wondering how
they came to be
blue glassy lake

Nicole Zbrinas

from this world
a blue sky
takes me away

Nicole Zabrinas

on the brink
of true night
black wings pass over me

Aubrie Cox

a funnel falls down—
the storm’s eye
inviting

Gordon Gilmore

from this world
a blue sky
takes me away

top quarter champion

from this world
a blue sky
takes me away

top half champion

from this world
a blue sky
takes me away

bottom quarter champion

tumbling
down the hill
who cares if we’re late?

tumbling
down the hill
who cares if we’re late?

six eyes peer
into the croaking bucket
King Toad

tumbling
down the hill
who cares if we’re late?

Erin Knott

he tries to run
I wish we could
roam free together

Erin Knott

my old fishing pole
I practice casting
in a green grass sea

Elise Wildman

six eyes peer
into the croaking bucket
King Toad

Lindsay Scully

top half champion

from this world
a blue sky
takes me away
 

champion

the perfect snowman
not ready for
the shovel to its face

bottom half champion

the perfect snowman
not ready for
the shovel to its face
 

blue sky
an old friend
brings me hope

Kersten Haile

rainy night
dry clothes
for a new friend

Andy Jones

leaving for new beginnings
all I can think of
is the past

Pat Thacker

laying in the grass
we promise to be friends forever
autumn sky

Jessica Villarreal

rainy night
dry clothes
for a new friend

laying in the grass
we promise to be friends forever
autumn sky

top quarter champion

laying in the grass
we promise to be friends forever
autumn sky

bottom half champion

the perfect snowman
not ready for
the shovel to its face

bottom quarter champion

the perfect snowman
not ready for
the shovel to its face

first Millikin rain
playing in the downpour
with new friends

the perfect snowman
not ready for
the shovel to its face

first Millikin rain
playing in the downpour
with new friends

Andy Jones

a little salt…
a little pepper…
a meal for both of us

Brett Coffman

two sets of footprints
we walk
through snow

Amanda Aukerman

the perfect snowman
not ready for
the shovel to its face

Jason Chmiel

rainy night
dry clothes
for a new friend

laying in the grass
we promise to be friends forever
autumn sky

leaving for new beginnings
all I can think of
is the past

laying in the grass
we promise to be friends forever
autumn sky

I think is an interesting haiku match because of the story that it tells. I imagine that the two haiku represent different stages in the friendship. Perhaps this pair of friends first ignited their friendship in a spring afternoon thunderstorm where they played and pranced in the rain for hours, finally returning indoors, and one of the friends was without a change of clothes so they borrowed a set of the others clothing. Sharing clothes, especially for a girl, is a big deal and a sign of a true friendship. I feel as though the symbol of lending this new friend clothes after the rain storm is what really solidified their bond. The second haiku is later on in the friendship, perhaps the following autumn, and this newfound friendship has caused these two people to spend every waking moment they possibly can together. As they lay in the autumn grass the reminisce about the time they danced in the rain until they were soaking wet, and how that was the beginning of their friendship, remembering the beginning makes them want to promise that there won’t be an end. Kersten

These two haiku alone can make me think of hundreds of possible interpretations or can make me recall many memories. Together, however, they seem to create a solid interpretation in my mind. I look at it as two people who have been friends since they were little. Then something later on in life splits them up; for example, one of them may have gone into the military or moved to a new house in a different neighborhood. Although out of all of the possibilities, one prominent scenario sticks out in my mind. They’re both old, and one of them finally died from natural causes. The other one keeps going forward, but can’t forget the past, or the fact that his or her own life may be near its end. Brett

I like these two as a match because it brings to mind a childhood friendship in the second haiku where the two children are laying down after a day of playing and promise that they will always be friends together no matter what happens in life to them. And then the first haiku is like what happened years down the road like when the two separated to go to college and that even though it is a new beginning all they can think of is the past. Pat

I like this pair of haiku because I can relate to both of them. The first one reminds me of when I left for college and miss my three closest girlfriends from back home. The four of us are inseparable, and leaving for different schools in different states was one of the most difficult things that I have ever had to do. While I loved Millikin, it was extremely hard to start over without my three best friends by my side whenever I needed them. The second one appeals to me, but in a more negative way. The four of us began to drift as we got busier with school and our new lives. One weekend during fall of my freshman year, we were all home for break and it was nice outside. We sat outside on my back porch talking about our new lives, and while we loved school, we would always be there for each other. It is now spring of my sophomore year, and those girls are still the people I talk to from home and always make time to see. This pair of haiku really reminds me of the support system that I have back home, regardless of the distance between the four of us. Lindsay

