playful kitten
pawing down an ornament
his first Christmas

Tory Hennessey (3)

fall breeze
a jack o lantern grins
holding a secret

Anna Marie Abbate (2)

her braided pigtails
take me back
to nap time

Alex Dorchinecz (2)

fish tank
ok snails, where have all
the guppies gone?

Randy Brooks (5)

lure deep down
i feel a tug
at the bottom of my heart

Alex Dorchinecz (2)

the feathers of a duck
let the water
roll

Anna Marie Abbate (2)

blisters form
toe nails break
they see the beautiful dancer

Anna Marie Abbate (5)

This haiku was very creatively written. I liked how the writer of this haiku was able to draw the audience in and allow them to obtain a glimpse of how a dancer's life really is. I remember while growing up, how people would always say a ballet dancer can dance quite beautifully but they sacrifice having attractive feet. In my opinion, we as people will always sacrifice when it comes to our passion. It truly makes us better and stronger and it is something that we are in fact happy about doing. I also liked this haiku because it really gives us as students to learn it a little more about Anna Marie and her level of skills in theater. She seems to be very diverse and has had many opportunities that can be shared through her work. Overall the tone of this haiku was very capturing and made me think of dance in a new form. Simone

pigeon toe
my living room
can only hold three yoga mats

waiting for the storm
to pass
a rainbow appears

crying . . .
the only way to speak
when mouth is broken

Simone Griffis (4)

I have, many times, experienced this situation. As humans, sometimes we don’t understand the depth of somebody’s hurt. This haiku makes me think of the saying, “actions speak louder than words.” I believe this phrase can be related to this haiku. Even if a loved one tells us how hurt we are, we may not understand if we can’t physically see the pain they are experiencing. Crying is a way for people to express their emotions because sometimes, it hurts too much to say anything. Karlee

wilted flowers
nestled
in the chipped vase

pot pie . . .
warming her hands
over the open crust

Randy Brooks (4)

This reminds me of my family and our family friends. Every year we go skiing, snowboarding, and snowmobiling. After we are done for the day we go to the same restaurant for this amazing pot pie. It was so cold out that day we did the same thing, put our hands over the pot pie to warm them up. The steam from the pot pie smells so good and the crust melts in your mouth it’s to die for. I’m getting hungry just talking about it. Anna Marie

rain drops explode
on the dry cracked land
finally he cries

Dalton Kaufmann (4)

I really love this haiku because of one single word = explode. If that word was left out of this haiku I wouldn’t like it nearly as much. That one word just makes the image dance and fly in your mind. It makes me picture the droplets and the way that the dust would puff up out of the ground and then his tears exploding on something else as well. It is amazing that one little word choice can do so much. Jess

I really enjoyed this haiku because since I come from a small farm town, I know how hard it can be for farmers when there is a drought. I picture a farmer feeling hopeless for the year’s crops and finally a huge rainstorm come and he is so happy that he just cries. Tory

one single strand of hair
he knows
         she stopped by

Jess Brooks (7)

yellow paint
on my cheek—
         dandelions

Lindsey Williams (4)

grandfather clock ticks—
in the small corner
of the room

Bible study tonight
cheeseburgers
on the way

Randy Brooks

a t-shirt over the bikini
         she tries to cover the scars

Karlee VanDeVelde (6)

I like this haiku a lot because it makes you question what’s happening. The image is very clear and there is not much questioning of that. You can picture the shirt coming up and a stomach with a scar of some sort by her bikini, but it’s the scar that makes you think further than just these images alone. Jess

This haiku almost made me cry in class. I have experienced  a lot of pain that brought me to this moment.  I have experienced the shame that comes with having scars. I have seen the stares and whispers, it hurts. I have hidden who I am and covered up. Now I just own what I got for what it is. I have battle scars, not weaknesses. Rachel

his little girl
another piercing
           rebellion

Karlee VanDeVelde (4)

I know about this too well. I have gauged ears, piercings, and a tattoo. My dad wasn't the one that felt like he lost their little girl as much as my mom did. She was not happy about any of my body modifications. Despite the redicule I get from others and some extended family I rock it. I am happy with myself. Everyone else will get over themselves. Rachel

a dinner for four
no chatter
as they check their devices

Dalton Kaufmann (8)

I really enjoyed this haiku because it really relates to this day and age. It is so easy to be having dinner and so involved in their phones. My nana has a rule of no phones at the dinner table so we can all be there in the moment and engaging with family. I think it is so sad that we are all too in to our social media. I love this haiku so much because I can just see it happening as I have seen many times before. Tory

ready to watch a movie—
then BOOM!!!
Human Giraffe gets in front

Simone Griffis (6)

she sinks
into the bubble bath—
alone at last

Tory Hennessey (5)

a big tub
she lights up
        bubbles appear

2 A.M. bubble bath
she splashes the candles
         to go to bed

Jess Brooks (5)

