snuggled up warm
underneath blankets
they steal a kiss

Emily Holthaus

the soft hair
on his chin
a familiar tickle

Mackenzie Larrick

the time runs fast
every time
I am with you

Rakan Algatani

ten more minutes
I almost captured you
in my dream

Christa Hunt

snuggled up warm
underneath blankets
they steal a kiss

ten more minutes
I almost captured you
in my dream

ten more minutes
I almost captured you
in my dream

top quarter champion

TOP half Chamption

ten more minutes
I almost captured you
in my dream

bottom quarter champion

first date—be a lady
perhaps a salad
no thank you
steak

first date—be a lady
perhaps a salad
no thank you
steak

she giggles
at her phone
she says he’s different

first date—be a lady
perhaps a salad
no thank you
steak

Mackenzie Larrick

grinning from ear to ear
the spark that ignites the flame
first date

Briana Curtis

she giggles
at her phone
she says he’s different

Briana Curtis

smiling face
emoji can’t tell
how you really feel

Daniel Koffman

TOP half champion

ten more minutes
I almost captured you
in my dream

CHAMPION
 

Spring love
blooming flowers
drought

Spring love
blooming flowers
drought

BOTTOM half champion

so many people
but so
alone

Jasmine Gregory

I’ll always
have Paris
without you

Alexa Duncan

flowers burning
ella fitzgerald
holds my hand

Alexa Duncan

Spring love
blooming flowers
drought

Teresa Brase

I’ll always
have Paris
without you

Spring love
blooming flowers
drought

Spring love
blooming flowers
drought

top quarter champion

BOTTOM half champion

Spring love
blooming flowers
drought

bottom quarter champion

stained carpet
holds my attention—
she wants to talk

it didn’t take long
right back in his arms
she’s not strong enough yet

stained carpet
holds my attention—
she wants to talk

it didn’t take long
right back in his arms
she’s not strong enough yet

Briana Curtis

I hate the way you make me feel
taking you back every time
how could you

Tives Gardner

false retreat

      I

 crashed

   N 2 U

Christa Hunt

stained carpet
holds my attention—
she wants to talk

Daniel Koffman

snuggled up warm
underneath blankets
they steal a kiss

Emily Holthaus

the soft hair
on his chin
a familiar tickle

Mackenzie Larrick

the time runs fast
every time
I am with you

Rakan Algatani

ten more minutes
I almost captured you
in my dream

Christa Hunt

I like this imagery because it is so romantic as the the soft hair of his loved one on his chin tickles. This took me back when I had my first relationship as my girlfriend hair tickled my face. It is a moment of romance. Rakan

I like this one because sometimes are dreams are an escape from our reality. Some dreams are great that we want to stay on them little longer so we capture the people we are attracted to or love in some cases. Rakan

To me these haiku could be written to the same person. The person who want to go back to sleep in the second haiku could be telling the object of their chase the words of the first haiku. I like these both together because they complement each other. The both represent a longing to be with someone. Christa

These haiku show how precious time is. The subjects long for their lover and want to spend and cherish every moment together. I picture a two people dating and are having such a good time they lose track of time. The second haiku I picture someone being woken up out of their sleep while dreaming of their crush or someone they are dating and wished to have ten more minutes to finish that magical moment. Briana

first date—be a lady
perhaps a salad
no thank you
steak

Mackenzie Larrick

grinning from ear to ear
the spark that ignites the flame
first date

Briana Curtis

she giggles
at her phone
she says he’s different

Briana Curtis

smiling face
emoji can’t tell
how you really feel

Daniel Koffman

snuggled up warm
underneath blankets
they steal a kiss

ten more minutes
I almost captured you
in my dream

I wrote this first one, but I like the way it compares to another haiku by someone else in the class. I just like the image I receive reading this one too because it’s more of a romantic moment in the bed right before the couple falls asleep together. It’s a warm feeling reading it, and I also get the idea of the saying, “never go to bed mad,” from this as well and they are embracing that. Emily

I think this second one relates to the one above by the simple fact that the portrayed image in both is a bedroom, or even a bed specifically. It is still about a couple, or “wanna-be” couple as well. This one is more on the fantasy side of it and I imagine a woman dreaming about her dream guy, and wakes up not quite ready for that dream to end so soon. I can see her waking up and out loud saying she wishes she just had ten more minutes with him in her dream. Emily

Both of these haiku use the imagery of waking up in bed. I like the contrast between the one who sees the person they love when they open their eyes, against the one who only sees the person they love in their dreams. Dan

so many people
but so
alone

Jasmine Gregory

I’ll always
have Paris
without you

Alexa Duncan

flowers burning
ella fitzgerald
holds my hand

Alexa Duncan

Spring love
blooming flowers
drought

Teresa Brase

it didn’t take long
right back in his arms
she’s not strong enough yet

Briana Curtis

I hate the way you make me feel
taking you back every time
how could you

Tives Gardner

false retreat

      I

 crashed

   N 2 U

Christa Hunt

stained carpet
holds my attention—
she wants to talk

Daniel Koffman

These haiku pair very well together and it was hard for me to pick a favorite because they are very similar. To me, it seems like they are almost telling the same story from different perspectives. Someone who knows this girl watches her take him back over and over because she hasn’t found the courage and strength to be on her own. While in the other, it’s like an inside direct expression from the girl to the boy about how she feels when she keeps taking him back. They work well together to tell a story. However, the first one leaves more open for the reader to interpret. Is the girl happy to be going back to him but the person watching isn’t happy about it? In the second one, we clearly see her anger and her struggle with taking him back, yet she keeps doing it. Mackenzie

I just picture a lady trying to leave this man that she loves so much but he isn’t good to her. There is something about him that keeps bringing her back to him. Whether is manipulation or love, she keeps going back. Jasmine

ready or not,
the time is unstoppable
train

the time runs fast
every time
I am with you

false retreat

      I

 crashed

   N 2 U

Christa Hunt

ten more minutes
I almost captured you
in my dream

Both of these haiku talk about time and how it passes quickly. While the first poem talks about how they are sad that time is passing so quickly, the second poem talks about how the time passing quickly is a good thing. In the second poem, you want the time to pass quickly because that means you are in a great relationship. The first poem is reflecting on time is like a train that keeps. The different interpretations of time in both of these poems make for an interesting reading. Teresa

I love the—excuse the pun—dreaminess of this haiku. In our dreams we’re always trying to chase someone we can’t have. Although, in this haiku specifically, I imagine a love-sick teenager. Her mom is trying to rouse her from sleep, but she groans in the way teenagers do. She can’t wake up now, mom, she almost got him in her dream! She was so close, and then you ruined it by waking her up. Since I can’t turn my brain off of story mode, however, I can also see the second haiku being from the point of view of the person in the dream. Maybe the person in the first haiku did catch up to her crush. They crashed into one another and the waking up was the false retreat. Alexa