return for a touchdown
first play of the game
this might be ok

Shannon Hackl (3)

I can, with almost 100% certainty, say that every Chicagoan/Bears fan was insanely jubilant on the 1st play of the Superbowl. From seeing that I imagined the game unfolding to the Bears benefit. Peyton getting his injured thumb hurt, multiple turnovers, Urlacher popping people and having multiple sacks....Thomas Jones with 250 yards rushing. All dreams floating in me prior to the Superbowl and the inception of this haiku. Ironically the 2 of them are both sobering reminders of what could have been. Jay

two answers
flip a coin…
the answer’s false

Brittney Gillespie

I am an individual that hates to play games that are based on chance and this haiku reminds me of the times that I had to flip a coin with my friends to see which answer on a homework is correct. Usually we were wrong and I am sad to say that sometimes when I have no idea what the answer is I will try to flip the coin to get it. It is wither that or singing the song iny mini mina mo and I rather toss the coin. Also, I feel that this haiku reminds us of life and about the choices we make because if we don’t know will just flip the coin in a way to see the direction we are heading. Alya

do what you have to
you will see him
at my wedding

younger brothers
cry themselves to sleep
stay strong big sis

Chonita Ziegler (5)

faded black and white photo
a small blonde girl
looks back at me

Whitney Milton

I really enjoy this haiku. It reminds me of a time when I was little and looking at photographs in my Great grandma’s photo album. I cam across a photo of my mom and I was convinced it was a picture of myself. However, my grandma explained it was my mother. I remember thinking how weird it was to realize that my mom was also once a little girl. Liz

baby in a stroller
grins at its mother
I want one

Brittney Gillespie (6)

This haiku makes me envision a woman who has been trying to have a baby for awhile now, and is unable to become pregnant. The stress of this is causing a rift between her and her husband because they both desire children, but do not want to believe that there could be something wrong with their bodies preventing them from this. This woman feels a tinge of pain whenever she sees a mother and child because she wishes it could be her. Although the first two lines are bright and cheery, the third line carries darkness to me. Jenna

Reading this all I can think about is when school is done and I can have a baby. I have just recently got married and then started school, but both of us want children very badly. Every time we see a child or a woman that is pregnant we want a baby for ourselves. Lindsey

This is so cute. My son does this all the time and ladies come up to me and say how cute he is and how much they wish they had one or that the want another one. Andi

Every time I go out, whether its to the store or I am taking a walk down the street, every time I see a baby in a stroller. I say to myself, “I want one.” It is as if it is something you can buy from the store. I love children, I love the way they look at you with amazment and such wonder. I love caring for someone with such love and devotion. I like the way the baby looks up to you like you are so important. I feel strong and smart and proud. I am not the mother, just someone walking by, but their smile says something else. I fall in love. “I want one.” Sarah

This haiku describes my love of small children and I just can not wait to have one for myself as well. There is something about the children’s innocence that is very sweet to see because they seem to enjoy the things that we overlook in the world. Also, they love to play and when you have one of your own it’s like looking at a part of yourself and that is what is wonderful. It is also humorous to see that sometimes as young adults we think of children as annoying things that are around us yet I think that you should not dislike them because we were at that stage once. Alya

ghost stories
suddenly personified
my bedroom walls

Alya Saqer (7)

I used to watch scary movies when i was little always right before bed. Then, i would be so scared that the monster from the movie would be hiding in the shadows. It didn't matter who or what the monster was; i was positive it was there. This haiku brings all of those memories back to me. Brittney

This haiku makes me think of being a child and being able to see all sorts of scary images on my bedroom wall. Maybe it’s around Halloween time and there have been all sorts of scary stories going around. Maybe it’s windy outside and the tree branches are scraping the window or just making more shadows. It doesn’t matter. When you are scared, you can just imagine any shadows on the walls as being scary. Cindie

I like this haiku because I love ghost stories! I picture a little child lying in bed after hearing all of these horrifying stories. He’s lying there and all the shadows on the wall are freaking him out so he hides under the blanket. Chonita

I imagine a young kid trying to go to sleep. As a child I always had problems falling asleep. I was very restless and this reminded me of how weird your room can look when it is dark and how things look weird. The way that shadows cast on your wall from the light from outside would come into your room. I used to get a little frightened because I like scary stories and my sister used to read me these “scary stories to tell in the dark” and “are you afraid of the dark” books that would race through my head when this happened. I like the word personified, it was a clever placement. Amy

This haiku reminds me of being little and swearing there is a monster in your room. All it really is, is shadows but to a child it is pure terror. I remember pulling the blankets over my head and closing my eyes, as if my cotton fortress would protect me from anything. Liz

fresh cut grass
butterflies
of a first kiss

Alyssa Owens (10)

