Birthday Party
he wishes for
mommy to get better

Alex Cardascio (5)

a love of the game
an average play gone wrong
what next

taking a jog
I do not see
the tree root

Brandon Januska (5)

500 cups of water
in my room
welcome to April

college
my first mother's day
away from her

Austyn Krueger (3)

her flip flop breaks
in the middle of the street
honking horn

Nicole Koch (3)

wind blown curls
I sink my feet
into the sand bar

Kendall Kott (6)

longing for you
it's been so long . . .
pillow

old friends
what was
her name?

summer hike with dad
sun and moon
side by side

Nic Sanders (7)

This was my favorite haiku from this kukai. I just love the imagery it gives me when I read it. I see a father taking his son on a hike in the mountains when the sun is setting, so that the sun and the moon are on opposite sides of the sky. I also think the second line can be compared to the father and the son. The father would be the moon and the son would be the sun. I see them walking side by side up the mountain. This is a beautiful haiku! Well done! Nicole

This is one of my favorite haiku written in this semester. The sun and moon win me over. I love the parallel between the son and father walking; and the sun and moon in the sky together. I tried to reference this quote in class:

Even 
After 
All this time
The Sun never says to the Earth,

"You owe me."

Look
What happens
With a love like that,
It lights the whole sky.
~Hafiz

I thought the Earth was replaced with the moon, but I enjoy the way inanimate objects interact in both poems. I really enjoy the visual of having both sun and moon in the sky during a day hike. Lexy

the innocent girl
guards grandma's grave
red ladybugs

TurboTax
I watch the return
slowly growing

Eve Greenwell

radio playing
I find haiku
in the lyrics

Kendall Kott

I think everyone in class can relate to this haiku because we all hear haiku everywhere we go now. Well, at least I do. Places I never would have thought I'd find poetry, I can now find haiku in the most subtle of places. Unfortunately, however, I usually lose my haiku to my memory. I fear that most of the best haiku I've ever produced never left my head. Eli

window down
slight evening breeze
from a loud train

Eli Cook (2)

the hat
bringing the luck
to the fish

cold winter wind
suddenly relents
I take in a deep breath

Eve Greenwell

I think this one is funny because at home I have DirecTV, and it's satellite TV. I don't watch a bunch of TV, so when I so watch TV it's usually because I can't go outside. Usually I can't go outside because it's raining. When it's raining, the satellites don't work and I can't watch TV. Eli

she rests in peace
the crows
become restless

Nicole Koch (4)

winter morning
hiding from the cold
human cocoon

ignoring the storm
by watching tv
power's out

the blood of the victim
engraved
in the harvest moon

Nicole Koch (4)

I like the image that this haiku creates. I can see the blood of the victim and the light of the moon. I imagined that this is about a werewolf. The werewolf is going around killing people in the moonlight because it is unable to control itself. It is out for blood and it will continue to be like that until the sun rises. Brandon

late to class
run to Scovil
printer jammed

Austyn Krueger (6)

laying in bed
I whisper goodnight
to my imagination

Alex Cardascio (4)

on his death breath
he mutters to his wife
I'll always be with you

Alex Cardascio (2)

my parade
rolling down the street
pothole

first day of yoga
the old man stretches
farther than me

Nicole Koch (7)

grandfather's funeral
a box
of old coins

Nic Sanders

boy's first sled
speeding down the hill
face plant

parents day at school
without you
another year dissapointed

going            going
                                       going               
                                                        going
                            Gone!
my first homerun

Kyler Fear (6)

family picnic
cheery pie eaten
by marching ants

my father helps the old woman
carry her groceries
good cop

Kyler Fear

five fingers meet plastic
I realize
I ate all the oreos

Nicole Koch (7)

I just think this is funny. I see someone who is not really paying attention to the cookies they're eating. They probably even told themselves they were only going to have one, and before they knew it they ate the entire box. I think it's funny and I do it sometimes and it's so relatable. Francesca

I wake up
in your embrace
Sunday morning

Katelyn Rumph

I enjoyed this haiku because it made me think of a very recent memory. My girlfriend had been at prom and decided to come over after she was done. We ended up falling asleep and she stayed the night. Waking up on Sunday morning, with her in my arms, was the best possible way that I could ever wake up. Kyler

Christmas morning . . .
the snowman wears
my dead brother's gloves

Francesca Rios (6)

I liked this haiku during the kukai because of the imagery it brought to my head. When I read this, I imagined a family who had made a snowman the day before Christmas, and their oldest son put his gloves on the snowman to make the smaller children happy. I imagined later that night that the brother got into a car accident by a drunk driver and died, and in the morning, instead of celebrating Christmas, they are mourning the death of their brother. The sensory imagery in this haiku was strong, and I believe that's why I liked it so much. Katelyn

This is an awesome Haiku because it hints at how life must go on for those who are still here on earth. Of course, it is alright to be sad, but we should never let the death of a loved one bring us down. This year has been a tough one for me in that respect, and I think that this is why this particular haiku hopped out at me first. I have learned through my first real experience with death that life must go on, and we must enjoy life always to the best of our abilities. Adam

morning chill
you usually made
the coffee

Francesca Rios (7)

I like this haiku because it speaks to regret a little. I like the cold feeling of loneliness. I like the memory of what was. I kind of wish that “usually made” was switched with “used to make” to show that is was a habit, not something that this side of the partnership hoped for or expected. Lexy

afternoon rain . . .
his suicide note
on social media

Francesca Rios (2)

wishing I had
what they all had
        childhood memories

Katelyn Rumph (4)

I like this haiku because it reminds me of my older siblings. They all sit around and talk about things they did when they were kids and vacations they went on, but I didn't get to do a lot of those things. The older kids have a lot of different memories than me and it sometimes makes me sad to be the youngest when they all talk about their childhood. Eve

strung too tight
have to readjust
        guitar

falling snow
one single rose
on the kitchen table

shadow on the wall—
much larger
than the mouse itself

Grandpa's war story
the young boy
plays with the rifle . . .

