eyes squint
at the burst of light
from the ocean

crisp autumn night
we snuggle together
inside the tent

Lisa Wilder (4)

dreamy thoughts
floating on the lake
the dock from afar

Connie Volpe

fresh footprints
on a snow covered street
a runner’s joy

Leslee Finney (4)

I am a long distance runner and this Haiku sparks memories of waking early during Christmas break, the earth covered in snow and heading out for a long run. My footsteps crunch over the freshly fallen snow, but the sound is absorbed by the cold, crisp air. The cold air stabs at my lungs, but awakens all of my senses as I move throughout the town, seemingly alone in the world. Tracey

snow boots
trashcan lid
the race is on

Katrina Farris (4)

frost on the pumpkin
the horse’s breath
fogs the air

John Byler (3)

our way home
as we count . . .
the deer

our way home
as we count…
the deer
a shot rings out
in the mist

falling leaves
blanket
the fresh grave

John Byler (7)

falling leaves
blanket
the fresh grave
warming
the life that once was

winter campfire
warming hotdog
shaped fingers

unfinished snowman
warming my fingers with cocoa
in order to pee

Matt Lee (4)

a fresh cut pumpkin
the flickering candle
casts its glow

John Byler (5)

I love this Haiku from Kukai 2. I was born on Halloween, so I guess it was meant to be my favorite season. This Haiku makes me think of going to the pumpkin patch, picking out that perfect pumpkin, drinking hot spiced apple cider and going through the haunted house that they always have at the pumpkin patch. I can smell the inside of the pumpkin as we carve it. I can taste the seasoned and baked pumpkin seeds that we retrieved from our own pumpkin that we just carved. I see the excitement on my children’s faces as I take their picture holding their carved pumpkins. After we have carved the pumpkins, we put a tea light candle in them and take them out to the porch. We light the candles, turn off the porch light and then go into the yard in front of the porch to enjoy our Halloween pumpkins. Leslee

a fresh cut pumpkin
the flickering candle
casts its glow
a black cat
prowls in the shadows

Cutting the pumpkin for Halloween is a big event in our house. This haiku takes me back to those days. We all gather at the table discussing faces. When we all decide on one special one we would start to clean and cut the pumpkin. Before we would know it a jack-o-lantern would appear, coming to life as we lit the candle. Stephanie

fresh wet snow
rolling it up
our first snowman

Jill Friesner (4)

the autumn leaves
falling
Trick or treat?

Lisa Wilder (2)

polar bear swim
steaming cups of cocoa
in the kitchen

John Byler

a warm spring day
my sons and I talk
as we walk to the park

Crystal Lutz (3)

a warm spring day
my sons and I talk
as we walk to the park
rays of sunshine
guide our path

kites in the air
the young boy
grabs his father’s hand

John Byler (4)

spring showers
day after day after day
longing for sunshine

Jill Friesner (7)

spring showers
day after day after day
longing for sunshine
a baseball player
strikes out

spring showers
day after day after day
longing for sunshine
a house
slides down a muddy river

looking up to
the skyscraper
snowman

crackling bonfire
kids huddled together
during a ghost story

Stephanie Meis (4)

crackling bon fire
kids huddle together
during a ghost story

in the moonlight
an owl’s flight

hot and humid
fishing on the river bank
mosquitoes are biting

I have two images from this poem. The first one is fishing back home as a boy. It didn't matter the conditions. Oftentimes the bugs would bite way more than the fish would. In Illinois, the humidity can be awful. Combine both of these things, sitting on the river bank and fishing with my dad and grandpa is still pleasant. I also can envision bears fishing on the river bank an not caring about the heat or bugs either. They are fishing out of necessity and hunger is more important than avoiding heat and bugs. This haiku didn't hit me originally as I had to fly through them too quickly during kukai. I think it needs to be born. :) Matt

hot and humid
fishing on the riverbank
mosquitoes are biting
the bears are
hibernating

we sneak to the creek
our bathing suits hidden
underneath our clothes

Crystal Lutz (6)

November night
awakened by mom
dad took some pills

a long day at the pool
a light summer breeze
dries my hair

forbidden hill
covered with powdery snow
we laugh the whole way

Crystal Lutz (7)