This is a lift me up haiku. Is reminds me of spring. A new beginning. It does not take me back to a special memory but it gives me a good feeling inside. It is innocent and playful. Lorin

This haiku is also very spring like. I can smell the fresh cut grass, which is one of my favorite smells. Then I think about the butterflies and the excitement of a first kiss. This Haiku captures a wonderful moment with just the right amount of nostalgia. Philip D

inhale
my lungs expand
Spring bliss

Amy Hofstetter (3)

I chose this haiku because I can’t wait until spring. Spring means softball season!! I can imagine the first day of spring and walking outside to go to class. Taking a deep breath and just enjoying the warm air, finally! Chonita

This haiku captures the very essence of a deep breath. Isn’t that deep breath make all the more sweet in this spring bliss. Perhaps even the first day, when spring wakes you up announcing that it has arrived. Philip D

I am really looking forward to when I can run outdoors again. I love that return to nature feelings when everything is renewed and I can just feel like I can never stop running. You breathe in that born-again air and you feel like you’ve just hatched from your winter cocoon. Keith

cold and dripping
fresh from the pool
she aims a water balloon

Alyssa Owens

This reminds me of when I was younger and we would play in the back yard in the pool. My sister and I, or my friends and I create trouble and fun around the pool. We would set up double dare traps and slip and slide missions. Lorin

thin coins
three engines, thirty-one cars
the train speeds away

she tosses and turns
her thoughts
her only company

Brittney Gillespie (5)

This haiku reminds me of the times that I just cannot fall asleep. I will lay there in the dormers of my sorority, attempting to stop the flooding of thoughts. I really do not enjoy these nights because they usually happen when I need sleep and I have to wake up early in the morning. Although they sometimes are helpful because I will think of some great ideas, I seem to always forget them in the morning. I keep telling myself I should get a notebook to keep by my bed for the late night ideas. This haiku makes me feel restless and uneasy and I see myself surrounded by darkness. Jenna

Sometimes I have a hard time going to bed. Its because I am thinking about too much going on in my life. My head turns around and around. These are the times when I know I am alone. It sounds sad, but its true. Its times like this when you realize when you are alone and having those thoughts turn through my head is hard when there is no one to share them with. Sarah

Response: Sometimes I am terribly sad about a lot of things and no one can bring me out of that mood. It’s like feelings that no one can know what you feel or even make you feel better. Usually, when I have this mood I stay in my bed at night and I toss and turn so that I have a different wall to stare at and just think. Sometimes though your own thoughts are the only things that won’t turn against you which is probably why some people love to just be alone for a while. Alya

late night text message
tears of joy
first true love

Andi McCoy (3)

I think everyone can relate to this haiku in some way. I know that with my first crush I would jump for joy when receiving a text. Even if I was in a deep sleep; I wouldn’t mind being awakened by a text from him. I would be wide awake and giddy after that! Chonita

I really like this haiku, because I think it brings in the realism of how communication works today. I know that one of the best feelings for me is laying in bed, with my phone in my hand on vibrate. I am just about to drift off to sleep, and I feel my phone vibrate. I look on my phone and see I have one new message. When I read the message, it usually makes me go back to sleep with a big smile on my face, especially if it is from the one I love. Whitney

solemnly we gather
the rain
mixes with our tears

Brittney Gillespie (5)

This haiku makes me picture a funeral. It is a very sad, but also very beautiful image of people morning for someone they loved. It captures the feeling perfectly. Alyssa

big black and yellow spider
in the cobweb
end of summer. . .

in the crystal vase
proudly arranged
droopy yellow dandelions

Cindie Zelhart

I recall all the times my husband bought me flowers. They were usually roses but one time when the flower shop was closed he picked dandelions for me. When I got off of work they were wrapped up and placed on my window of my car. Lindsey

When I was little I would spend the whole recess collecting dandelions to bring home to my mother when she picked me up from school. I was so proud to give her the flowers, because I felt I was giving her a real gift. This haiku brings back the simpleness of how a child would please their parents. Then how proud the parents were when they got dandelions. My mother was always surprise and happy to receive new dandelions. Sarah

dried on the pillow
                  used dreams

Deirdre Fields

This grossed me out in a way. I thought of dried drool on a pillow so I thought it was nice that the person used that because its effective cause its kind of gross but is used in a deeper sense. The drool is used as a symbol of the used dreams. The Term used dreams also interested me because they aren’t just dreams that were dreamt they are used. Amy

