meet me there
twelve o’clock
a new year’s kiss

Sarah Hoadley

she whispered closely
just around the corner
hold tight    it’s just one night

Nathan Heppermann

twirling around
the ballroom
eyes meet

Sydney Brangenberg

a crowded room I see the one

Bayleigh Tabor

she whispered closely
just around the corner
hold tight    it’s just one night

twirling around
the ballroom
eyes meet

twirling around
the ballroom
eyes meet

top quarter champion

TOP half Chamption

constant bickering—
who’d have thought
you’d be the one

bottom quarter champion

constant bickering—
who’d have thought
you’d be the one

flowing hair
soft light
the night is right

constant bickering—
who’d have thought
you’d be the one

eyes meet
stars
beautiful and unique

Quentin Key

flowing hair
soft light
the night is right

Quentin Key

constant bickering—
who’d have thought
you’d be the one

Sydney Brangenberg

bad first judgment
I find myself
falling in love

Sydney Brangenberg

TOP half champion

constant bickering—
who’d have thought
you’d be the one

CHAMPION & Grand Champion

constant bickering—
who’d have thought
you’d be the one

in the sky
her face appears
and I cry

BOTTOM half champion

after years
summer comes back
he proposes

Rachel Asifiwe

no!
the proposal
he kneels

Bayleigh Tabor

losing her
getting her
still    she is the same

Nathan Heppermann

window closing
as Love
fades . . . away

Quentin Key

no!
the proposal
he kneels

window closing
as Love
fades . . . away

window closing
as Love
fades . . . away

top quarter champion

BOTTOM half champion

in the sky
her face appears
and I cry

bottom quarter champion

in the sky
her face appears
and I cry

the presence of you
lingers still
I will see you soon

in the sky
her face appears
and I cry

the presence of you
lingers still
I will see you soon

Sydney Brangenberg

backseat kiss
windshield sunset
that empty seat     was yours

Nathan Heppermann

your name     on my heart
a sunlight       that fades
only when      we’re apart

Nathan Heppermann

in the sky
her face appears
and I cry

Rachel Asifiwe

never seen . . .
never touched . . .
my heart beats for him

Rachel Asifiwe

that special someone
loves to see
the light     in your eyes

Nathan Heppermann

on the bed
she yells . . .
noboby cares

Rachel Asifiwe

valentine’s day
a girl sits alone
drawing a broken heart

Bayleigh Tabor

never seen . . .
never touched . . .
my heart beats for him

on the bed
she yells . . .
noboby cares

never seen . . .
never touched . . .
my heart beats for him

third quarter champion

2nd Round Champion

same old routine
each kiss
still feels like the first

fourth quarter champion

same old routine
each kiss
still feels like the first

rose petals
            drift away
she lets go of his hand

same old routine
each kiss
still feels like the first

like the wind
taking us by surprise
love came . . . then gone

Sarah Hoadley

rose petals
            drift away
she lets go of his hand

Bayleigh Tabor

50 years ago today
I still remember the time and place
when I said “I will”

Sarah Hoadley

same old routine
each kiss
still feels like the first

Sydney Brangenberg

meet me there
twelve o’clock
a new year’s kiss

Sarah Hoadley

she whispered closely
just around the corner
hold tight    it’s just one night

Nathan Heppermann

twirling around
the ballroom
eyes meet

Sydney Brangenberg

a crowded room I see the one

Bayleigh Tabor

Both of these haikus have a fairytale like feeling. They are both simple in their words, yet paint a picture of two people in a crowded room who meet, the one. Sarah

eyes meet
stars
beautiful and unique

Quentin Key

flowing hair
soft light
the night is right

Quentin Key

constant bickering—
who’d have thought
you’d be the one

Sydney Brangenberg

bad first judgment
I find myself
falling in love

Sydney Brangenberg

These are my favorite matching haikus from the matching contest 2. The two haiku matches perfectly and have the same idea in my point of view. In the first haiku, I imagine that it is about a couple that has been together and finally they reach to the goal (marriage, old age or death). No matter their problem or argument, they are together. I also imagine myself in the situation that I am dating my friend with whom we use to fight before. In the second haiku, I imagine two persons who meet and one of them have a bad judgment for the other. As time goes on, he or she started falling in live with the other person. We never know where love comes from and where it can come from. Rachel

