orange tinted snowflakes
             f l o a t i n g
through the streetlight
             3am

                           Jennifer Griebel (4)

Wow, how many times have I lived this. I'm such a night owl, and most of my friends live off-campus so when I go over there to party or visit, I'm left to walk home alone in the wee hours.  Lately, because of the weather, this haiku has been my LIFE. My favorite part of the haiku is the first line—I live in Hessler, and there are these super-bright orange lights inbetween us and Oakland...even when you're outside in the middle of the morning, it feels like day its so bright.  And when it's snowing lightly, it's so silent...but you look up as you're walking, and the way the light catches the snowflakes makes them look as if they're orange when they're falling.  So, in a sense, this was a serious "memory" haiku for me in the sense that it was something recent, but  a definite tangible experience I've hade repeatedly. —Jessica May

gym class
I wipe my brow
ashes smear onto my hand

empty parking lot
the sun rises
on a sea of plastic cups

                             Bri Hill (6)

This one was my favorite, just because I have seen the aftermath of so many events—concerts, performances, parties—and am very familiar with the chaos that is left behind. For me, the “sea” really captures the extent of the number of cups—there are so many that they cover the ground. The sun rising part also adds to the haiku, because it alludes to the freshness of a new day—and yet there are still remnants of the night before to be dealt with. Much like the day after a big Mardi Gras bash, one must deal with not only the physical messes that were made, but perhaps also any emotional messes that were made in a drunken stupor. —Alyson Ludek

Ash Wednesday—
in public
should I wipe it off?

in the church
candlelight
the ashes on her forehead

mother sighs, at the black spot
smeared on my dress
Ash Wednesday

late for school
with ashes on my forehead
awkward stares

glowing logs
tumbling to my feet
I jump back

                    Matt Whitsett

This haiku brings back very vivid memories for me.  My brothers and I would always camp outside in the woods behind our house.  We'd build fires in the middle of our sleeping bag circles and then sit around and tell stories until falling asleep to nature's sounds.  I remember one particular instance where my brothers had built the fire and asked me to stir it up to keep it going.  I walked up to the fire with a stick in my hand and began moving the logs around.  Lo and behold, one rolled right off the top of the pile to my feet.  I jumped out of the way but the log rolled onto my sleeping bag.  It caught fire and chaos broke loose.  We finally got it out by covering it with some dirt but our campout for the night was ruined and we were forced to retire to the house with mom and dad. —Courtney Ruffner

winter chill
an indoor bamboo stalk
turns yellow

aww . . . pretty horse
the cop looks down at the drunk girl
Bourbon St.

among swept piles of trash
a bum fingers
discarded beads

Candace Golden (8)

I like the unlikely topic of this first of all (the bum) but mostly I just like the moment the author chose to convey.  It's a very simple, poignant image in my mind of a homeless man who has confiscated something he finds so precious, but that somebody found no importance in the night before.  The structure of the haiku also is nicely oriented; it moves from this scene of trash all around to this human being in the middle of it, enraptured by this piece of trash.  I just think it's a well-written topic. —Jessica May

incense drifting upward
he raises a blackened thumb
to my forehead

                             Alyson Ludek (5)

I like this haiku because I can actually smell the incense in the church.  The author was able to take the topic of Ash Wednesday, and capture a moment in church that reaches out to our senses.  Incense can have such a unique smell.  I remember sitting in church feeling relaxed from the strong aroma of incense.  I can even smell the incense while walking in line up to the priest to have the ash cross put on my forehead.  There is some motion to this haiku as well.  The priest's hand is moving towards my head, and during this time I can smell the incense.  —Paul Schershel

I know this is not a form haiku, but when I read it I wondered if it could be.  So here is my version of this haiku in a different form.
 
