in the middle of the lake
a kayak sits
. . . still

Amy Harmon (8)

whispering winds
my hammock gently sways
on the day of sabbath

Brock Freeman (9)

In reading this haiku I see myself on a cool morning with nothing to do. Yesterday I mowed, weedeated and did all my homework for Dr. Brook's class so today is all mine. I wake up early and convince myself that skipping one week of church won't hurt anything. I then go and set up my hammock under the pergola with coffee in hand. Now I have nowhere to be until my wife says I do so I lay back and enjoy the cool morning breeze on my face. Sean

I have worked many jobs with many schedules. Sometimes, my day of rest was hardly on a Sunday. For me, there is nothing more relaxing than laying in a hammock on a warm summer day and letting the wind sway you around as it wishes. This haiku reminds me of such times when finally, after a long week, I actually had a day to rest. Joren

wet grass
resumed activities
bicycles and jump ropes

Charles Walker

This takes me back to my childhood. I was always outside growing up, from sun rise, until the street lights came on. I always hated rainy days. When it would rain, I would sit at the bay window I had in my bedroom and wait for the rain to stop. As soon as it stopped I would ask whoever was watching me, “Can I PLEASE go back outside?” As soon as I was clear, I would be out the door. Kelsey

trembling at the knees
mellow music
I do

leaning over the edge
he licks the soap
off my arm

Dana Sayles (7)

the coldest night
a window cracked open
to soothe the heated heart

Stephanie Cockrell (5)

so many questions
in the garden
in due time, my child

Cherronda Dear (6)

This takes me back to my childhood. My grandma and grandpa had a huge garden in their back yard. My grandma and I would take care of it every day during the summer. I would always ask, “When will the tomatoes be ready?” “When will the green beans be ready?” “When will the cucumbers be ready?” My grandma would always respond, “Soon enough my little skittle pop, soon enough.” Kelsey

the sand settles
. . . man down

Cynthia Jones (7)

In this poem it gives me the vision of being on the battlefield in Iraq or Afghanistan seeing a friend go down. The feeling of helplessness in the situation. That slow motion feeling that you get when something horrible is happening to you. The three pauses drag you into the feeling of “this can't be happening” then the realization that you must act. William

office politics
with a heavy heart
I play the game

Dana Sayles (6)

I think this is one that everyone who has ever worked in an office can relate to at some point. As much as people try to think that in this time of diversity and equal opportunity, it occurs every day in the world of business. I don't think anyone is a fan of the game of office politics but sometimes you have to play the game and take one for the team or yourself for that matter. Emily

sitting alone
mind is clearing
the smell of new rain

nervous laugh
a sideways glance
young love

Dana Sayles (10)

This haiku brings back memories of being young and having no cares in the world. In high school having that one crush that gave you butterflies and you couldn't talk right and acted goofy. Young love is so much fun. I just felt happy when I read this it brought a smile to my face. Amy

This haiku reminds me of my first “love” experience. I really didn’t understand what love was. I was very young, and like most kids, I fell for the first boy who seemed interested in me. I found myself laughing when nothing was funny, glancing to catch his eye on the playground, and writing his name all over my notebooks, skin and clothes (my mom’s least favorite). So much time was spent lying on my bed, imagining how our relationship would be and when we would have the first kiss. This was such a fresh, new feeling that evoked emotions I didn’t even know were there. Stephanie

This haiku takes me back to my first love. I remember my nervousness that he would like me as much as I liked him. As he talked and teased it would make me laugh. My hope and anticipation that he would be my boyfriend gave my laughter a nervous sound. I thought he was so handsome I wanted to stare at him but would instead sneak glances at him. When I finally caught him glancing at me, our eyes met and as we realized we were falling in love, he gave me my very first kiss. Marsha

This takes me back to my first “real” boyfriend in high school. The excitement and nervousness you feel in a budding relationship, the butterflies you feel when you think about that special someone. I can see us sitting there in an awkward nervous silence not sure what to say to each other. This is just one of those “Awww” moments in life that everyone can relate to. Emily

