walking barefoot
girl brings me
her clothed heart

one step
at a time
changes the world

Kiava Plato

I really liked this haiku because I liked the message and I really liked the slowed down pace, because it seemed like steps to me. It also felt to me like the first two lines were kind of coaching, like they're reminding you to just take one step at a time and you'll be able to do anything. Lena

with nothing to gain
I give
everything

Kiava Plato

jive turkey
fresh
out of the oven

Jessica Joyner

African tree roots
stretch the Atlantic
nourishing our souls

Jessica Joyner

I loved the imagery of this haiku. It painted a really vivid mental picture for me, like a massive tree whose roots are large enough to span the whole ocean. I also like that the tree roots are nourishing, and I think that nourishing is a really rich word to add. Lena

forty acres of land
a lost mule
wanders

Jessica Joyner

rainy night
let us watch
the clouds cry

Matthew Marrero

I really liked the word play used in this haiku. Just the thought of clouds crying as a form of rain is both clever, and a romantic sense of imagery. Also, the second line that mentions that there is more than one person involved suggest that there is some connection being made under the tears of the cloud. Jessica

I really enjoyed this haiku because I loved the words they used. I got great imagery in this haiku. I imagine a rainy night and a couple watching the rain come down. I thought it was so creative how they said “the clouds cry”. I would never have thought to use that to explain rain. It was so creatively put. I like how he put the setting in the beginning to start us out. Then it gives you a picture of two people just peacefully watching something that is “crying”. Karmina

in my dreams
I hear you
showing me the way

Jessica Joyner

warm feelings
looking at the summer sky
home

drunken phone call
the first time I heard
his voice

sunrise through the trees
he dares me to swim
across the lake

Lena Rotramel

listening to him talk
about his mother
I see my future

Lena Rotramel

I love this because there are two ways to imagine it. I think that hearing someone talk about their mother is kind of an insight into their life and how they may treat their future wife. It also could help you see your future by hearing his stories about his mother and what his life was like growing up. I thought it was beautiful and gave plenty of room for interpretation. I like how she can see her future just by him talking and telling stories. I also like how it is his mother he is talking about because it gives it this sense of lightness and just makes it sweet. Karmina

emerald forest pool
her red hair
ablaze in the sunlight

Lena Rotramel

frowning at me
leaving for a party
she fixes my hair

Lena Rotramel

I like this Haiku because it's playful and relate-able.  It reminds me of your mother not wanting you to go out to a party but she knows that you're going any way so she fixes your hair so that at least you'll look good while you're out. Kiava

lost in thought
one question stands out
Where are you?

sounds of thunder
oh wait
it's your snoring

Jessica Joyner

I enjoyed this Haiku because it is extremely playful and funny.  I can personally relate to this because my nose is constantly clogged or running so my husband will wake me up and say you have to do something about that, as if I can control it! Kiava

patient rose
last one
to be plucked

Jessica Joyner

sleeping beauty awaits
her prince
stuck in traffic

Jessica Joyner

making small talk
his mother
looks through me

Lena Rotramel

This haiku was comical and yet mysterious at the same time. While the son’s girlfriend is making conversation, the mother is discerning the girlfriend. I like the playfulness of this haiku, as well as the mystery of what the mother is seeing in the girl. Does she approve of her? Or does she suggest someone else for her son? The author leaves it to the reader to decide. Jessica

distance between us
he helps me
cut the carrots

Lena Rotramel

a night with his friends
saying nothing of the lipstick
on his collar

up one
up two
stairmaster

Kiava Plato

coughing a little louder
hoping he
wakes up

Lena Rotramel

holding the door for me
I pretend I didn't hear
him fart

Lena Rotramel

afternoon sun beats down
telling my mother
"happy father's day"

Lena Rotramel

after kissing him
she brushes
her teeth

Lena Rotramel

class reunion
I look great
husband gets praise

dreams kindled
in a wall street bombing
black smoke

Jessica Joyner

arms linked as chains
only this time
we are free

Jessica Joyner

electricity
slides through the hips
family reunion tradition

Jessica Joyner

winter night
he waits at the door for her
to buzz him inside

Karmina Gant

star gazing
high school sweethearts
college bound

Karmina Gant

ocean blue
a young boy's memories of
Father's Day

red rose in the vase
he recites a list
of my mistakes

Lena Rotramel

Autumn leaves
crunching under the children
they jump pile-to-pile