                                     p          d
                                 u   w    r
                              g          a
                          n
                   if   i
                r    t
             d      
incense          
he raises a blackened thumb
to my forehead

I think that incense burning has a very distinct and interesting smoke pattern to it that I thought might be cool to show using this form.  I’m not sure if it is too complicated or what. —Mary Reed

his black eyes
    burn me
       a kiss 

i drop the host
the priest
gives me a look

Jessica May (1)

thumb with ashes                          
makes                   cross
      the priest

kneeling the priest's ashy fingers my hangover 

she watches closely
the priest          puts a cross
on dolly's head

ashes fall
from his forehead
HIV-positive

Ryan Jones

This haiku is very powerful! It fits perfectly with the Ash Wednesday kukai. However, if it wasn't related to an Ash Wednesday kukai I don't know that I would get it. —Candace Golden

Ash Wednesday
empty pews
abandoned church

                        Ryan Jones

I like this haiku because it displays irony very well.  Ash Wednesday is a religious holiday where believers go to church.  Yet this church in particular has empty pews and is abandoned.  At first, when I read empty pews, I thought maybe this was one of those churches that no one goes to.  Then the word "abandoned" gave me a more complete picture of an old church, old and torn down, yet still gives a sense of holiness and pureness.  "Abandoned" also made me curious as to what happened with this church?  Why was it abandoned?  Who was there before?  What is the story behind it? —Xiu Ying Zheng

a pile of necklaces . . .
I question my
night before

sun glowing
family pontoon boat
drifting with the waves

spanish moss
        frames the tap dance
  of a little boy

Kelly Carruth (3)

shower of beads
the drunken man fumbles
with his zipper

Mardi Gras party
he            the
    tangles      beads
in my long hair

half sun
disappears in water
sand between my toes

my mother gasps
as i sign the cross
starting from the bottom

Jessica May (7)

When I first read this haiku, I envisioned a young girl at church with her parents for Ash Wednesday. Still young and unsure of herself, the small girl keeps an eye on her mother as she kneels down for the ashes to be put on her forehead by the priest. As soon as he has done that, she nervously begins to make the cross that she had seen others make so many times. As she begins to do so, however, she notices that her mother is distraught and disappointed in her. Only then does she realize her mistake.

Although this haiku seems to be serious in terms of the mother's disappointment, I really enjoy the subtly humorous aspect of it as well. It is almost funny to see the shocked horror on the mother's face and the look of bewilderment on the child's as she notices the mother's reaction. I really enjoyed this use of humor in dealing with such a serious religious topic. —Bri Hill

home from church
she dashes to the mirror
to see her ashen cross

Alyson Ludek (3)

alone I sit
bourbon . . .
no ice

Erin Osmus (3)

I really like this haiku because it isn't about Mardi Gras but it still fits into the kukai. I really like the intimacy of this haiku. I can see a man in a dark bar sitting with his old-fashion glass that is only a fourth the way full of the brown liquor. I also like the connection between him sitting alone and no ice. —Candace Golden

hang over
indents of Mardi-Gras beads
on my face

                      Bill Flower (10)
                          first place

I liked this one because I can really imagine it.  I was in New Orleans for New Years Eve and the week before that and I spent almost every night on Bourbon Street.  Although I didn’t drink myself silly, I can imagine how one would and then pass out on a bed with their beads still on.  I like the image of the beads making an indent in the person’s face. —Amy Soderberg

I enjoy the humor of this haiku.  I think inevitably all college students have been in this position at one point in their lives.  While it may not have been the telling indents of Mardi Gras beads, I am sure we can all share in the embarrassment on the "morning after." —Erin Osmus

hail stones pelt the windows
family Station wagon...
we wait silently

dinner table laughter
wood chips
in dad's hair

                       Ryan Jones (5)

This haiku makes me smile right away because it reminds me of many, many wonderful nights I experienced at home. My family makes it a point to eat dinner together; it's harder now because we all have things to do, but when I'm home from college we do make an effort. Anyway, our dinners often end up being a laugh fest because someone will do something silly or say something really funny. My dad is a wood worker, so he's often out in the garage before dinner. I can remember many times laughing at the dinner table about my brother and seeing wood chips or saw dust in my dad's hair. We weren't laughing at him; him being covered in saw dust was something we came to expect, so this haiku is a comfort to me. A warm fuzzy memory. —Jennifer Griebel

turning away
wiping tears
do
not
look
back

                 Chrissy Hulse (8)

