morning sunshine
bare feet
underneath the covers

Nicole Zabrinas (7)

This made me think of those mornings where you wake up refreshed. Not rushed or stressed or tired. I can see the sun shining in through a window, happy and warm. I can see myself stretching and my toes sliding underneath the sheets. It made me think of a perfect morning. Michelle

I love the feeling that I get when I wake up in the morning after a nice long sleep, with the warm sun shining on my body warming the room and my feet feeling the soft smooth covers. This haiku brought this image of relaxation and motivation for a good day to me. Daniel

the rocky mountain reaches upwards
impossible to ascend
I reach for a rope

Jason Chmiel

I like this haiku because it makes me think of overcoming challenges. I feel like it is saying that people can change themselves for the better if they try to take on a big task that they believe is impossible. It reminds me of times where I’ve had an incredibly large amount of homework I had to get done and I thought to myself “there’s no way I’ll ever get this done”. I did it anyway, and in the end I was able to get it all done. It also reminds me of stories I’ve seen on the news about people who have been in accidents, lost their ability to walk, and then, overcoming impossible odds, regained the ability to walk. This haiku really charges me up and makes me want to attempt something I previously thought I couldn’t do. Brett

scratched trumpet
fingers fumble the pads
remembering notes

Andy Jones

you walk away
tears falling down
only looking forward

Erin Knott (5)

This haiku reminded me a lot about my last basketball game. We lost to a team we beat earlier and it was a hard way to end my high school career. I cried my eyes out as I left that gym. It was my last time that I played basketball as a Lancers. All I thought about was the "shoulda" "woulda" and "coulda's" that I could have done during the game. Really all I could do was look forward to my next season as a member of the Millikin basketball team. The last line gives a since of hope that you need to look forward and life will go on. Elise

This haiku is one of my favorites because it reminds me much of a time in my life that I will never forget. When my high school closed this is exactly how all of us felt, and I can really relate to this haiku. I also like this because of its simplicity and its ability for many people in many situations to be able to relate to it. Patrick

I liked this haiku in particular because it took on so many meanings for me. I first envisioned a scene similar to that in Spiderman, where Harry is walking away from his father’s funeral vowing vengeance on the foe that killed his father. He is looking forward, because he can’t wait to reach that moment when vengeance can finally be his. (2) My next vision was of a man walking away from his girlfriend’s door after telling her he has to leave for the armed forces. He loves her so much, it tears at his soul forcing tears out of his eyes, but he can only look forward because he has a greater calling than this relationship at the moment, and he must pay full attention to the duty he is about to take on. (3) Another vision I had was through the eyes of a terminally ill patient. You takes on the shape of any person approaching the patient, and all end up walking away with tears falling down because they are using this time to say their last words to the patient finally releasing them from their own lives before the patient finally passes on. Jason

This haiku reminds me of a break-up or the end of a romantic relationship. It’s as if one person is walking away from the other and the one who is left is crying because it’s the end. All he or she can think about is all the good times they had together that had come to end. However, this person realizes that if her or his former lover is walking away, then this lover is not really worth the commitment. Therefore, it’s time to move on and look forward to the future and the day he or she finds someone who deserves his or her love. Nicole

fire stomped out
under the ashes
embers still burn

Brett Coffman (5)

This haiku I see inspiring a lot of emotion in all instances. In my particular case, I think of love. I see a relationship that has gone sour and been broken off. The passion that was once there is now mostly gone, but a little bit remains. There is just enough that there is room for hope in the future. Matt

This haiku made me imagine two different things. First of all I had a very literal impression of the haiku.  I imagined a pile of ashes that had to have come from a long-lasting fire.  Then there was the scent of wood burning and the night setting where you are surrounded by the woods.  When I had this translation of the haiku I felt content as though I just had spent a good time with friends and sad that it must be time to go home again. However, with the embers still burning there is still the idea that we can have another fire at a later date. Then on the other side of things I thought of this haiku as an argument or a fight.  The fire was the argument and in some way it had been stopped; however, the ashes remind the participants of the argument that the argument could happen again since the embers are still burning. There was one other thing that I thought of when I imagined the haiku this way, since the fire was stomped out, the argument in my mind had been stopped rather abruptly. Amanda

hand in hand
pacing back to her door—
night is complete

Daniel Fishel (2)

This Haiku takes me back to the summer before my senior year.  It was right after show choir rehearsal and some of the members of the group had decided to get ice cream to celebrate our reunion. After ice cream, a friend of mine—Nate—who I hadn’t spoke to in probably about 8 months came up to me and we got into an intense conversation.  If I remember correctly it was about politics, or maybe it was Global Warming. Regardless, we ended up spending the evening together, and actually ended up having to leave the ice cream shop because it was closing and we were still talking.  We both decided that we wanted to continue talking so we went to my house and sat on the steps outside my front door. The evening was perfect. The summer air was just warm enough that it felt like moist kisses on my skin. I remember looking up and feeling nothing but gratitude for the re-connection that I had made with this boy, who previously seemed lost in my life.  We talked for hours and finally we realized how late it actually was and decided that it would be best to say goodbye. Before he left he walked me to my door.We looked at each, and both of us smiled with a knowingness that this evening ignited an old bond that was again new. As I closed the front door I felt a tingle of excitement. Never had a night been more complete.  Kersten