Everyone has their memory of the first date or time alone with the other person they were infatuated with. This Haiku reminds me of how nervous I was trying to laugh it off, in an attempt to calm my anxiety. I looked away often looking for anything that could put my mind at ease, but also peeked at her sideways to see if she was watching me. Daniel

nervous father
in blue scrubs
red headed baby boy

Emily Green (4)

My son is within days of turning seven months old. This being said I was recently a nervous father. One thing that made me laugh from reading this is the red hair line. My father-in-law had red hair as a child growing up and he had said that my little boy will have red hair and I disagreed. Well he was born with light brown hair that had a tint of red in it. About three months later my sons’ hair was developing into a dark red. I heard a lot of “I told you so” and “Looks like I’m right” from my in-laws. However within the last two months my sons’ hair has made its (last) adjustment into a finely suited, firm brown tint. I am pleased to know that I, indeed was right. Josh

afraid in the dark
he still sees
his shadow

Cynthia Jones (5)

We have all been this kid. In the middle of the night every shadow, every chair looks like a monster about to pounce on us. It takes me back to my childhood when I would stay at a friends house and wake to an unfamiliar room not knowing where I was or how I got there. It is a horrible feeling but one I look back on and giggle to myself about. William

a flimsy straw hat
she teaches me
in the garden

Cherronda Dear (9)

When I read this, I think about my grandmother. She isn't too much of a gardener any more, but she used to love it, and I used to help. And as she would tell me what she needed done and told me all about the vegetable and flowers that I was planting, she would never miss a moment to ask about life or spread her aged wisdom where she felt it could be used. She taught me much about her garden, but she taught much more while we were in it. Joren

I can relate to this Haiku. I can see my grandma and I in the garden. Not only in the garden just throughout my life my grandmother teaching me about life. Through her eyes I learn and gardening being the metaphor of my learning of life. Cynthia

playing in the woods
I wonder from the path
am I lost?

Amy Harmon (4)

squeaky floorboard
the youngest comes in the dark
with questions

Stephanie Cockrell (9)

four o’clock
the river’s bounty in his talons
Daddy flies home

Marsha Malone Peel

This is a very regal poem to me. It reminds me of an eagle soaring overhead over a large lake looking for food for his family. I can picture him soaring high above the water and diving down just at the right time to catch his prey. You can see the nest far away up on the mountainside—mother guarding the babies who are not yet ready to fly. I can hear the chirps of the babies as daddy comes into sight excited at the prospects of dinner arriving. Dana

Granny guides me
through the field of cotton
a scorching ball of flame

little wooden ships
sailing on story books
a flask in the top drawer

Joren Martin (5)

four generations
sitting by the fireplace
story time

Kelsey Polk (9)

This haiku make me think of a large family at Christmas time. There snow on the ground and its cold outside so they all gather around the fireplace. Next thing you know Grandpa whips out his knife and starts whittling wood so knowing what that means everybody moves in closer so they can hear grandpa's stories. Sean

My first image of this haiku represents the Christmas holiday. A joyous time filled with laughter and love. This reminds me of the time of year where family from all over travel to be together. We always do generation pictures and it is neat to see the newborn children that have entered the family and the young kids that are growing older. It seems that there are always stories being told. Josh

I guess the gas furnace was like a fireplace in my home growing up. Some of my fondest memories were when my parents and grandparents got together to tell stories about when they were younger. The stories usually brought on mixed emotions: some were sad, funny and even scary at times. My grandmother loved to tell ghost stories, according to her, that were actually true. Daniel

my voice
whispering in his ears
silence

Linda Graves (4)

hot summer sun
my sweat
tastes unforgiven

Marsha Malone Peel

This Haiku puts me in mind of a guy trying to forget. I see him running miles to shake off what's bothering him only to see that when he is done running the issue is still remains. Cynthia

autumn shower
splashing on window pane
song

claps overhead
old men hang lanterns
laughing

rainy morning
garden grown tomatoes
sitting on the porch

Sevie Jarrett (4)

