I remember distant sins that I have committed. I walk out of the house that reminds me of the lonely life that I lead and walk into the garden in the back of the house. The stars are harsh that night and I felt that I had to explain myself to them. It was as if I was interrogated by the heavens for the blood in my hands. I paid the price for my freedom but at what cost. I find myself explaining my feelings to sky above me so that my thoughts can forget the past or at least so that I can deal with them. Is it not my right to go on living? The stars never dim or answer. I wonder if I will be able to escape the sins that I have committed. Once again I stare back at the sky; I walk back to my loneliness and live on.

walking out
quiet night
on a dark path

          Alya Saqer (6)

Out of all the haibun. I enjoyed the very 1st one (the one about sin the most). It is descriptive of thoughts everyone may or may not have had at one point or many in their life. Even atheists have their opinion on God and sins. This individual however describes their self-reflection coordinated with their journey or their journey was the catalyst for their self reflection. All and all I feel it was a sound haibun and the individual did a sound job of conveying or questioning spirituality. Jay

There is a small creek in the pasture right outside our bedroom window. In the summer, when we have the windows open at night, you can hear the horses get in the creek to cool off and eat the tender grass on the banks. Many times they’ll get water in their nose and snort. Occasionally, they’ll race up and down the creek. The first time this happened, I woke up and was scared because I couldn’t figure out what was going on. Now I love it when I wake up and can hear the horses outside in the creek.

racing around
with tails raised high
storm rolling in

              Cindie Zelhart

This is my favorite haibun, it has that down home feeling. I like the subject, "horses. It was a good experience for the writer to wake up to the sound of the horses. This haiku adds an additional element as the horse's prance around, while the thunder roles, a storm is rapidly approaching. Phil D.

In the back of my home in New Jersey there’s about two or three acres of wood surrounding a larger lake. My family owns the majority of this land, with another family to the left owning some of the rest. There are huge glacial rocks all around the woods, and one large one creates a smooth sort of landing that ends just before our home, and another a much steeper cliff a hundred yards or so where the land drops off before you reach the lake. The trees are all very old, and it goes without saying that during the day it’s very beautiful. But at night, that is another matter. The bedroom where I used to sleep on the second floor looks out to the glacial rock landing and far into the woods beyond. Sometimes, when you look out of that window you can feel some awful thing rising from beyond the lake side cliffs, and silently moving between the dark trees, watching you.

pale eyes
seeping into the room
watching

          Deirdre Fields (6)

The haiku above came from a story about a New Jersey home. I loved how the author described the scene outside their window as something that is ominous. The glacial rock beyond the window takes a monster like form from the writer’s imagination that when I read it, I started to feel it too. The haiku that comes from the memory experience is also well done and describes not only the emotion that the writer is trying to invoke but also the climax of the story. This haibun is well done and followed the method that Basho wrote his haibuns in. Alya

This haiku can have so many meanings. The pale eyes could be the light from the moon at night, or it could be the morning or evening light. It could even be the afternoon sun coming in through the shades. It could be a cat outside the window or I guess it could even be a person. If you use your imagination, there could be many meanings of this haiku. The way it ends with the word “watching” makes you feel a little creepy and makes you want to keep an eye out over your shoulder. Cindie

The haiku following the description captures the paragraph's images wonderfully. The picture that the two create together is extremely vivid and appeals to all the senses. One can feel the cold, see the dark, and feel the goosebumps when you sense that someone is watching. The whole haibun connects to the reader. Brittney

I really like this one because I think it followed the haibun technique pretty well because it was descriptive, but not repetitive. It was very easy to picture this place the author spoke of. I also liked that the author talked about this place during the day, but then described the change that occurs to the land at night. The author leaves the readers wanting more at the end though, because the ‘night thing’ is introduced at the very end and only brought up again in the accompanying haiku. Jenna

Shaina Sullivan’s cabin on Lake Mills, Wisconsin is by no means roomy. Often guests to the cabin find themselves sharing beds and dodging one another in the hallways. There is a line for the bathroom every morning as we ready ourselves for a day on the water. The size of the cabin is overlooked though when we motor the boat out onto the expansive lake. The sun heats up our bodies and we watch our skin slowly turn darker shades of brown. When we cannot take the heat any longer, we jump into the refreshingly cool water. Picnic lunches are packed and sandwiches are passed out along with chips on the beach, where we settle ourselves in the sand. Our days repeat themselves for a long weekend or occasionally a full week, but we never are ready to leave the lake. I return to the lake every summer with Shaina, and every summer we leave with a new set of memories.