Okay, I’m a man who enjoys his sleep…perhaps a little too much. And from time to time, I happen to drool, a lot. It’s not uncontrollable; it’s just that when you’re in a good sleep, just letting it flow sometimes brings you to a place of serenity. I’m telling you, drool = serenity. Give it a shot sometime. John

mom preaches
TREAT HER RIGHT
first date

Grandville Shannon

Reading this reminds me of the dates I used to go on when I was a teenager. My father is a cop in a small town and would always do background checks on my boyfriends. This made dating a lot tougher with my father screening everyone. Lindsey

grandma’s embrace
fighting the warmth
only wanting mommy

Jenna Pelej

This reminds me of last year when my mom and I fought a lot of the time. I ended up living at my grandmas for a couple of months. My mom and I got in a big fight one night and I was just bawling my eyes out. All I wanted was for my mom and me to be okay and just be in her warm embrace. Andi

he has it
she has it, I have it
when will it end

Jay Johnson

In the middle of cold and flu season this one made me think of the way sickness just travels all through the house and family. First one person is sick, then the next. You feel like it will just never end. If you’re the person who hasn’t been sick yet, you just keep waiting for your turn. Cindie

I like this haiku because it reminds me of a chain reaction of people getting colds and spreading them all around. I was just recently sick and since I live in a house with 40 other people it’s hard try and stay healthy sometimes. I see a chain reaction one girl gets sick and then the rest of us start getting sick one by one. As soon as someone is getting better another girl starts getting sick. The sickness never ends; the pharmaceutical industry must love it. Joan

swimming through
colorful plastic balls
the 5 year old glares at me

Joan Tirado (8)

While the image of a child playing in the big pool of plastic balls is cute and colorful, I cannot help but think about the amount of disease and germs that is growing and crawling all over those things. And, we all know that children have a tendency to stare. When things, especially people, attract their attention, their do a child-like-death-stare and then it’s back to the ball pit. I love the joys of attention deficit disorder. Keith

I love this haiku. I am a camp counselor during the summer time and it is one of my favorite jobs because it allows you to act like a kid. I think it is really important for people to reclaim their innocence every now and then because it really helps to appreciate the little things in life. Liz

circling outwards
the unending pattern
measured

old lace dress
put away
for an unborn daughter

Jenna Pelej

From this haiku, I can see a lady opening a box full of keepsakes and sees a lace dress that was once her great grandmothers and eventually got passed down from generation to generation and now she is letting the dress stay in storage because she has kept trying to get pregnant with a girl and keeps having boys. Andi

Although this haiku gives me a sad feeling I really like it. I think of a woman that was waiting for her daughter to come, and then found out she had miscarried. I think of how everyone is so happy when the thought of a new baby is first announced. Everyone starts to buy baby clothes and toys, even though the baby isn’t even there yet. There must be so much disappointment when a miscarriage happens. I feel like then those clothes are only there to remind the family of what it almost had, but was taken away from them. Whitney

convocation speech
how many times
will he snort?

Keith Chandler (5)

I chose this last one because I found it funny how we just talked about this in class the other day and we all had a slight chuckle over it. Using the question had a nice effect on the haiku because it makes it seem like a lot of peoples related thoughts when the convocation speech occurs. I thought this was a funny and sarcastic haiku that is harmless. There are no questions asked when this poem is read on who it is about. They probably wouldn’t want him to find out. Amy

family dog
nothing more than a bump
in the earth

two suns on a lake
mimicking each other
I got a bite

Lindsey Jones (6)

This haiku really brings out the peaceful tranquility and unmatched beauty that the wilderness has. A wide open lake, surrounded by trees, with a huge sun at sunset, mirrored in the water. That peacefulness is broken momentarily, by the bite on the fishing line. John

contemplating life
at the kitchen table     he calls
come to bed

Lizabeth Hare (8)

I like this haiku because it reminds me of my mom. She is always the first one up in the morning, and on rare occasion I have caught her sitting at the kitchen table immersed in her own thoughts. So when I read this haiku, I thought of a woman like my mom. She is hardworking and busy, but she is also thoughtful. Because of her hectic life she sneaks in moments of contemplation while paying the bills late at night while sitting at the kitchen table. Alyssa

I really like this haiku, because I feel like we have all felt like this at one point. I know at times I get stuck thinking about “what am I doing with my life?” “where is my life going?” Its almost like a day dream thinking of how things could have gone differently, or how things might have been if you made a different decision. There always has to be someone there to pull you back to reality. I think that when “he calls come to bed” is someone pulling her back into the reality of everything. Whitney

she shakes
in the box
. . . on the way to her new home

Lorin Glazer (10)

