wind in my hair
sand between my toes
the sun blazing down

watching the news
the white sheet is spread
over her brother

gentle rain
hides the tears
on my face

Besides the fact that this haiku reminds me of a song called “I’m not crying, it’s just been raining on my face.” I feel the sweetest relief when I read this one. I imagine myself so upset that I can’t hold back tears and don’t want anyone to know, but I feel some comfort or sweet relief in the fact that no one will be able to tell because of the rain. Kevin

waiting to
take a dive
basking in the sun

summer cookout
laughing with family and friends—
fireworks!

SCALPEL
the surgeon's hands tremble
delivering the baby

our yard
a carrot nosed snowman
entertains children

distributing Valentines
the boy picks out his favorite
for the girl sitting in the corner

always so close
a little boy's dream
grand slam at 31

I really like this haiku. I see a boy who loved baseball his whole life. He has played the game since he was a small boy. He played baseball in high school, college, and then the minor leagues. He finally made it to the majors and it had always been his dream to hit a home run. One night his dream came true and then some. He hit his first home run which was a grand slam. Kristen

everytime the door opens
my concentration breaks
wishing he’d walk in

All I can say to this is, WOW! I know this more than I would like to admit. I used to hang out in a particular bar here in town, and I always had so much fun with a certain someone. I would play my poker machine sitting there all alone, most of the time after finishing a long tired night of third shift. I was just relaxing and thinking of nothing. (Which felt really good after getting to leave work at the end of third shift.) I would just sit there playing the stupid poker game just relaxing so I could go home and sleep. The next thing that happens… the door opens with its usual squeak, and all of the sudden, I think of him, I turn my head to see if it was, and if it wasn’t I then found myself wishing it was. Jennifer

This makes me think of my accounting class last year. There was a boy that I thought was just a really good friend but when he didn’t show for class, this is exactly what I did. The classroom felt cold and empty. It was the longest class ever and the most boring. I did poorly on that homework because it was impossible to pay attention to the teacher. Ashley Kaufman

sunset on the beach
you touch my hand
my heart melts

sun beating down
bouncing over the waves
beer smoothly flowing

bright yellow slides
lots of swings
children laughing

pumpkin seed
pumpkin blossom
a very full belly

passing the puddle
can’t help but
to jump in

This haiku makes me think of a cold windy day after a long thunderstorm. It makes me think of my childhood when my sisters and I would go outside to play in the mud puddles. When we were outside playing in the puddles we would hear my mother yelling at us to get inside. We would stay outside for hours and enjoy the puddles that the long storm gave us. This was one of the happiest memories of my childhood. Chelsea

trees are bowing down
underneath the green sky
my lights go out

moon shining on the water
carp feeding
a night on the boat

blossoming flowers
hanging from the porch
children laugh in the distance

blistering cold
shoveling snow
to park the car

grandma's hands
now lay cold
across her chest

slow moving tractor
rocky road
waiting

I can totally relate to this haku as a farmers’ wife it seems as though we are constantly following a tractor either to take dinner or help them change fields or something. And to get to each field there is always a rocky road somewhere, then you wait, for them to get finished, or to move on to the next one. Missy

around the campfire
cuddling to stay warm
he leans in for a kiss

on the porch
drinking cold lemonade
fresh cut watermelon

early morning phone call
my daughter cheers

I love this because every winter I loved waking up to having no school due to ‘snow days’. I would get up every morning that there was the smallest amount of snow on the ground and watched the news to find disappointment! BUT the days we actually did have snow days I would call all of my friends to clarify that we really did have a snow day and make plans for sledding at Nelson Park! Ashley Moore

arctic chill
the car stalls
on the expressway