running from the past
she looks
like me
Jenny Tullis
plane bounces
home is
just within reach
Sam Thornburg
kitchen laughter
the wedding band
falls down the drain
Sam Thornburg
When first reading this I imagined a joyous kitchen full of people after the wedding. Gifts are strewn about and in the laughter the wedding band accidentally falls down the drain. Then on another read I saw more logical interpretations. Subsequent times I began thinking that the laughter is malicious and full of ridicule. The points made against the spouse become so egregious that the partner decides to toss the wedding band down the drain. What I like is that, given the use of falls, we are not sure why exactly the wedding band ended up down the drain. Was it a mistake made out of joy, or a malicious abandonment made out of a new found spite that was encouraged by friends? Harrison Atkins, January 2021
growing up
i watch the tree
split into two
Mira Burens
running from the past
she looks
like me
••••**
growing up
i watch the tree
split into two
••••**
running from the past
she looks
like me
top quarter champion
TOP half Chamption
running from the past
she looks
like me
bottom quarter champion
stock reports
i do it
for her
people I’ve hurt
the list outweighs
Jacob Marley’s chains
stock reports
i do it
for her
•••••
lights out
close my eyes—
i’m on the couch
Ashley Galloway
•
people I’ve hurt
the list outweighs
Jacob Marley’s chains
Jenny Tullis
kids choose
the frog necklace
Happy Birthday Mom!
Jenny Tullis
stock reports
i do it
for her
Sam Thornburg
TOP half champion
running from the past
she looks
like me
CHAMPION
boardwalk at dusk
you mimic
the honk of a goose
boardwalk at dusk
you mimic
the honk of a goose
BOTTOM half champion
thirteen
sucks in her stomach
the mirror applauds
Jenny Tullis
**
sky goes gray
into the basement
candles lit
Allie Bonk
sumo wrestler
carefully lifting
another challenger
Harrison Atkins
they plop down
exhausted
jets soaring by
Jakob Henderson
These haiku were especially powerful for me to read. The first talks about a girl struggling with her self-image, hoping that sucking in is what she’ll need to do to look desirable in a mirror; the other poem about a serious moment in a dimly lit basement, waiting out a tornado or hurricane. Both of these give me the feeling of a pit or a sudden drop in my stomach, like an “oh no.” Caitlin Marshall, January 2021
thirteen
sucks in her stomach
the mirror applauds
••••• ••
sumo wrestler
carefully lifting
another challenger
thirteen
sucks in her stomach
the mirror applauds
top quarter champion
BOTTOM half champion
boardwalk at dusk
you mimic
the honk of a goose
bottom quarter champion
boardwalk at dusk
you mimic
the honk of a goose
dog daydreams of
frolicking
with all of his legs
•*•
boardwalk at dusk
you mimic
the honk of a goose
••••
the crunch of an egg
blood and yolk
stain the fox’s teeth
Harrison Atkins
•
dog daydreams of
frolicking
with all of his legs
Allie Bonk
This haiku beat a haiku that I had spent a good deal of time trying to get right, and when I saw it I knew I was in trouble. While haiku focus on imagery I love a good pairing of words and the intial line is fun to say- “dog daydreams”. There is an excellent resonance between the words and the image of dog dreams is a pure and whimsical concept. The word frolicking is again a great word choice that is enjoyable to say. The lack of describing the dog leaves the reader to imagine a dog important to themselves dreaming and frolicking about. The last line then ties up the haiku wonderfully. The line makes it unclear if the dog is simply daydreaming intensely, and so he is actually using all of his legs in the dream, or if he happens to not have all of his legs anymore and the dog dreams as if he did. Between the word choice and the stinging unclear conclusion this is a wonderful haiku. Harrison Atkins, January 2021
a push of love
caught by death
the empty nest
Mira Burens
•
This is an odd pairing, but I was fascinated by both Haiku together. One is heavy, while the other is seemingly goofy. I like that the first Haiku doesn’t reveal setting until the third line, while the second reveals the setting immediately. I also love the way both incorporate birds, but in two totally different ways. Sarah Obert, January 2021
boardwalk at dusk
you mimic
the honk of a goose
Sarah Obert
growing up
i watch the tree
split into two
Mira Burens
a push of love
caught by death
the empty nest
Mira Burens
running from the past
she looks
like me
Jenny Tullis
people I’ve hurt
the list outweighs
Jacob Marley’s chains
Jenny Tullis
I am vividly reminded of a certain tree in my childhood home’s backyard with these two haiku: I thought of the same tree in different ways from each haiku. As I grew older, I would slowly watch the tree in the center of the backyard next to the trampoline lose its branches, “climbability”, and stature. Through my constant touching and usage of it, the tree collapsed over the years, as I watched it get battered by rain, snow, lightning, and the neighborhood kids. A memory I had when I was very young was that in one of the tree branches was a bird’s nest. I climbed up and grabbed it and brought it inside. I didn’t fully understand what was in the nest, so I smashed the eggs in the sink. My mom saw it and got very upset, telling me to put the nest back. I don’t think any of the baby birds survived. I also don’t think I ever saw a bird’s nest in my backyard ever again. Guess I showed those birds! But, overall, that one tree is the connecting force for these two haiku. Sam Thornburg, January 2021
I see these haiku as a sequence of events. I imagine the girl as someone who is ready to leave their past and all the people they hurt. But they find it hard to see the difference between the person she is right now and the one she was then. Her past actions weigh her down so much she can’t even run from the people she’s hurt. These realizations help her realize that running is not the solution and she must face and resolve what she’s done and leave a different person, able to run free from the weight of their actions. Mira Burens, January 2021