after years
summer comes back
he proposes

Rachel Asifiwe

no!
the proposal
he kneels

Bayleigh Tabor

losing her
getting her
still    she is the same

Nathan Heppermann

window closing
as Love
fades . . . away

Quentin Key

window closing
as Love
fades . . . away

Quentin Key

in the sky
her face appears
and I cry

Rachel Asifiwe

Im not keen on crying because it doesn’t really solve anything in the end. So it’s hard for me to support this one but it may touch other differently. And I’m not sure if I like the top one more so because of me being the author or the fact that it is more relatable to me. I also don’t really like being told how to feel about something I’d rather my emotions be of my own choosing. Quentin

the presence of you
lingers still
I will see you soon

Sydney Brangenberg

backseat kiss
windshield sunset
that empty seat     was yours

Nathan Heppermann

your name     on my heart
a sunlight       that fades
only when      we’re apart

Nathan Heppermann

in the sky
her face appears
and I cry

Rachel Asifiwe

These pair nicely, since they both show that someone is missing the other. In the first one, it is as if he can still feel her presence because she has just left. But there is a promise that he will see her again, and that is reassuring. In the second haiku, it seems as though this person is thinking back to a happy memory that was shared with someone that is no longer there. This other person may not even be in the person’s life anymore. Sarah

in the sky
her face appears
and I cry

Rachel Asifiwe

the presence of you
lingers still
I will see you soon

Sydney Brangenberg

This matchup occurred in the second round of the matching contest. I thought that these haiku paired better with each other than their respective first round matchups. I also thought that both of these dealt with the same concept. A little bit of sabi can be recognized in the two of these poems. They both deal with a sense of loneliness and the loss of someone through the ending of a relationship or dramatic event. Either way, they both deal with the presence of the lost one lingering and out of reach from the person in pain. The second haiku focuses on being more explicit with what is being described. This is done so by using descriptive words such as “presence” and “lingers.” Both of these words relate to the first haiku by the picture that the author paints. You can see all the colors of the sunset, or the colorless darkness of the sky at night…both pictures could present an image of a beautiful lost loved one, or the darkness that is there without them present. Either way, in this picture, the reader can see the loved one’s presence as it lingers in the sky. The first haiku does not give a sense of hope, rather just mourning and sadness that is present in the third line. The second haiku contrasts the first, as it is more hopeful in seeing the lost loved one again, and at that, soon. Nathan

What I really liked about this match was how well they went together and gave a similar message. I like the directs words they chose to describe the person such as using you and her. These are strong pronouns and where they were placed bring a connection to the reader. The feeling of losing a special person in your life in both of the haiku’s was amazing to see how well they connected without even really trying to connect to anything. Also the person who is doing the action of either missing the person or crying. They just go so well together which is crazy how it happened. These two are my absolute favorite of the whole matching simply because they were both elegantly written and were simple not over complicated. Bayleigh

never seen . . .
never touched . . .
my heart beats for him

Rachel Asifiwe

that special someone
loves to see
the light     in your eyes

Nathan Heppermann

on the bed
she yells . . .
noboby cares

Rachel Asifiwe

valentine’s day
a girl sits alone
drawing a broken heart

Bayleigh Tabor

like the wind
taking us by surprise
love came . . . then gone

Sarah Hoadley

rose petals
            drift away
she lets go of his hand

Bayleigh Tabor

50 years ago today
I still remember the time and place
when I said “I will”

Sarah Hoadley

same old routine
each kiss
still feels like the first

Sydney Brangenberg

It was really hard to pick which of the pairs were my favorite because they were all so well matched! In the end I picked these two. They both give you a really nice, clear image of the loss of this love. They could both sort of be taken as their love dying and leaving them forever. On the other hand, they could also both be about this love that come about but then fell apart, a sort of short-lived romance. The first one I sort of see more as a whirlwind romance with the second being about the death of a loved one, but the are both ultimately about loss of some sort so I thought that they were very good matches. Sydney