I really liked this haiku because when it reminds me of the first time we brought my dog home. We had to drive 5 hours to the breeder in Indiana and my brother and I spent the whole time brainstorming names. Picking out our puppy was so exciting because my brother and I had spent the past 2 years begging our parents for a dog. We finally picked a female, and named her Kylie. Although the animal in the haiku rides to her new home in a box, our little Kylie sat between my brother and I during the ride home. She was really excited and was loving all the attention she was receiving. To this day, Kylie loves car rides. My dad will just drive her around sometimes when he’s bored. This haiku makes me want to get another puppy soon. Jenna

This makes me think of a new puppy on its way to the new owner. The puppy has probably just left all of her brothers and sisters, as well as her mom, and is scared and cold. I like the way the haiku begins with the puppy shaking and ends with the promise of a new home. You can just imagine the new owners having new food and water bowls, new toys, and a new bed in anticipation of their new pet. You can see the promise of years of companionship. Cindie

I like this haiku because it makes me think of the first time you bring a pet home. I see an excited family bringing home their new kitten. The kitten is inside the box scared to death because he doesn’t know where he is going. It is his first time away from his mother and brothers and sisters. Then he finds out that he is in good hands and his new family loves him and spoils him to death. Joan

cold water
beneath our boat
floating past rooftops

Phil Koberlein

This entry struck 2 cords with me. This entry was dually reminiscent of the Thailand Tsunami and Hurricane Katrina. Both were catastrophes and caused massive flooding. cold water being beneath a boat could be anywhere on earth but the main descriptor was the indication of the boat floating by rooftops. In comparison to the other 2 haiku I choose to write about this one is sobering in a reflective manner. We are able to analyze this haiku for it's content but there are those in which the subject matter is so pertinent that we can only pray for their souls. Jay

The Lady offers wisdom
when no one else
will even look at me

little feet and naked bottom
trying to escape
got ya!

Rachel Morrison (9)

This haiku cracks me up. It reminds me of when i used to babysit my cousins; they'd always get a bath before nighttime. Somehow, they always seemed to escape from my clutches and i'd have to chase them down the hallway. Brittney

This entry immediately brought the image of a toddler fresh out of the bath and oblivious to his/her naked state making a break for it. But before they could catch a chill or slip and fall their subordinate grabs them, wraps them in swaddling towels and kisses them on the cheek making them giggle. For some reason little kids seem to love being naked until they reach the age where vanity and self-image come into play 3 or 4. Jay

This reminds me of playing with my nieces and nephews. Im sure this is also a resemblance of me when I ws younger. Theses are the special times, I like to remember. The time of innocents. Lorin

In this haiku I can see a little boy fresh from his bath trying to run away from his mom as she tries to dress him. Little kids are so innocent, and they never have a second thought about running around naked. I think the line “got ya!” captures that innocence perfectly. Alyssa

a flight unleashes
the eye of a giant
a flood

Rider Hallenstein

Response: I like this Haiku because its a little mysterious, I don’t know exactly what it’s I like about it. But I like how the flood seems so momentous. This is flood is unleashed by the flight of some object. Also incorporated into the Haiku is the imagery of an eye, even if the eye is metaphorical it still provides an image. Philip D

hatred and despair
separates us
a child's giggle      silence

Sarah VanderZee (2)

silent house
creates a feeling of relief
left to my own thoughts

Alya Saqer (7)

This haiku reminds me of when i've had a rough day at work, and the customers were rude and loud. When i finally get home, i have a huge sigh of relief because of the silence. There's no one yelling, and i can relax. It's wonderful. Brittney

While I love my roommates, I hate having them. I cherish the moments when I come home to a silent house without catty drama and screaming children. While they are rare, I embrace them because it is rare that I get a true moment to think for myself without that background noise of hysterics, “Do your dishes!” “I want a Popsicle!” etc. I love silence. Keith

darkness sneaks in
the cold becomes
unbearable

your hand holding mine
the xray shows
multiple fractures

Lizabeth Hare

I like this haiku because of the imagery. I see a couple, or a child and parent, holding hands, while the other hand is badly broken. I like that disparity. One hand unites two people together, while the other can’t even stay in one piece. John

first snow
Mom puts a plate out
with chocolate syrup!

Shannon Hackl (3)

Papa and his Dolly
careful
the tea is hot

Whitney Minor (2)

I like this haiku because I feel that it has different meanings. I see a father and his little girl having tea and him warning her to be careful because the tea is hot. At the same time I see a grown woman having tea with her old father and she is warning him to be careful because the tea is hot. This haiku is sending a message; no matter how old a father is his little girl will always be his little girl hence the term of endearment Dolly. Joan

last night's taste
spoiled over night
I wake up half way