cool murky water
refreshing on hot skin
adolescent laughter

             Jenna Pelej

I just got finished playing football in the mud with some friends. I arrived home to change and do a load of laundry and weirdly thought, “the washing machine is going to be happy that I just gave it a long drink of water.” Anyway, that was weird. I was about fifteen years old and given the task to do the laundry for all my family members. I placed the clothes in the washer, jam packed, and then I put in a lot of laundry detergent. I went upstairs and continued to watch the Saturday morning cartoons on the Disney channel. All of a sudden I heard a really loud noise from downstairs. I raced down the stairs to see what was going on only to see our washing machine banging against the wall uncontrollably. I was so scared I didn’t know what to do and nobody was at home to help me. Water was pouring everywhere from the washer and then it stopped. I looked inside the washer and the clothes were soapy and sopping wet. After I told my mom what happened, she contacted a repair man. When he came over to fix the washer I was by myself, and I was so scared. He started being rude and asking me questions like, “how much laundry detergent did you put in here?”

home from school
no dinner on the table
latch key child

          Joan Tirado

As the cool water flowed around his toes, he felt at peace even though all of his thoughts were of turbulence. The fact of the matter is that it is difficult to ever truly be alone when he wants to be. It always goes that way: whenever you want solitude, you find yourself in a crowd. Whenever you want company, there is silence. But then there are those occasions where things fall into place and the sounds return to pure and easy. Everyone should have a place of one’s own, as he had his. It should be a place where you can be you. In the midst of turmoil, be it exams or war, relationships or death, there needs to be a place that you can call home.

wooden bridge
he can finally
breathe

          Keith Chandler

It's been three weeks since I been home. My friends and families wait for my arrival. I have not planed a date. It seems as if I have been gone. The weekend finally approaches, its that time. After a three-hour long drive back to Northbrook, I get ready to get out of my car and open the garage.

I walk in to
the smell of cooking
my dogs bark to greet

              Lorin Glazer

Unloading my car with supplies from home, I’m back at my second home. Greeted by my roommates and my roommate and best friend George. It has been a long trip; it is nice to stretch my legs. Our dog Bailey is out on the leash barking at the passer-bys. My time at this place is coming to an end, after four years so much has changes. So much remains the same. So much has been done, and so much left undone. The street with the cars passing by is a welcomed sight. I sit down on my perch on the steps and greet fellow classmates as they walk by. This place will remain in my memory.

lost love
will stay in this place
that I have outgrown

               Philip Jones

I really enjoyed this it was like i was reading through them all trying to find one i could relate to and it was like my eyes went directly to this one as soon as i saw the page. I am a senior and I have been with this girl for four years and it seems as if i will have to let her go and let my heart burn because we are both moving on with our lives she is trying to stay in Decatur and I hate it here and im going to grad school and it's like the way that the haiku was written was just for me. I know the my time here is up and i also know that the time with my girl is up as well and that i will be leaving both of them here behind me what a life haiku cause that what it meant to me. Grandville

We built our own house out in the country up on a hill about a block away from the Missouri River. There was a stream that went by the house and a pond around back. Needless to say, we didn’t have any trouble finding frogs as little kids. I remember one of my best friends would try to find as many as she could to make a “family” of frogs. It was great trying to watch her catch them and then keep the ones she caught from escaping as she got others. We would name them and designate which one was the mom and dad and so on. Now that I look back though, I think most of the names consisted of some form of Fred or George (aka Fred, Freddy, Fregina, George, Georgina, Georgy). I also remember that for the longest time we thought if a frog peed on you then you would get warts. I think it’s funny that we weren’t really scared of them unless they peed or a boy had one. I’m not sure why, but whenever a boy had one we would scream and run away like it was the grossest thing on the planet. I suppose the boys gave it cooties or something.
I think our favorite place to play was by the pond. If we got hot and tired, we would just go skinny dipping. The pond was up and over a hill, hidden in the trees so no one could see it unless they knew where to go. We would play for hours, swim and cool off, then play some more. Oh, the days when school didn’t rule my life. We were so carefree and oblivious back then. I always thought that I hated living in the country away from all my friends in town. However, now I can look back and see how much fun we had out there. We went four-wheeling, horse-back riding, on walks by the river, played in the pond and stream. I really miss it now.

skinny dipping
in the pond
only a frog watches

            Rachel Morrison

I enjoyed this haibun and the narrative with it because it makes me think that there is someone always watching, whether it’s an animal, person, or some divine force. I also think this holds true to a lot of Japanese haiku – in the manner that they use frogs often in their writing and for their own symbolic reasons. There is also a coming of age milieu to it as two people are breaking the rules and skinny dipping in the local pond. There is also a sense of excitement because there is the fear of getting caught. The night is clear and the crickets are chirping. The water that was once calm is now rippling out in all directions. It’s very photographic. Keith

