we relax on
the family couch
spring break

Amanda Aukerman

the couch swallows
two sisters
movie marathon

Lindsay Scully

spring break
my couch remembers
my comfort specifications

Matt Chmiel

a recreation
of the "past"...
a five hour couch potato

Michelle Dixson

the couch swallows
two sisters
movie marathon

spring break
my couch remembers
my comfort specifications

top quarter champion

spring break
my couch remembers
my comfort specifications

top half champion

day two
of spring break…
still no shower

bottom quarter champion

day two
of spring break…
still no shower

day two
of spring break…
still no shower

CNN newsroom
same topic
new day

day two
of spring break…
still no shower

Kersten Haile

day three
i slept
right through

Nick Chivers

one day of sickness
two days of sickness
it never ends

Amanda Aukerman

CNN newsroom
same topic
new day

Kersten Haile

top half champion

day two
of spring break…
still no shower
 

champion

day two
of spring break…
still no shower

bottom half champion

reading a book
not having to count
the number of pages
 

reading a book
not having to count
the number of pages

Alyssa Thompson

holed up
in my room with Faulkner—
Spring Break

Aubrie Cox

looking at my books
spring break
ends

Brett Coffman

doing homework
wait a minute
it's spring break

Amanda Aukerman

reading a book
not having to count
the number of pages

doing homework
wait a minute
it's spring break

top quarter champion

reading a book
not having to count
the number of pages

bottom half champion

reading a book
not having to count
the number of pages

bottom quarter champion

I start to be worried
as a staple gun is picked up
magic show

I start to be worried
as a staple gun is picked up
magic show

thinking of beaches
in the cold spring rain
lonely spring break

Jason Chmiel

free drinks
as we watch the show
VIRGIN margaritas

Pat Thacker

flipping cards...
the newest player
wins

Michelle Dixson

I start to be worried
as a staple gun is picked up
magic show

Pat Thacker

reading a book
not having to count
the number of pages

holed up
in my room with Faulkner –
Spring Break

day two
of spring break…
still no shower

day three
I slept
right through

I like this pair because I read as much as I could over break. I avoided things that I really should have been doing in what little free time I had to pick up a book and catch up on my reading. If I wasn’t busy, you could probably find me listening to my iPod and reading one of the numerous books I tried to read over break. I didn’t finish any, but I had one for just about every mood, so I never stuck with one book straight through. I kept switching books. I loved being able to read and not having to count how many pages I had left because I just wanted to go to sleep. If I wanted to go to sleep, I just could. Erin

These two haiku complemented each other better than any other pair out of the entire contest. It almost seems as if these two were part of a list that someone had made about their spring break adventures. I especially like the simplicity of the haiku, because that is how a vacation should be—laid-back and simple. These haiku were so simply worded and succinct, that it evoked a lazy, relaxed feeling. I especially enjoyed how the second haiku flowed together so easily. These haiku illustrate how our views have changed as we have gotten older. I used to get bored over break because I had to constantly be on the go. Now I cherish the times where I can turn off my alarm clock, stay in my pajamas on the couch all day, and sleep as if I was a hibernating bear. That is my “grown up” version of an ideal spring break. In fact, it seems like the authors of these haiku were actually describing word-for-word my own spring break this year! Alyssa

This was my favorite pair of haiku from matching contest six. The fact that they both start out by numbering the day makes them seem like they were written together by the same person. They both also seem to convey a person who has decided that they are going to be as lazy as humanly possible over spring break. Half their time is spent sleeping and the other half is spent vegging out, whether by watching TV, playing video games, browsing the internet, or just sitting there with a vacant expression on their face. I picture them still wearing the same t-shirt and pair of sweatpants that they changed into when they got home three days later. Their hair is a mess and they don’t smell fresh. Jessica

I think these haiku go together really well because they seem to be giving the description of one person’s spring break. Not to mention, they’re a humorous pair. The though of a person not taking a shower for two days, and then sleeping through the third day, meaning that he or she has once again not taken a shower, is somewhat disturbing and funny at the same time. This pair also seems to represent what spring break is to college students; a time to get away from the college work and go back to the lazy days when homework wasn’t so plentiful and difficult. Brett

I love the repetion in this pair. It's like a very casual diary or journal, or even a blog. The person attempts to keep track of things, but with each day time slips away from that person. The fact that they were not written by the same person is doubly impressive. They flow so well together. Day one, the person probably did just a little and tried to be productive but grew less so as the day wore on. Day two resulted in nothing, not even a shower like they had planned, and by day three the person was sound asleep and down for the count, succumbing to the pleasure of doing nothing. Aubrie

I liked these partly because of there numerical order but also because it seems to paint the picture of someone who really doesn’t care what they do on spring break. To them it is just another week but for once they don’t actually have to go anywhere or see anyone in particular. Also I like how I get the feeling as though someone is just sitting there trying to pass the time, maybe on day four, and is making a journal of what they have done so far on spring break and even though it is somewhat pathetic they are still writing it down because it gives them something to do. Amanda

I like this pair because of the sequencing of the days. The poems show that they don’t care about keeping up their appearances; they just want to relax and sleep. I did the same thing in the second poem; I slept many of the days away. They give the general idea of what spring break should be: rest and relaxation. Elise

day two
of spring break…
still no shower

CNN newsroom
same topic
new day

flipping cards...
the newest player
wins

I start to be worried
as a staple gun is picked up
magic show

I like this pair because they capture the essence of spring break for those that do not spend it in Florida. These haiku describe the typical college student who becomes the epitome of laziness during their week spent at home. Since they spend all day on the couch watching daytime TV, they don’t even need to shower because they aren’t going anywhere or doing anything. While it may seem like a waste of time watching mind-numbing TV for days on end, it can actually prove to be a relaxing break for the stressed out college student. That is the main reason I chose this pair: they capture my spring break. While they may seem like they are written about a very dull experience, for the college student it can be just like heaven. Lindsay

I liked this pair because the first one makes me think of those magic tricks where you pick a card and then the magician finds it. But I think the second haiku is the best because it is so creative and creates that really provocative moment. Andy