06 Matching Contest - Kuro - Fall 2025 • Millikin University

man of her dreams
in the mirror
her blackened eye

deep night
my reflection pauses
in the dark window

muddy path
I stand
and sink

stormy sky, 
withering flower 
on his tombstone 

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top quarter champion

 

TOP half Chamption

 

bottom quarter champion

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loss of the family dog
the house feels
too quiet

not long enough
she licks my hand
for the last time

the cat I see 
every day
never returned

memento mori 
everything 
evaporates 

 

TOP half champion

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CHAMPION
 

 

 

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BOTTOM half champion

flowers wilt 
in my red vase
good while it lasted

birthday party
deflated balloons 
she celebrates alone.

scribbles
in my head
overtake my thoughts

tumor removal
prolonging
the inevitable

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top quarter champion

 

BOTTOM half champion

 

bottom quarter champion

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dark study room
my computer screen
outshines the moon

the moon
not so bright
tonight

broken streetlights
only the moon
to light the path

thin winter light
a single crow
on the powerline

© 2025, Randy Brooks • Millikin University. All rights returned to authors upon publication.

 

07 Matching Contest - Mido - Fall 2025 • Millikin University

dancing and singing
not caring
how I look

strobe lights and music
the elbow
I didn’t see coming

turn on the wii
we dance like
little kids again

beating heart
head beating
to the same drum

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top quarter champion

 

TOP half Chamption

 

bottom quarter champion

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midnight snack run
we sit in the car
laughing for hours

midnight snack 
spills on the ground 
the dogs fight

soft sunlight
I breathe differently 
for a moment

sunshine breezes
through my car
summer in the country

 

TOP half champion

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CHAMPION
 

 

 

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BOTTOM half champion

freshly brewed coffee
slightly burnt 
tastes like home

blues and red hues 
in one night 
nothing left to lose

well into fall
flowers in bloom
no one tells them what to do

winter air
lego plants
never die

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top quarter champion

 

BOTTOM half champion

 

bottom quarter champion

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right mind 
never gets 
anything right

you can't control,
what you can't 
control what you can 

a new hat
for my dad’s
metal dinosaur statue

just let it happen
my dad tells me
fatherly advice

© 2025, Randy Brooks • Millikin University. All rights returned to authors upon publication.