My father is a minister, and as a minister, my dad does a lot of things over and over again. So does my mother. Their work is very much a circle of events that happen over and over again. My dad is a Chaplain at a hospital, and my mother is a Chaplain at Hospice. They deal with death every day, and they deal with really sick people everyday. Every experience that they have does not become dull even though they have been doing this job for many many years. Every patient and everyone they meet is that much more important to them. They don’t look at it as another person to add to their list, they look at them as if they were their first, only, and last patient. When bad things happen to their patients, like if they die, they hold it in and then they release their own pain and frustration elsewhere. Their feelings do not become numb after awhile. My parents do what they do, but yet they are still caught by their own nail, their nail of sadness that things happen. They see this nail every day, but the strong meaning and emotion is still there.

I close my eyes and
I breath in the words of my father
a sweet chill up my spine

            Sarah VanderZee

Everyone has that certain place they love to go. It may be connected to a scent or just being in the atmosphere. That person is usually with someone that they like to be with that makes this place so special. Going on a long walk along the beach is one of the best feelings. With that someone special by your side, you feel like nothing can happen and you have the ultimate contentment. The beach itself can just be a special place at night. The waves all are calming down with the moon and stars reflecting from above.

sand crushed beneath my toes
his words and mine are in sync
with the sound of the waves

                Shannon Hackl

In the Dominican Republic, I remember walking in the streets of Santo Domingo, holding hands with a man I thought I may never see again. I think back on all of the amazing scenery—everything is so old and aged yet so beautiful all at the same time. When walking through the streets, I remember thinking to myself, “How can I ever leave here and never come back?” I feel like a piece of me is still left in Santo Domingo, and I know I will go back and find my way there again in the future. I remember constantly having a smile on my face, feeling like I belonged there, those were my people. It was the first time I really danced with a partner and absolutely loved it. I even believe it is the first time I have ever truly felt love, and that is just an amazing feeling in itself. I felt love for their culture, their people, and everything else it had to offer. I visited the first cathedral in the Americas. I was there at night, spending some alone time, walking around the cathedral and it was so cool how the moon light illuminated the stone and brick of the cathedral.

your hand on my cheek
the stars gaze
among us

             Whitney Minor

I really like the feelings of this and the way it was phrased. Instead of the people gazing at the stars, “the stars gaze among us.” I just felt like the stars were watching over everything and everyone. The first line also gives a sense of security. You have to be close to someone to let them put their hand on your face. I almost feel like the hand is leading the person in for a kiss. I just think it is well written and the prose added to the meaning of the whole thing. Rachel

Well, I really enjoyed this Haiku because I really connected with it. Especially with the authors explanation I had a similiar experience and it took me back to my memories of that time. From a writing perspective I really like the feelings that this haiku provoke. You can feel the hand on your cheek and I like how the stars are gazing back at them. Liz

Roommates are never really who they seem to be. This is true for most anyone though. However, upon discovering the secret tendencies that people try so dearly to hide, it can be frightening, confusing, or comical. Take the fool will not let anyone touch or see his feet. When he is alone, he walks barefoot in dish soap. When he clips his toenails, he saves his clippings in the cigar box that used to belong to his grandfather. He has been saving them for over ten years it seems. The secret lives of men and women are fascinating.

bridge night
he tries on
his wife’s panties

          Keith Chandler (9)

I really like this haibun. It talks about how you never really get to know someone until you live with them and then you realize how many weird habits they have. This haibun reminds me of college. When you are first coming to college you do not know what to expect. It’s actually really hard because some people have never been away from home and have never experienced dorm life. When you come to college you are placed in a room with a total stranger and, sometimes, you will get along with your roommate, and other times, you wish you never left home. I also really liked the haiku that the author wrote. Joan

My grandma always seemed old to me. She was from a slower, different era. She was always glad to see me and would take time to sit and visit when we were there. Small things were valuable to her, maybe because she lived through the Great Depression. Her needs were minimal, but her love for us was great. Her flower garden was her pride and joy and she always had beautiful flowers sitting around her home.

orange slices
in the glass candydish
next to fresh cut daisies

              Cindie Zelhart (3)

She can be found laughing and smiling throughout the day. Some might call her naïve and believe she laughs because she doesn’t know what is going on. The reality of it is that she chooses to laugh instead of weighing herself down with the stress of life. She is not ignoring it. She chooses to see the light at the end of the tunnel and relies on her faith to get her through. Her kindness is unmatched by many mortals, even this is overlooked or judged by some. They judge because inside they know their hearts could never open as wide as hers. She offers a hand to the elderly and the young. She will be there for anyone, asking for nothing in return.

