (6)

18

they say they're taken
but doesn't mention
the wedding date

19

she ignored the
heart emoji
only friends he said

20

he manipulated
you
manipulated me

Emily Nicholas (12)

I thought this piece was cool. You can interpret it literally however you want. My understanding of it is that “he” manipulated “you” into manipulating “me.” So “his” goal was always to manipulate “me,” and he used “you” in order to do it. That’s about as well as I can explain that… whoever “he” is, he’s an ass. Nathan Gallop, Fall 2021

21

no words
to say
just a middle finger

Shay Buchanan

This one spoke to me. I think flipping someone off has generally lost its effect in our society; friends flip each other off as a joke, to be funny. It’s not something you generally see someone actually do when they’re mad. But on the rare occasion the gesture is used for real, it is QUITE effective. It’s just in those moments when you’re so angry that you literally cannot make the words in your head come out in a way that makes sense, so you just put them all into your finger and that’s all there is. Not a great way to resolve an issue, but effective in getting your feeling across. Nathan Gallop, Fall 2021

22

month six
I call
you answer: who is this?

23

scabs on my fingers
picking apart
intrusive thoughts

Maya Gomez (7)

24

learning my business
from everyone else
deja vu

Nathan Gallop (12)

25

keeping my distance
to keep you close
enough

26

car air freshener
you kiss
my open, choking mouth

27

couples massage
healing from being bent
around your finger

Bailey Banks (13)

This is a perfect analogy of what it is like to be in a relationship with someone you love that is still toxic. Also, the use of the word “bent” around your finger instead of being “wrapped” around your finger makes the haiku seem more toxic and more forceful. You get the sense that the narrator was forced to do a lot of things they didn’t want to do. Maybe they were manipulated in their relationship. Trinity Pesko, Fall 2021

28

I
took more
than you had to give

Emily Nicholas (9)

29

respect
tossed your way
spare change

Alison Durham (10)

30

(un)beautiful
second choice
daughter

Alison Durham (5)

31

they’re not people
they’re men
Jennifer

India Guerrero (9)

32

birthday party
dancing with Judas
blindsided

India Guerrero (6)

33

an angel’s wings
when did you decide
to grab you scissors

34

two years later
your motorcycle accident
your karma

35

white mouse
in a snake’s enclosure
you told me you’d stop

36

bitter winter morning
enjoy a piping hot cup
of your own medicine

India Guerrero (15)

WOW. The misdirection in the first two lines is amazing. If it weren’t in the “toxic” kukai collection, then I would never have seen the last line coming. I also really liked the use of the word “bitter.” Is it the winter that’s bitter? Or the person who’s being given their own medicine? Both, probably. Nathan Gallop, Fall 2021