This reminds me of when I was a child and we went sledding. I lived by the sewer plant, and there was a hill on our side that we were to stay off of. At the bottom of the hill on the other side was a sewage stream leading to the plant. We would go sledding there and laugh the entire time until we got caught. Katrina

Christmas Eve
the snow falls
for Santa’s sleigh

Crystal Lutz (6)

Christmas is my favorite holiday of the year. I can remember as a little girl praying that it would snow on Christmas Eve, so Santa would bring my presents. I can remember listening to the radio and them giving the siting of Santa. It seemed like there was always snow on Christmas Eve. Now as I have my own children, they have carried on the same tradition that I did as a child. I still wish for snow on Christmas Eve and Christmas. To me it just puts the final touch on the holiday season. My parent's would tell me that even if it didn't snow that Santa was magic and he could still make his deliveries without snow. It is so peaceful and calm when it snows and that just goes hand in hand with the meaning of Christmas. Kelley

Christmas Eve
the snow falls
for Santa’s sleigh
child barely sleeping
the sound of bells

the early morning dew
the dog’s feet
are all wet

Stephanie Meis

the early morning dew
the dog’s feet
are all wet
paw prints dot
my kitchen floor

snowflakes falling gently
I stick out my tongue
to catch just one

snowflakes falling gently
I stick out my tongue
to catch just one

pure white new snow
to make ice cream with

frost covered window
a child breathes
to clear a spot to see

Stephanie Meis (4)

cold and windy
hustling down Michigan Avenue
Christmas shopping trip

Kelley Larrick (4)

frozen lake
pulling a fish through
a hole that's too small

Matt Lee (4)

I imagine a small frozen lake. It has been cold for quite a while and the ice is thick and solid. There is a layer of snow on top of the ice. A tent has been set up on the lake to provide a shelter from the cold and wind. The fishermen (a father and his young son) have drilled a hole in the lake to do some ice fishing. The hole is a little larger than a soup can. There are a couple buckets turned upside down for the fishermen to sit on and a small pile of fish lay nearby. The young son has gotten a bite on his line and has begun to reel it in. Joy turns to sadness when they realize that the fish the boy has caught is too large to fit through the hole they have cut out. The father frantically chips away at the ice with his pocketknife until the hole has been widened just enough to squeeze the fish through. When they finally reel their catch in the father and son joyously dance around on the ice before packing everything in and heading for home. John

thick, wet snowflakes
cover the world;
silence

Tracy Nash (2)

This reminds me of a time when it was snowing and I was standing by myself outside. The snowflakes were huge and they stuck to everything they landed on, including me. It was falling straight down, almost like a torrential downpour but the beautiful thing about it was it was dead silent outside. I couldn’t hear any birds, cars, or anything! It is was a beautiful thing to experience and this haiku reminded me of it. Jill

thick, wet snowflakes
cover the world;
silence
waking up
from his coma

thick, wet snowflakes
cover the world;
silence
mud mixed in with
the last snowball

unbearable wind-chill
between skyscrapers
my frozen nose

midnight sky
clear as day
we stare at the stars

Lisa Wilder (2)

cold winter morning
the crunching of breakfast
a mouse

Kelley Larrick (3)

glitter sparkling
on the wings of an angel
snow day

layers and layers of clothing
to play outside
I’m ready to go in now

Leslee Finney (7)

layers and layers of clothing
to play outside
I'm ready to go in now
shivering from the cold
covered with snow

•

layers and layers of clothing
to play outside
I’m ready to go in now
cocoa cooling
for red cheeked child

an explosion of color
on a hot summer night
the Grand Finale

Kelley Larrick (5)

This haiku puts at a lake or park on the fourth of July. She paints a very vivid picture with this haiku. I hear the booming as the fireworks explode. I see the colorful display of fireworks. The fourth of July is always very hot and I think of getting there early to get a good seat. Then you fight off mosquitoes while waiting for the display to start. All of it for the Grand Finale. Crystal

This is such a happy time. I love the Fourth of July everyone is happy and enjoying themselves. This haiku takes me to a full day at the pool, an awesome dinner on the grill, and capping the evening off with a gorgeous fireworks display. Connie

August sun
two dogs cooling off
in a mountain lake

marshmallows over
a crackling fire
mosquito in my ear