The very first thing that I noticed about this haiku was its effective use of form and line. The final thought of the haiku, "do not look back" is well-placed in this poem. Putting each word on its own individual line creates a driving, continual movement forward. The reader is forced to feel that sense of perpetual forward motion by having the haiku cover a greater distance on the page. As the readers' eyes are forced to move on down the page, they understand the feeling of the narrator of being forced to move on in her life. —Bri Hill

I can relate to the content of this poem, in fact I had almost the exact same experience, but it's not the content that makes this haiku so great, it's the line spacing. The way each word in the phrase do not look back has it's own line makes it sound very stern. When I read it I can see myself back in that moment and remember yelling at myself in my head 'do not look back!' I repeated it over and over again in my head so I wouldn't look back, and I think this haiku just captures the determination of that phrase so well. —Jennifer Griebel

I like this haiku very much and I think that its form makes it so much more powerful.  By placing the last four words on separate lines, it makes the reader emphasize each word.  The result appears to be a command.  The person is telling him or herself not to look back and by slowing it down by creating more lines, the reader gets the impression that the author is being stern with him or herself.  The added lines also create distance from the "tears" at the beginning of the haiku.  By the time the reader gets to the word "back," he has almost forgotten what he is not looking back at.  The form forces you to move on, which exemplifies the theme of the haiku.  The inner struggle to not look back and regret certain things in our lives is a very difficult one, and one that we all have faced or will face at some point in our lives.  I like the universality of this haiku. —Michele LaBrose

I liked the form of this one because it captured the moment this person is feeling very well.  As if they were leaving a person after the just broke up and as much as they wanted to they couldn't allow themselves to look back.  Whenever this situation arises it seems as if you're very conscious of yourself and what you're doing and if you don't want to turn back you have to tell yourself slowly.  I liked how this person slowed down the words that were going through their head, I thought it grasped the moment nicely. —Bill Flowers

yellow-stained fingertips
bouquet of dandelions
in mother's water glass

Alyson Ludek (6)

I really liked this one because when I was a little girl I always wondered why my dad would spend so much money of flowers for my mom when there were perfectly good ones in the front yard for free.  I always thought they were pretty when they’re all yellow and even when they’re white and it never quite made any sense to me that people didn’t pick them more often. —Amy Soderberg

Bourbon street crowds . . .
I'd rather be
at home

pink sun sets
in autumn sky
solitude

laughing
as we try her makeup on
before mom gets home 

morning fog
dog's bark echoes
across the water

fishing trip—
dog paddles after
the boat

                       Alyson Ludek

I like this haiku particularly because I can picture this happening in a pond near my hometown.  I can picture a father with his boy out on a pond fishing all day long.  This could be a Saturday when the boy has a day off school, and the father has taken a day off work to spend an entire day with his boy.  The fishing trip is a trip that also may be an annual trip that can be used as a learning tool for the boy.  I can remember going fishing with my father and this brings back a vivid picture for me. —Aaron Meyer

Escape!
from reality
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
deep into the woods

the snake 
sssllliiittthhheeerrrsss across her ankle
she’s   gone

Lauren Taylor (3)

This is a fun one.  I like the use of the sound for slither and the repeated sounds for effect.  It also gives the impression of the snake moving across someone's foot, and I like the image.  I almost think it could even break out of the three line form even more somehow.  And I like the last line because I am not sure if the girl is gone or if the snake, possibly being female, is gone.  That is the beauty of this poem—it allows both possibilities to happen, which is a sign of the author's attention to detail. —Ryan Jones

bare breasts
cheap plastic beads
only Mardi Gras

cheesecake and wine
new box of condoms
Lenten sacrifice

    nightly news…
         the new orleans parade
she went, I stayed

French quarter trees
decorated with
discarded beads

at the crowded bar
he wishes her neckline
wasn't so
             low

Jennifer Griebel (8)

fat Tuesday—
her gaunt frame
hunched over the toilet

Jessica May (3)

bourbon street
passed out
street cleaner nicks his foot

black cross
on my forehead
can't wash it off

mountain hike
     the dog chases
              ...a butterfly

Courtney Ruffner

stifled laughter
another paint chip
quietly lands in her hair

lonely
one strand of her hair
on my bed sheet

Mardi Gras
Girls Gone Wild
I know her!

