hot summer day
old hand water pump
I wet my head

Darla Laymon

weathered boat
lodged in sand
waiting to be launched

Cristine Lourash

preparing a fishing rod
father teaches
a fisherman's knot

Zacahery Cronister

cleaning his shed
I stare at the wall
Dad's fishing poles

Bethany Wetherholt

weathered boat
lodged in sand
waiting to be launched

cleaning his shed
I stare at the wall
Dad's fishing poles

cleaning his shed
I stare at the wall
Dad's fishing poles

top quarter champion

TOP half Chamption

old beater
backfires
Grandpa's truck

bottom quarter champion

old beater
backfires
Grandpa's truck

old beater
backfires
Grandpa's truck

sister's dress
how pretty she looked
now it's mine

old beater
backfires
Grandpa's truck

Amanda Ferguson

gravel road
grandpa's bike squeaking
under my feet

Jennifer Tohill

hand-me-down
my once favorite shirt
now my son's

Bill Fields

sister's dress
how pretty she looked
now it's mine

Michelle Hosapple

TOP half champion

old beater
backfires
Grandpa's truck

CHAMPION
 

old beater
backfires
Grandpa's truck

she slowly approaches
a small grave
flowers in hand

BOTTOM half champion

old dusty road
wildflowers sway
grandma's house

Darla Laymon

the old path
walked with grandma
overgrown with roses

Sonja Chargois

she slowly approaches
a small grave
flowers in hand

Cristine Lourash

seeing someone else play
on grandma's organ
grandma's funeral

Sonja Chargois

old dusty road
wildflowers sway
grandma's house

she slowly approaches
a small grave
flowers in hand

she slowly approaches
a small grave
flowers in hand

top quarter champion

BOTTOM half champion

she slowly approaches
a small grave
flowers in hand

bottom quarter champion

he leans on the bar
scars on his arm
Vietnam

he leans on the bar
scars on his arm
Vietnam

creaks and squeaks
still rocks
my son to sleep

watching her kids swim
she looks down at her belly
scars

Bethany Wetherholt

he leans on the bar
scars on his arm
Vietnam

Bethany Wetherholt

creaks and squeaks
still rocks
my son to sleep

Marshaya Sangster

a warm fuzz
then music at its best
vinyl record

Bill Fields

hot summer day
old hand water pump
I wet my head

weathered boat
lodged in sand
waiting to be launched

preparing a fishing rod
father teaches
a fisherman's knot

cleaning his shed
I stare at the wall
Dad's fishing poles

I thought these two matched up well. I see it is the start of a season, summer its hot you need to cool off. Then you are at the end of the season; well used boat pulled up out of the water, waiting till next year. You could also view this as someone just rowed into shore, its summer and the person is very hot. They pull the boat into shore so that it will not float away. This person is alone so it is not like he or she could just jump out of the boat to cool off. They see an old hand pump, start pumping, the water is spewing out of spigot, and they lean over and soak their head. This scenario could also be reversed instead of coming into shore maybe they are going out into the water. I really like how these poems blend and meld with each other. Cris

I enjoyed both of these Wabi haiku as I love fishing. They both instill a wabi feeling, but the first has a sense of tradition being passed down in knowledge that can be used generation after generation. The sec one has a lot of memories and feelings of happiness and grief with it as the father may have passed away to the reader or author. Both are very beautiful haiku and can give the reader a sense of meaning behind the haiku. Zach

old beater
backfires
Grandpa's truck

gravel road
grandpa's bike squeaking
under my feet

hand-me-down
my once favorite shirt
now my son's

sister's dress
how pretty she looked
now it's mine

I find the connection of this pair of haiku intriguing. I enjoy that we have two different modes of transportation that once belonged to grandpa, seem unreliable, yet are still loved. It is nice that the value of an object does not solely rest on its usefullness. Bill

I really enjoy the images that this haiku paints for me in my mind. I see so many colors that I really enjoy, like a rich barn yard red, old teal, and rust. It is like I can almost smell old rust and a hint of oil from the old truck. Michelle

