the silence
fills my ears
sleep
Cleah Roberts |
our fingers interlocked
heartbeats in sync
you’re asleep
Sara Runyen |
I close my eyes
and breathe
the voices fizzle out
Kaitlyn McIntyre |
breath in breath out
thump thump thump
listen to your heart
Sara Runyen |
our fingers interlocked
heartbeats in sync
you’re asleep |
I close my eyes
and breathe
the voices fizzle out |
|
our fingers interlocked
heartbeats in sync
you’re asleep
top
quarter champion |
|
TOP half Chamption
our fingers interlocked
heartbeats in sync
you’re asleep
|
bottom
quarter champion
alone in the dark
but not afraid
quiet and calm
|
alone in the dark
but not afraid
quiet and calm
|
Decatur summer
the afternoon heat
smells like soy beans
|
alone in the dark
but not afraid
quiet and calm
Tristan Keller |
it’s very quiet
the house creaks
what was that
Roxanne Rodriguez |
large park
I sit on a bench with doves
out of bread
Josh Grant |
Decatur summer
the afternoon heat
smells like soy beans
Riley Cremeens |
|
TOP
half champion
our fingers interlocked
heartbeats in sync
you’re asleep
|
|
CHAMPION
our fingers interlocked
heartbeats in sync
you’re asleep
|
looking around the room
these walls still bare
time to fill them
BOTTOM
half champion |
looking through
lights turned on
someone else's room
Gabriella Barone |
looking around the room
these walls still bare
time to fill them
Roxanne Rodriguez |
broken window
an alleyway
of muffled voices
Gabriella Barone |
foggy street
dog nails clicking
no leash
Josh Grant |
looking around the room
these walls still bare
time to fill them |
broken window
an alleyway
of muffled voices |
|
looking around the room
these walls still bare
time to fill them
top
quarter champion |
|
BOTTOM
half champion
looking around the room
these walls still bare
time to fill them
|
bottom
quarter champion
one pound down joyful
one pound up
world comes crumbling down
|
the sun is out
and so am I
happy pride month
|
one pound down joyful
one pound up
world comes crumbling down
|
the sun is out
and so am I
happy pride month
Riley Cremeens |
blazing sun
blistered hands
all in a day's work
Tristan Keller |
one pound down joyful
one pound up
world comes crumbling down
Kaitlyn McIntyre |
I identify by digits
characters too
I'm not A1, I'm . . . being
Josh Grant |
© 2022, Randy Brooks • Millikin University. All rights returned to authors upon publication.
warming up
sweat beads
forming already
Roxanne Rodriguez |
run run run
the treadmill
BEEPS
Cleah Roberts |
downward dog
counting breaths
my mind can’t relax
Sara Runyen |
deep breath in
deep breath out
don’t forget to smile
Tristan Keller |
warming up
sweat beads
forming already |
downward dog
counting breaths
my mind can’t relax |
|
downward dog
counting breaths
my mind can’t relax
top
champion |
our fingers interlocked
heartbeats in sync
you’re asleep |
2nd page Champion
wearing headphones
this workout
alone
|
bottom champion
wearing headphones
this workout
alone
|
I’m stuck
in bridge pose
can’t feel my legs
Cleah Roberts |
wearing headphones
this workout
alone
Roxanne Rodriguez |
© 2022, Randy Brooks • Millikin University. All rights returned to authors upon publication.