tiny flecks of black
settle on my shirt—
Ash Wednesday

beer-soaked boots
her pale skin peeks out
from beneath red wool

at work
gossiping with friends
my day off

shredded pillows,
   chewed up shoe—
      bad dog!

the day lies before us
     hand in hand
we face
the world

he reaches under the table
•        and squeezes       •
•          her hand            •
•                                  •
•                                  •
•                                  •
•                                  •

            ring
     y                a
  s                       r
o       November     o
  r        recess       u
     e                  n
         h          d
               t

                           Kelly Carruth

I really like this haiku and its form. Most children at least once in their life plays ring around the rosy. Usually children will play ring around the rosy at recess. After reading this haiku, it takes me back to grade school. I can see all the children playing on the swings, basketball court, jump robe, and of course ring around the rosy. —Miranda Baker

I loved the way someone wrote this, very creative and exciting! I loved ring around the rosy when I was a child and this really brought me back to those recesses where the boys left the girls alone to play their games! Not bad! And what a creative form, I never would have thought about that, it really sets the poem. —Chrissy Hulse

I think this haiku is very interesting because of the use of shape and space.  The lines could clearly be put into the traditional three-line format of American haiku, but I think they would lose their luster and their sense of movement that way.  I see the start of the group at "ring" followed by clockwise movement, and then the last part of the haiku, "November recess" sets us in a season and time.  Little kids in jackets and scarves are playing this game on a gray day when the wind is blustery and the dry grass crinkles and crunches underfoot.  —Ryan Jones

we paddle hard right
trying to avoid the tree
bye bye cooler

Bill Flowers (4)

bacon on her plate
she remembered Ash Wednesday
. . . too late

                               Lauren Taylor (5)

This haiku is my favorite one in the Kukai. I picture a junior high cafeteria with about 10 girls at this one table. They are all laughing and gossiping, like junior high girls do. Because one girl is distracted by the conversation, she has forgotten it is Ash Wednesday. She has already eaten part of her lunch, so it is too late. I like this haiku because it brings my back to my junior high/high school days. I am not Catholic, but most of my friends are. It seems like every year, at least one of them would forget that they weren't supposed to eat meat, after they had already done it. Some of them would get really upset about it, and run to the bathroom to pray, and others would just blow it off like it wasn't a big deal. I think this is a common mistake for a lot of people during Lent. —Stacey Orr

My favorite haiku for this kukai, was the "bacon on her plate."  This was my choice because I was brought up in the Catholic church, and was well aware of how right after you take your first bite of meat on Ash Wedneday. Without remembering what day it is, you soon come to the realization; but after the damage has already been done.  I also like the word order in this haiku because it was like she remembered, too late.  It seems very final, as to what the girl's decision was.  Whether she continued to eat the bacon or not, was the ultimate question of this haiku.  I was always taught, that if you honestly forgot that it was a day of observance, then it was forgiveable, however, it would not be if you chose to continue to eat the meat, even if you knew what day it was.  Overall, this haiku holds a lot of memories for me, as a child, as I did this many of times, innocently of course. —Julie Forehand

             it 
is  o
v
  e
r   
          ? 
      I 
       d
      o
      n'
      t 
      b
      e
      l
      i
      e
      v
      e 
    you

untamed

       river . . .

its own

            path

       carved

   deeply

in

solid

  ground

                     Bri Hill (4)

I really liked how this haiku is presented.  It gave me a full visual impression of the haiku's content.  While I was reading the haiku, I felt like I was watching the water in the river going down the path.  The author did a great job incorporating form into this haiku. —Xiu Ying Zheng