This is another haiku that I wrote. This haiku made me think about when I was younger sitting on my grandmothers porch on a rainy summer morning. I would sit on the porch watching my grandmother patiently waiting for the rain to stop so she could go to her garden to pick tomatoes. Sevie

nascar thoughts
eyes wide shut
NO          restart button

hum
the road
me

William Cato (4)

I travel for work a few times a month to visit different grain elevators. They are always located in the country somewhere, out in the middle of nowhere. This haiku brought to when I’m driving in the car by myself for hours on end. You have heard every song on the radio more than once and talked on the phone to everyone you could. You are left with you driving, looking at the white lines and becoming a “road zombie”. The hum of the road and the corn fields are the only thing that you have to listen or look at. It is relaxing at first but gets to be torture. Stacey

snow falls quietly
the winter kitchen
smells of baking cookies

Marsha Malone Peel (7)

This haiku just took me to a warm loving place with friends and family. All cozy inside with a fire going and the smell of fresh cookies and other yummy Christmas goodies. I really enjoy times like this I cant wait for it to get cold so I can have some nights like this. Amy

Around Christmas, I get this wonderful feeling inside. I light the fire, bake every type of cookie I can think of, make eggnog and spend as much time as possible with my family. When I read this haiku I see the snow on my back porch and I can smell my winter kitchen. My girls say, “Mom, why are you baking so many cookies?” I smile and keep baking! Then we package dozens of cookies to share with my neighbors and friends. It’s an amazing feeling of joy and peacefulness. I am always excited for Christmas time to come. I want the feeling to stay all year around. Stephanie

I like this haiku as it instantly takes me to holiday season in winter. I can imagine myself sitting with friends and family enjoying snowfall and making cookies for Christmas. The snow is falling slowly making the night more beautiful than ever, and the warmth of baked cookies in the oven fills the room with delicious aroma. What better can you expect more than that in holiday season. Divya

rocking of the boat
smoke on the water
bent poles

Josh Macklin (7)

old beat up blanket
four little boys
giggle

Sean Ekiss (6)

This brings me to when my son was younger and would have friends stay over. Their favorite thing to do was to make a fort out of blanket, chairs and hair clips in the living room. They would sit in there and pretend to be whatever they wanted. They almost always ate dinner and slept in there. It never failed around midnight they would start getting delirious and would get into a laughing spell that usually lasts through 3-4 warnings of separation from us. They would usually tone it down far enough we didn't get up anymore and they would finally fall asleep. Stacey

hairdresser
hot pressing iron
patient women waiting

Sevie Jarrett (8)

I wrote this haiku because it happens to me quite often when I go to the hairdresser. I sit there patiently waiting as my hairdresser does another client hair. Some weeks I sit there longer than usual it just depends on how many clients my hairdresser has booked for that night. Sevie

cool summer night
wind through your hair
rumbling pipes

Stacey Longfellow

This haiku reminds me of the period of time I owned a Harley Davidson. If I was not riding on the back of my boyfriend's bike, I was constantly riding my own bike. I have always loved the feel of the wind in my hair and the sensation of flying that comes with riding. The powerful rumble and vibration of the engine filled me with excitement to be in control of so much power. These sensations along with the knowledge of the danger I could be in was a unique thrill I will never forget. Marsha

This reminds me of riding my Harley on the open road—all alone on a summer night. There's nothing quite like the feeling of riding a motorcycle —sans helmet—with the wind blowing through your hair. I often rode alone when I was on my bike and there was a feeling of freedom and power every single time I climbed on my bike. Although many women now ride—it's still not as common as men riding and there's just something powerful in knowing you're doing something that is normally reserved for the boys. I sold my bike 2 years ago after a couple of close calls with distracted drivers that were texting and not paying attention, but I will always miss the feeling of being alone on the open road. Dana

a butterfly
lands on her finger
they stand still

Stephanie Cockrell (8)

With this haiku, I can imagine myself wondering through a beautiful garden or tracking in mountains. While enjoying the wonderful nature a butterfly comes near you and sits on your hand. I would want the time to stop and just stand still to observe the butterfly and the uniqueness of nature. Also metaphorically I would hope that the time would just stop and I can enjoy this view forever. Divya