the silence
fills my ears
sleep
Cleah Roberts |
our fingers interlocked
heartbeats in sync
you’re asleep
Sara Runyen |
I close my eyes
and breathe
the voices fizzle out
Kaitlyn McIntyre |
breath in breath out
thump thump thump
listen to your heart
Sara Runyen |
|
I love the imagery in the first line of the haiku, the comforting feeling that the second line gives me, and the juxtaposition that the third line brings. Without the haiku explicitly saying it, its implied that there are two people lying next to each other. They are comfortable with one another given that their fingers are interlocked and heartbeats in sync. It's silent, but so much is being said. One person dozes off as the other lays still and tries to capture the peacefulness of this moment as much as they can. Gabriella Barone, May 2022 |
I really liked the combination of these two haiku because they bring a sense of anxiousness yet a self-soothing experience. The reason I also enjoyed this mixture of the two is because the first one seems like your inner dialogue and anxiousness finally fizzling out, and the second feels like a more calming inner dialogue. They are like the devil and the angel on your shoulder. Riley Cremeens, May 2022
I really like these two haiku. They both use senses to create a relaxation sensation. I can imagine myself sitting there and just focusing on my breathing, and then the only thing I hear is my own thoughts. At the same time, I can also imagine my heart beat being the loudest thing I can hear. The way these two haiku are so similar and yet different is really unique. Tristan Keller, May 2022 |
alone in the dark
but not afraid
quiet and calm
Tristan Keller |
it’s very quiet
the house creaks
what was that
Roxanne Rodriguez |
large park
I sit on a bench with doves
out of bread
Josh Grant |
Decatur summer
the afternoon heat
smells like soy beans
Riley Cremeens |
These two haiku have similar elements, but when read they give off the complete opposite feeling. The first is about being relaxed and calm. Whereas the second is about being scared because of something unknown. They both draw on similar emotions and feelings to deliver different emotions to the reader. Tristan Keller, May 2022 |
|
|
I like this one because it touches on several emotions. Some may feel that being alone can be scary, but the writer makes it known that this isn’t the case here. They aren’t afraid at all they are calm and possibly even relaxed. Sara Runyen, May 2022 |
|
|
|
looking through
lights turned on
someone else's room
Gabriella Barone |
looking around the room
these walls still bare
time to fill them
Roxanne Rodriguez |
broken window
an alleyway
of muffled voices
Gabriella Barone |
foggy street
dog nails clicking
no leash
Josh Grant |
Both poems seem to depict individuals who are in a room that is either not their own or one that they do not feel comfortable in just yet. I really enjoyed the second one, because decorating takes a long time, and I can imagine the frustration this individual must feel in this empty room. I imagine the walls being tan color with no character, a empty canvas ready to be brought to life. Cleah Roberts, May 2022 |
I like these two because it is almost like they complete each other. From the broken window you can see the foggy street. The dog’s nails clink down the alleyway and without its leash, you can hear the muffled voices of the people
looking for the dog. Or from the alleyway you hear muffled voices. Roxanne Rodriguez, May 2022 |
the sun is out
and so am I
happy pride month
Riley Cremeens |
one pound down joyful
one pound up
world comes crumbling down
Kaitlyn McIntyre |
blazing sun
blistered hands
all in a day's work
Tristan Keller |
I identify by digits
characters too
I'm not A1, I'm . . . being
Josh Grant |
I picked this pair because I liked how both showed vulnerability in very different ways but one in a happy way and the other in a sadder light. I don't usually think they would be matched at all but seeing them next to each other was interesting. Kaitlyn McIntyre, May 2022 |
This makes me think of my grandpa. He was a sheet metal worker and worked in the rain, sleet, and snow. When he wasn’t working at work, he was always in his garage working on cars, or building something out of wood. He is a strong man and in a day’s work, he could get anything he had his mind set to done. Sara Runyen, May 2022 |
|
foggy street
dog nails clicking
no leash
Josh Grant |
|
downward dog
counting breaths
my mind can’t relax
Sara Runyen |
deep breath in
deep breath out
don’t forget to smile
Tristan Keller |
This haiku takes me somewhere, to a quiet street in the middle of the night. There is fog leaking out into the street from a nearby alleyway. It is not a natural fog from the sky, but from steam leaving a nearby building. I am the only one on this street but in the distance I hear “clickety clack, clickety clack.” Unsure of where the sound is coming from I look around and for a brief few seconds I see a dog crossing the street from one part of the alley to the other side. He does not stop and there is no one walking him. Just like me, he is alone. Gabriella Barone, May 2022 |
|
I liked both of these poems about yoga, they both give good imagery, however convey two very different things. They both, show how the mind can begin to wonder and worry even when it is supposed to be relaxed. The first poem outwardly state that an individual is unable to relax, while the other conveys a wondering mind that is not focusing on yoga but rather their image while doing yoga. Cleah Roberts, May 2022
Again, I feel like these two are working together. Though I have never taken yoga, I imagine someone positioned in downward dog counting breaths and breathing in and out. I also think that yoga would make you want to smile because it is supposed to be exhilarating. Roxanne Rodriguez, May 2022
|
warming up
sweat beads
forming already
Roxanne Rodriguez |
run run run
the treadmill
BEEPS
Cleah Roberts |
downward dog
counting breaths
my mind can’t relax
Sara Runyen |
wearing headphones
this workout
alone
Roxanne Rodriguez |
I like these two poems together because it reminds me a lot of workout anxiety and how stressful it can be, especially when you are starting to get back into shape again. The BEEP felt like the relief of hearing that you completed your workout, and the sweat beads in the first one remind me of the anxiousness of being tired before you have even begun. Riley Cremeens, May 2022 |
I picked this matching pair because I think the two can contrast each other. One is about how they can’t find peace and the second haiku can be interpreted that they are finding peace being alone during their workout. Kaitlyn McIntyre, May 2022 |
I’m stuck
in bridge pose
can’t feel my legs
Cleah Roberts |
wearing headphones
this workout
alone
Roxanne Rodriguez |