Both these haiku are bittersweet. On the first haiku I see my son wearing his father's clothes. My son's father passed away when he was 9 years old so anything related to his father brings tears to my eyes. However, as he gets older I see more and more of his dad in him and hope he appreciates everything his dad left him. Even when his father was a live our son was the light of his life and left him so much. One day I see my son going out on a date in one of his dad's dress shirts or even wearing one of his ties to work. The second haiku makes me think of when I was growing up. I have a sister 3 years younger than me and she followed me everywhere I went and did everything I did. I remember at Christmas we were the perfect now Facebook picture. My mom would dress us alike, earrings and all. My sister would love it but I despised it. We even have pictures of my having a ticked off look on my face and my sister with a huge smile! However, at the age we are at now I realize how special that was to her. I now teach my kids that if someone younger wants to follow them and idolize them, then to let them. You never know what that could mean to them. Both haikus talk of passing things down and appreciating the sentimental value. Jennifer

old dusty road
wildflowers sway
grandma's house

she slowly approaches
a small grave
flowers in hand

I enjoyed this pair of haiku, because I am close with both of my grandmas. To me, in both of these haiku, I see a woman who has lost her grandma. The first one, I see the young woman visiting the house where her grandma used to live. The little girl remembers all the memories that were made there, out in that house in the country. She walks along the dirt road, a light breeze blows by, the wildflowers slowly bend over. She thinks about how she used to walk this road with her grandma and how they would talk about anything and everything for hours while they picked the purple and blue wildflowers. The woman bends over to pick a flower, and tucks it behind her ear, just like her grandma used to do when she was a little girl. Bethany

The second haiku, I imagine a woman, early 20's who is trying to find her way in the world. Her mother has recently passed away and she feels lost in the world. She isn't sure how she will ever go on without her mother. Her mom was a single mom. She was strong, she did everything she could to provide a good life for her daughter. Her mother shaped who she is today. Her mother's mother also died when she was young and the girl doesn't have any memories of her since she was just a baby when she died. One day, she decides to visit her grandmother's grave for the first time. She felt that she needed to go visit the woman who raised her mother. Walking through an old cemetery overtaken by weeds she searches through the headstones. Finally, she spots her last name. With yellow tulips (her mother's favorite) in her hand, she slowly bends down and wipes off the headstone. She stares at the headstone for a few minutes and then begins to cry. Bethany

she slowly approaches
a small grave
flowers in hand

This Haiku reminds me of someone who lost someone long ago and way to soon. I can see a young woman approaching the grave with tears in her eye as she is there to visit the small child that was lost. I can see the heart shaped tombstone with the angel in graved in it. There are lots of teddy bears and old pickle jars because the young girl loved pickles. This is very clear for me as I do this a couple times a year when I do go visit my nieces grave. Mandy

old dusty road
wildflowers sway
grandma's house

the old path
walked with grandma
overgrown with roses

she slowly approaches
a small grave
flowers in hand

seeing someone else play
on grandma's organ
grandma's funeral

I like this pair because it reminds me so much of my grandmother that passed away. My grandmother used to live right next door to my house, but we ended up moving. I also still drive past her house today and see that no one lives there and the grass is growing all out and weed and flowers all over the place. This haiku makes me sad in memory of my grandmother but also happy because we got memories together. Shaya

There were no days like spending time with grandma. This adult woman recalling her childhood and the fun special relationship she shared with her father's mother. Her grandmother wasn't like any other grandma but, she was fun and cool to be with. They shared laughs, enjoyed long walks on a path that they declared was theirs. They loved watching nature take shape as flowers bloomed, insects thrived, and animals made homes. She recalls a time she asked her grandma if she could pick the roses and her grandmother response was let's leave them for others to enjoy. As she makes her way to the path that her and her grandma claimed years ago she is surprised to see that it's overgrown with beautiful roses. Although grandma is no longer with her physically, seeing the beautiful roses proves that the path she remembers walking is still full of beauty and the presence of grandma. Sonja

watching her kids swim
she looks down at her belly
scars

he leans on the bar
scars on his arm
Vietnam

creaks and squeaks
still rocks
my son to sleep

a warm fuzz
then music at its best
vinyl record