This was my favorite pair in the kukai, and not because “laying in the grass” was mine. When I thought about my story of my friend Bekah moving away the second haiku fit it so well. We were both beginning new phases of our lives but we couldn’t help but think of the past and how all of that was changing. Both of these haiku tell the story of two friends who are very close but end up having to be separated. Jessica

from this world
a blue sky
takes me away

laying in the grass
we promise to be friends forever
autumn sky

leaving for new beginnings
all I can think of
is the past

rainy night
dry clothes
for a new friend

I really like the connection that is made in this final comparison. Both of these haiku symbolize a feeling of forever. They also have an optimistic tone, where this forever will be full of joy because of the beauty friendship or nature offers. They also give a sense of imagination. When reading both of them, I can imagine one or two people enjoying life and the company of each other, just imagining their vision of the perfect life and sharing that feeling with one another. I really like how they are both using a different sense of seasons as well. “A blue sky” gives me the sense that the season being discussed is summer or a beautiful spring day, where the second haiku is obviously an autumn sky. In both seasons life has something to offer and provides security for those involved with it. Jason

I rather liked how these two came together as it was increadibly story-like. In a way, these two make me think of Basho's travelling, starting with how he left home after the death of his friend, then travelling later as the famous poet. The second haiku, concerning the latter would then be the people who welcome him into their homes without hesitation. However, I think this could be used as a starter for a short story about any traveller--not just Basho--and that traveller being caught in the rain and meeting someone that way. Aubrie

from this world
a blue sky
takes me away

a funnel falls down—
the storm’s eye
inviting

from this world
a blue sky
takes me away

tumbling
down the hill
who cares if we are late?

This pair came up as I picked my two favorites from the top quarter. I really like the pair it made because they both describe not only the weather, but also the feeling of wanting to escape from their reality. In the first haiku, I imagine a girl walks outside and notices the blue sky. All she can think of is how she wants to get away, to travel, to experience new things. Then reality brings her back down to Earth, but she always has getting away in the back of her mind. The second fits well with the first one with the same idea. It really reminds me of The Wizard of Oz. However, this version would be a little different. Dorothy would see the tornado coming and wish that she was able to get away from Kansas.  Erin

This was my favorite match that I came up with. I love the contrast of the two poems, and how the sky can be blue or it can be dark with a storm. The first poem illustrates how a person can get lost in the sky when it is a beautiful, blue sky. The second poem illustrates how a storm can send a person into a trance, because of the power and destruction it holds. They both take the person away from the world and are in sync with each other. Elise

I really like these two because I can see a pair just outside at the park playing with each other. They know they have worldly responsibilities that they must adhere to but in this moment everything just falls away and it is just the two of them completely free of everything else. They could just jump into the sky and float away without a care in the world. I can see them rolling down a hill in each other’s arms laughing and having a great time. nick
 

tumbling
down the hill
who cares if we’re late?

a little salt…
a little pepper…
a meal for both of us

the perfect snowman
not ready for
the shovel to its face

tumbling
down the hill
who cares if we’re late?

I liked how these two haiku matched up, because they both painted very vivid pictures in my mind of my childhood, playing with my best friends. They reminded me of a simpler time—when my best friend and I could completely live in the moment, and escape to another place and time merely by using our imaginations. We would pass hours in the summer afternoons hunting for wild onions and picking dandelions in the yard to make delicious creations for each other, just as I imagine the two children are doing in the second haiku. I remember how my head would spin after rolling down our neighbor’s massive hill. I would feel so sick afterward, but some I was driven by some strange impulse to put myself through that torture over and over. These two haiku can probably be applied to anybody’s childhood memories at one time or another. It was a time when something so simple could keep us occupied and fascinated—no batteries or remote controls necessary. Alyssa

I like the idea of rolling down the hill in the snow after having hit the snowman with a shovel....his head rolling down the hill with me....haha. It kind of make me think of the movie Sleepy Hallow when Johnny Depp has a decapitated head roll down the hill to him...lol. Michelle

tumbling
down the hill
who cares if we’re late?

So, I had a contest with myself as judge. You could say it was egotistical, but really it’s just the practice of a hermit. I really didn’t want to go searching for friends to do this with primarily because the more and more I interact with others these days, the more I learn I don’t want to. I was away from school for a semester and got delusions in my head of people being enjoyable. Then I came back, and now I’m just a curmudgeon. There. That’s the story of how the Kukai went. Yippee! I’ll give you some reasons I like this one best though. First off, I like the fact that the rhetorical question in the last line forms a sort of image in the poem. I like it when haiku use such abstractions as a form of imagery. Plus I love the way that the haiku became an emblematic poem; it slowly slopes down like a hill. Thought that was nifty-keen! Gordon

We voted on this one as the best of the haiku. It was so fun and playful. We could imagine ourselves rolling down a hill together or even a bunch of kids doing the same. The image was just so vivid. Andy