This haiku is very creative and I like it very much.  At first sight I realized how the form is supposed to symbolize the river's path.  Although there are times when I think that such a unique form takes away from the power of a haiku, I believe that this particular instance really adds to it.  A person could read the regular haiku as: 

untamed river...
its own path carved
deeply in the solid ground 

Perhaps the phrasing might be a bit different than this, but the main point is the haiku written in this simple form is not nearly as impacting as the form in which the author chose to convey it.  A person could read the poem in 'normal' haiku form but might not see the picture of the river as vividly in their imagination as they can with the author's form.  For this reason, I think the form made the haiku in this case and had it not been written as it was it would not have been as appealing to me. —Courtney Ruffner

the audience applauds
and the curtains falls
i go home. alone.

Jessica May (3)

forever
at the railroad crossing
long august day

carnival mask
the skinny boy
smiles at pretty girls

sitting in class
they all stare
at the mark on my forehead

dry heaving
wish I could puke
she rubs my back

smiling with friends
I tip my cup
as the sun comes up

                          Matt Whitsett (4)

I really like this one because it gave me a great big smile on my face.  It reminded me of the last night of spring break last year when my buddies and I were determined to stay up until the sun rose and when we finally saw light coming over the beach we lifted our glasses to having the time of our lives for one week.  It was one of the greatest weeks of my life. —Bill Flowers

This haiku reminds me of the many parties I went to in High School.  They were always big outdoor, keg parties and we always planned to camp out, but never ended up going to bed.  One party in particular was at my friend's house in the country, and after a  VERY long night, the 7th keg was finally tapped at sunrise, so we all piled in our cars to go back to town (not safe, I know) and as we were coming back into town, I remember looking out the back of my boyfriend's (different haiku: different story) truck at the sun coming up over the corn fields and then chugging the rest of my beer and throwing the cup out the window just as we were getting into town.  P.S.  I have gotten a lot smarter since those days.  —Mary Reed

August night
a train whistle
half lifts my eyelids

Bill Flowers (4)

after argument silence,
          he brushes hair
          from my cheek

Jennifer Griebel

I liked this one because I can sense the emotion and physical aspect. It sets a scene that is takes away from the tension and anger of a fight, but reminds those two people that they are fighting because they care about each other. —Chrissy Hulse

pounding headache
l  o  n  g  night
beads on my neck

the long journey
never too long
to see her smile

summer lingering:
my travel pack
still heavy in my memory

down deep
in a
deep
down
comforter

                  Amy Soderberg (9)
                             second place

This haiku was my favorite for its use of form. I am not really for sure if the author was trying to use a type of form, but that is the way I see it. I see the "deep down" part as moving deeper down to the end of the poem. I think it adds a lot to the poem. I think you can almost feel how deep the comforter is just by the way the words are positioned. I picture a couple on the couch snuggling together underneath their comforter. They are watching a movie and enjoying their time together. This haiku gives me a warm feeling, and it is really well written. —Stacey Orr

I thoroughly enjoy the form of this haiku because of how it tells the story.  Even though I am an advocate, that a real haiku is only 3 lines, not any other variations.  However the literal warmth of this haiku is very comforting.  I own a down comforter, and it is so incredibly comfortable, that it makes you want to snuggle further and further into it.  Also, I got a visual of maybe a small child, who likes to hide under his/her sheets at night, either to read or escape from whatever, and gets lost in this deep, warm blanket.  Regardless, I think from the very first line, this haiku offers a great warmth, as the first line continues to compliment the rest of the lines in the haiku.  The fact that the author of this haiku could formulate the same words into a different visual, made this out to be an outstanding haiku.  —Julie Forehand

I chose this haiku because I enjoy how the author has played with the line breaks.  It is almost as if the reader is actually sinking into the comforter.  This reminds me of coming home on break and snuggling deep into the folds of me feather comforter.  I would be so comfortable that I would not move at all during the whole night, and I would wake up exactly where I lay my head down. —Erin Osmus

  he watches from the porch
  children playing tag
as dusk
           sets in