star gazing
a surge of light
midnight sky
Lindsay Quick
starry skies
blanket the night . . .
on beyond infinity
Hailee Peck
sunlight unfolding
my hairs stand on end
calm meditation
Wanda June
sun shines through the clouds
as if to say,
“You’re not alone.”
Courtney Gallup
starry skies
blanket the night . . .
on beyond infinity
sun shines through the clouds
as if to say,
"You're not alone."
I have seen
the face of God
Handel's Messiah
sun shines through the clouds
as if to say,
“You’re not alone.”
I think it might be hard for some to realize why these haiku are so similar. This isn't a profession of pretense, or even higher thinking. It's merely the fact that the epiphany of the similar quality of these two haiku hit me like a brick in class, and I couldn't wait to put the two side by side. The theme here is loneliness, and I will use that word several times.
These two poems both reflect the same sense of unity. The word 'alone' isn't used in the first haiku, but the sense of not being alone is present. The last line, 'on beyond infinity' implies an endless, vast universe. With a universe so large and endless, how can one ever truly be alone? In the first one, the word 'alone' is blatantly used to imply a lack of loneliness, saying that the sun, in all it's massive glory, has an implication of unity with everyone as well.
Another way to interpret the first haiku is an overwhelming sense of loneliness. For, even though the universe is vast, and there is more than likely other life out there, we are still so small, in the middle of the world. I feel an immense feeling of loneliness sometimes, just when walking around campus at night. Looking up at the stars, you start to realize how far away all those planets and galaxies are, how alone the human race is, and how alone you can be as one individual human. Conner
I think these two haiku are a great pair because they both have the same subject but use different sense to express the awe of God. The first one uses an immense and gorgeous musical work to express the wonder of God. But the first one use sound and the connections we make with music as we listen. Music is a great way of expressing messages in a meaningful and effective way and Handel is a master of expressing meaningful messages through music. The second haiku uses imagery to make a connection and express God’s wonder and faithfulness. It reminds me of the line from “A Walk to Remember”, “How can you see places like this... and have moments like this and not believe? […] It's like the wind. I can't... see it, but I feel it.” Though we cannot see God or how much he loves us it is through simple moments, in nature often times, that we feel his presence and a reassured that there is something bigger out there and some purpose in the world. Stefanie
star gazing
a surge of light
midnight sky
sun shines through the clouds
as if to say,
“You’re not alone.”
sun shines through the clouds
as if to say,
“You’re not alone.”
top quarter champion
TOP half Chamption
sun shines through the clouds
as if to say,
“You’re not alone.”
bottom quarter champion
mother’s advice
gives her courage—
graveside chat
mother’s advice
gives her courage—
graveside chat
my missed flight
on the news—
World Trade Center
full moon
wondering
what lives beyond
Adam Blakey
mother’s advice
gives her courage—
graveside chat
Elise Scannell
my missed flight
on the news—
World Trade Center
Megan Vail
wondering as I hold
the Leaning Tower of Piza
when will it fall
Sendin Bajric
TOP half champion
sun shines through the clouds
as if to say,
“You’re not alone.”
CHAMPION
sun shines through the clouds
as if to say,
“You’re not alone.”
beauty with
a painted smile
what does she know?
BOTTOM half champion
beauty with
a painted smile
what does she know?
Catherine Hixson
strip our skin
we are skulls
with eyes
Eric Landgrebe
unsettling waters
I thought I saw
a mermaid
Merissa Marx
in the pile of ashes
you caught my eye
wedding photo
Jessica Claussen
I enjoyed this pair because of the plain honesty both of them gave. The strip our skin haiku really strips us as humans to the core and remind us we are really all the same inside. When matched with the beauty haiku, it questions the point of makeup and other products to make someone feel "beautiful". I feel like these haiku are almost as if someone were talking and is one straight thought. It is a really good matched pair. Adam
beauty with
a painted smile
what does she know?
in the pile of ashes
you caught my eye
wedding photo
beauty with
a painted smile
what does she know?
top quarter champion
BOTTOM half champion
beauty with
a painted smile
what does she know?
bottom quarter champion
old familiar church pew
holds me down
my feet fidget
old familiar church pew
holds me down
my feet fidget
I have seen
the face of God
Handel's Messiah
dusty bookshelf
in the childhood home
calls for me
Katie McDaniel
old familiar church pew
holds me down
my feet fidget
Kendall Harvey
shivers travel down my spine
as we sing
How He Loves
Moli Copple
I have seen
the face of God
Handel's Messiah
Conner Kerrigan