This haiku made me imagine a woman that had a long day at work that wanted to wind down with some wine and a nice warm bubble bath. I could just imagine her having a little too much wine and getting tired while lying in the bath tub. She then decides that it is time for her to go to bed, so she stands up and somehow manages to slip and fall in the bath tub, which in turn splashes the candles that she had lit. Lindsey

sunrise—
they walk the beach
hand in hand

footsteps up and down the hall
worry on their faces
a man in a white coat

Rachel Ives

I pictured this haiku setting to be in the hospital. People are scurrying by to reach their family member’s room. I can feel the tension in a patient’s room as the doctor steps into the room. The patient and family members have fear in their eyes, not wanting to hear any bad news spill from the physician’s mouth. I picture family members crying—tears of sadness, hope, and happiness—depending on the doctor’s prognosis. I can hear the sobs, the sniffling, and the words “this can’t be happening.” I picture this to be a sad situation, in which the patient may be dying, more quickly than expected. Karlee

pumpkin soup
with pumpkin seeds
no need to reiterate

Jess Brooks

her skin warms
under the baking sun
a summer day

thumbs moving a mile a minute
eye contact with the television
killing zombies

soft and fluffy
the warmth
of a bear

Lindsey Williams (3)

antique furniture
holds her future—
a baby girl

Karlee VanDeVelde (2)

covers pulled up
one eye
peering above

Lindsey Williams (5)

a first date
meant for two
who's the third

Dalton Kaufmann (3)

skinny jeans
inserting yourself
        requires a jumping dance

Jess Brooks (7)

I think everyone in this room can relate to this short, sweet haiku. I loved how Jess used the word “requires” because it literally requires you to jump and dance, if you don’t, you will simply not enter into your skinny jeans for the day! I liked how she used “skinny jeans” because if she would have just said jeans, I wouldn’t have liked this haiku at all I don’t think. I chuckled when I read this poem and it just made me feel happy inside! Alex

I really enjoyed this haiku because I can relate to it very well. I imagine myself putting on my pair of my favorite freshly washed jeans of a morning. When they are freshly washed, they are often times hard to get on, so sometimes once I get my jeans pulled up to about my thighs, I have to start doing a little dance in order to get them up. I found this haiku quite funny because it is really entertaining to watch someone else do it as well. Lindsey

one foot
the other foot,
the jean dance

Karlee VanDeVelde (4)

the car door opened from
the outside . . . ah
chivalry isn't dead

Dalton Kaufmann (6)

only one tooth remains
taking ten minutes
to chew his food

twirling across the floor
he holds her
into the night

Tory Hennessey (6)

I loved this haiku because the word “twirling” really caught my attention. It just put me in a setting of a wedding with all my loved ones surrounding me and watching me dance the night away with the love of my life. I also liked how we talked in class that he is holding her tight from the dance floor to back home at the end of the night. This haiku had so much imagery for me, and I loved it! Alex

papers strewn about
homework overload—
will it ever end?

Tory Hennessey (6)

I look in the mirror preparing for the day
I disguise sorrows  
warpaint

Rachel Ives (3)

War paint I love the use of this and not just saying make up. I am the type of girl that can’t go out of the house without make up because I’m self-conscious but it also shows that no matter how you’re feeling disguise them for the time being and move on like it doesn’t bother you. Also for me looking in the mirror is a part of my daily routine it makes me think about how much we look in the mirror. Most of us do when we get dressed, brush our teeth, brush our hair so on and so forth. But it can also be an enemy for girls. Showing every flaw she sees in herself. I look in the mirror every day whether I like to or not. Because I dance every day. There are mirrors surrounded on all sides of the room so it’s almost painful to look at. Disguise sorrows for me is not sowing that a break up hurts or not letting someone get to you. People are mean, words cut, the scars remain and you can’t let others get the best of you. That’s what this means to me. Anna Marie

When reading this haiku I felt as though I could really relate and so did other ladies who were reading this haiku in class. It just makes you think about how sometimes you wake up in the morning and you feel or even look stressed and so what happens is that you do not want anyone to see your flaws and so you cover them with make-up. I have learned that many women use an abundant amount of make up on a daily basis and that it has become a part of who they are because they feel as though they just cannot live without it. Simone

smoke
tires screech
he drives away
show off

Anna Marie Abbate

her frayed daisy dukes
show off
        round, juicy oranges

Alex Dorchinecz