cherry lip balm
applied to a smile
that never fades

             Jenna Pelej (7)

I really enjoy the story behind this haiku. This haiku reminds me of well ME. I am told that I always have a smile on my face. Even though most people don’t know the hard struggles I go though daily….I always put a smile on my face. People think im this naïve girl, who does not have a worry in the world. They have that wrong. I smile and laugh and I do this because of my so many struggles, even though I think mine are bad I know that someone has it ten times worse. I should appreciate what I was dealt. I’m healthy, I have a roof over my head and getting an education. Smiling only makes sense, live Is to short. Lorin

When I first read this I was iffy about picking this as my favorite. When I went back and read the haibun the second time, I really liked how the writer interpreted the paragraph. I love the meaning that is introduced into this haibun haiku. If I was just reading the haiku, I would interpret it a different way and would not have liked it as much. When I read the “introduction” I loved this haiku. The meaning behind the haiku is real and it shows how reality is and not how people interpret it. Shannon

orange slices
in the glass candydish
next to fresh cut daisies

cherry lip balm
applied to a smile
that never fades

I choose to write about these two haibun because they both remind me of my grandmother. She is a person who needs very little to get by and has survived through many tough times. When we would go visit her she would always have gummy worms or orange slices for me to eat, just as it says in the first haibun. In the second haibun it speaks of a person who cares more about herself that anyone else. This person would lend a helping hand to anyone regardless of their sex, age, or color. This also reminds me so much of my grandmother. Both of these haibun are similar in the aspect of comparing someone who is very caring and compassionate, and both bring out the best in one specific person. My favorite is the second one because it shows how a person can still keep a smile on their face even though times may be rough. This person’s smile never fades. Lindsey

She steps outside in the bustling city of Chicago. She has her walking shoes on and her heels in her purse. The noise of cars, buses, and trains are soothing to her. She whistles past so many strangers and looks at each and every on of them; she loves to people watch. She arrives at work and puts her Gucci heels on. She answers phone calls and waits on her loyal customers. At the end of the day she rushes home to have a light dinner and hurries to get ready for a long night of bar crawling with the girls. City life is wonderful on summer Friday nights.

sexy heels
on the pavement
who doesn’t love Chicago

          Joan Tirado (7)

I love this haiku and haibun because I feel like at this point in my life I can really relate to this. It is like this girl works so hard during the day, and it follows that whole saying, “work hard, party harder.” I think this is a common life style for young women and even men. There is a day of hard work, at a career, or even just being a student, followed by an even longer night of spending time with friends and relaxing. It is a crazy fast life that only some people can live, but it explains Chicago perfectly. Whitney

After reading this, I thought about how much I love Chicago. It’s one of my favorite cities. I don’t wear sexy heels on the pavement, but there was still something urban about this one I liked. All the different types of people, doing all different types of things. It’s really cool. Then I read the story behind it, and it made me think of the movie The Devil Wears Prada. Phil K

A guitar player, who has gotten pretty good over the years. Playing for the day he would perform for many. The muscle memory is there, and he has gained much knowledge of the instrument. He thinks back of when he blindly attempt to comprehend the workings of the fret board. How then can his improvement continue, and can it be sped up with what he already knows. The secret is to unlearn all those bad habits, all those habits that made him slow. “While you're at it, get rid of the feelings that accompanied these bad habits, that are as ugly as the mistakes they caused.”

waiting all day
anticipating the time
when I could pick up the guitar

               Philip Jones

I sit in the room of my childhood and I look around to see my memories come alive. I can remember running around with my friends and sharing stories with them about the toys we got from our parents. A memory of a birthday pops out and I can see my first cake since it was large and had beautiful candles. My mother and father look at me and were proud because I was their first born and I am growing up. The house reminds me of what I need to give my children and the importance of memory. I see my mother step in with me and I can see in her eyes the same thoughts occur to her. The house is only a shell of it was and now it is going to be destroyed. The moment will be cherished and remembered.

I gaze…
drawings on wall
childhood home

             Alya Saqer

The haiku is really good. I can picture a child’s bedroom wall with crayon drawings. They probably got in trouble for drawing on the wall, however, years later those drawings became special memories. Cindie

I really liked this one because of the imagery it created. Also, almost everyone can relate to this at some point whether it is after coming back from a summer camp or vacation or whatever, you are never the same when you come back to your room. There is always memories that can never be remade just like the room can never be remade. Andi