I really see this one as a sweet and intimate one. I love it because what I see is a couple that has just been on their first date and he is walking her back to the door that he had picked her up from earlier that night. They are holding hands which shows that the night went well and the idea that the night is complete shows that it was a great night. That nothing was left out and it went as well if not better than either of them had expected. All in all this haiku makes me feel very happy inside and hopeful about love. Nick

sun down
books on the desk
awake tonight

Lauren Robertson (5)

This haiku makes me think of all the late nights I’ve spent doing homework because I like to procrastinate. More specifically, it makes me think of sitting down on a Sunday to write a paper for critter or seminar. I had done all my brainstorming and had organized several of my ideas throughout the week, but I still had to actually type the paper. I had started working on it earlier in the day, but I kept getting stuck and getting distracted by. Now the sun has gone down and I still have half the paper to go. It’s not going to be a fun night, but at least I’ll feel amazing once the paper’s finished. Jessica

I relate to this haiku in a way many other students probably do. I’ve had those nights when I realized something was due the next day and I hadn’t even begun to work on it. It’s a rare occurrence, but when it does happen I usually don’t go to sleep until midnight or later. This haiku also gives me a feeling of uneasiness, like there’s still something left to do, and when I find it I’m going to have a late night panic attack. Brett

books surrounding me
with a deep sigh
I begin to write

Erin Knott

This haiku stood out to me because it is an excellent reflection on my feelings right now, upon returning to school after vacation. This haiku conjures up images of drowning in a sea of book, pens, and paper, as you sit all alone at your desk in your stuffy, cramped dorm room at three in the morning. I can feel the lukewarm cup of coffee in my hand, as I try to force my heavy eyelids to focus on the task at hand. The blank paper glares at me ominously, taunting me about my ten unwritten pages about some foreign poet. My bed looks so inviting…I give a deep sigh and place my pen to the crisp, white paper. Alyssa

standing together
full moon shining
on a black lake

Lauren Robertson (6)

After reading this haiku, a sense of calmness overwhelms me. I picture two people—friends, lovers, siblings—that care about each other, standing on the grass near the lake. The moon is the only source of light for miles, as this lake is in the middle of a wooded area. I picture this night to be in mid-October, so it is somewhat chilly. The only sound is the water lapping gently. The two people are silent because they are in awe of the beauty of the moon on the water. If they speak they will ruin this perfect moment. This reminds me of some nights that I have spent sitting on the pier in Michigan, at my family’s lakehouse. I have spent hours sitting on this pier, watching the lake and the moon, and thinking. I like to do this because up in the Chicago suburbs, a view like this is unheard of. Sitting by the lake gives me a sense of clarity, and this haiku really captured that serene feeling that I get from watching the lake and the moon. Lindsay

This haiku made me think of someone advancing his or her relationship and gave me a strong mental image. I picture two people standing on a dock discussing their future together. Of course, its nighttime and there’s no one else out but them, and the full moon is reflecting off of the “black lake”. In general, it makes me think of a very romantic scene, like something one would see in a movie. Brett

In this one again I am left feeling hopeful about love because of the image and the feeling I get from reading it.  I see two people, in a loving embrace, standing next to a lake. It is night time and a blanket is laid out behind them after having a picnic at sundown. They waited for the moon to rise and as it does they stand there in wonderment of its beauty as it reflects in the darkened lake.  Nick

the last bell rings...
the students' smiles widen
into summer vacation

glowing screen—
letters in the light
my written thoughts

Michelle Dixson (4)

pale moon
behind the trees
count to ten

Nicole Zabrinas (3)

This reminded me of nights of a full (or mostly full) moon when I have run out into the yard with my camera and have tried to photograph it. It is always behind several trees, so the thin branches (especially in winter and fall) look like delicate, black designs against the moon's brightness. And then when the clouds are out, the moon gives off an even brighter glow and looks like something out of an old mystery or horror story. The mental image I get, however, is being out in a forest (maybe even a clearing by a lake) and watching the full moon as it rises to the tops of the trees. I feel as though I am the watching, waiting with anticipation, and just when I know the moment is right, I begin to count. I don't know what I'm waiting for, but whatever it is, it is something worthwhile, perhaps a natural phenomenon, a lunar eclipse, a childish magical fantasy. The other thoughts were either waiting for someone to arrive there and counting down until they arrive, or being with someone and that someone wants to surprise their companion at exactly the right time. Aubrie

I love this haiku because of how it just seems to capture that feeling of transitioning and angst.  In this one I see myself out in the woods after running from everything; all of my responsibilities and all of my commitments and such that are really stressing me out.  And coming to a halt in a small clearing in the woods where I just stop and kind of regroup as I count to ten.  Just taking that little bit of time to release all of the angst and worry if only for the count of ten before walking back to the life I ran from. Nick

twilight in the meadow
guitar strumming
giving my heart

Lindsay Scully (3)

This haiku was one of my favorites. I can vividly picture a person sitting underneath one of those big old trees that have been around forever. It has that perfect arched shape that makes everyone want to sit underneath it and reflect. This tree is also alone in a big field of green grass. There is a young boy sitting at the tree with an acoustic guitar strumming a song he wrote himself about a girl he loves and is longing to have. I can really connect to the emotion of wanting to be alone to think about everything in the universe and sitting underneath you favorite tree to do so. Erin

alone in the darkness—
suddenly aglow
the prisms shadow