Francesca Rios

This haiku makes me imagine my grandfather who was a medic in WWII telling us a story one Christmas. I can imagine him grabbing his old M1-grand from the closet and letting me and my cousins pass it around and look at it. My grandfather passed away in 2010 so this haiku makes me think about him and miss him. Kyler

from across the field
I watch her kiss him . . .
that should be me

Kyler Fear

midnight snack
drinking chocolate milk
from the cocoa puffs

Kendall Kottl (3)

sliding into home
the boy murmurs a haiku
to the catcher

showing off prom dresses
the only time
I miss high school

Eve Greenwell (3)

midnight
another night
wasted

tornado sirens
a cardinal abandons
her nest

Nic Sanders (3)

at the funeral
looking into the casket . . .
she smiles at me

Kyler Fear (4)

I really like this one because it freaks me out. Is the person who is dead smiling at him? Is someone there grieving and they make that awkward eye contact and that smile that says you notice he's there follow? This one really threw me for a ringer. I like it because the moment of surprise is definitely there, more so than what I'm used to. I also like it because you don't really think of funerals being a place where people are smiling either. It's just one of those haiku that you have to piece together like a puzzle and those are always my favorite. Francesca

I like this one because it is not clear who is smiling. It could be the person that died smiling up at the people looking into the casket or it could be the person looking in that is smiling at the body. There are multiple scenarios that a person can come up with from this haiku. I like how open-ended it is because it forces the reader to create their own story. Brandon

we lock eyes
I blush as he
walks right past me

oh the weather outside
is wonderful
        spring time

Katelyn Rumph (3)

hanging from
the tree
my sins

a fake tree
sits in the corner.
outside—it rains

crack of lightning
father grabs flashlights
with no batteries

Nicole Koch (4)

warm spring day
the flowers cover
your casket

fingers clenched
the boy grabs
a flashlight

crowded park
in the clouds
I see your face

Francesca Rios (4)

I liked this one too because it kind of reminded me of a corresponding haiku that could follow the one mentioned above. When I read this, I imagined the mother of the boy sitting at the park with her younger children, still in deep depression and mourning of her firstborn sun. Even with all the people around, she felt all alone, missing her son. She looks up at the sky and sees his face in the clouds, because she sees him everywhere since she misses him so much. This haiku brought great sensory imagery to my head as well. Katelyn

March 1st
my Christmas candy stash
finally depleted

traffic jam
grandpa tells me
the same joke again

Nicole Koch (5)

This one is great because of the clever comparison to grandpa's old jokes to a traffic jam. t's great because whenever some grandpa is telling a joke, you have heard it before and you will hear it again. So the comparison of the repetitive grandpa to the traffic jam is clever because the grandpa is jammed in the endless telling of the same joke for miles and miles. Nic

mossy rock
distant waterfall
fills the silence

Austyn Krueger (4)

I like this haiku because when I read it, I actually feel like I am in the scene. I love the first line. It is very simple, but uses "mossy" to describe the rock. The first two lines create a beautiful image, and then the last line makes me realize how peaceful it actually is. I can imagine myself there listening to nothing but the waterfall. Nicole

pitter patter of pointe shoes
fluttering in unison
bouree bouree bouree

I see our reflection
in the puddles
trees above, trees below

Lexy Bieber (6)

I really like how this haiku sounds. It seems very peaceful. To me it sounds like a little kid with a grown up looking in a puddle and the child is interested in the trees below them in the water. Young children are often amused by reflections and I picture them pointing out everything in the puddle, making funny faces, and then probably jumping on the reflection. Eve

Gushers wrapper
silly things
that remind me of her

our relationship
never the same
correct password

I thought I was
as dear to you
as earth or sky or sea

stretched out
on the bed
we breathe

homeless woman
wallet only contains
a few twenties

Nic Sanders (6)

Baltimore riots
Facebook page filled
with breakfast statues

lights out
tuck me in
make me feel loved

Lexy Bieber (2)

I enjoy the innocence of this haiku. I can imagine an older teenager realizing that she missed out on all of the love of her parents when she was younger, and now she misses it. I see a side by side of the older girl and the younger girl asking for the same thing, and it is pretty humorous. As a deeper meaning, I believe this haiku is meant to symbolize the idea that we should never take our parents for granted. Adam

rolling out of bed
to see the sunrise
cloudy

Nicole Koch (3)

alone at night
the refrigerator hum
my enemy

Eve Greenwell (5)

quiet house
the creaking of floorboards
wakes up my detective

empty stare
in her eyes
rape victim

serious discussion
whisked away
with laughter

Eli Cook (4)

This haiku stood out to me because it captures a situation I am used to seeing. I have been in a lot of discussions with serious tones that always seem to end with a pleasant release of laughter. We could be having a debate about different philosophies, which can get pretty serious, that always calm down with jokes at the end. This haiku really captures that feeling with me. It reminds me of my daily conversations with some of by best guy friends. We will have a debate, but it never gets to heated where laughter is not warranted. The debates are real, but our relationships are never threated by them because they can get whisked away with laughter. Nic

home alone
all night
I carry my bat

Eve Greenwell (3)

knock on the door
I look out
down the empty hallway

Brandon Januska (3)

Illinois weather
the reason behind
my trust issues

Austyn Krueger (5)

driving down street
unsure
of where I'm going