a bird
feathers and all
ingrained in asphalt

Noah Klumpe

pitter patter
the spring rain
brings me down

Joseph Pegura

another day
another dollar
repeat

Emilio Tejada

touching the seams
realizing it was all
for nothing

Alexis Dockins

a bird
feathers and all
ingrained in asphalt

touching the seams
realizing it was all
for nothing

a bird
feathers and all
ingrained in asphalt

top quarter champion

TOP half Chamption

a bird
feathers and all
ingrained in asphalt

bottom quarter champion

again today
he smiles at her
the invisible man

the wind
never here
to begin with

again today
he smiles at her
the invisible man

missing him
like I miss the dog
I never got to have

Lauren Montesano

the wind
never here
to begin with

Taryn Pepping

again today
he smiles at her
the invisible man

Natalie Smith

knowing
that I am a handful
no one wants

Corrin Littlefield

TOP half champion

a bird
feathers and all
ingrained in asphalt

CHAMPION
 

silent stethescope
he pulls the plug
for the first time

silent stethescope
he pulls the plug
for the first time

BOTTOM half champion

sitting across from her
the sound of silence
never louder

Michael Barber

alone . . .
Mom smiles
as we leave her side

Cori Grzenia

mom's text
I'm too busy to talk
again

Taryn Pepping

ignoring texts
she doesn't get
her hopes up     again.

Whitney Gray

sitting across from her
the sound of silence
never louder

mom's text
I'm too busy to talk
again

sitting across from her
the sound of silence
never louder

top quarter champion

BOTTOM half champion

silent stethescope
he pulls the plug
for the first time

bottom quarter champion

silent stethescope
he pulls the plug
for the first time

gusts of wind
blowing each way
my mind

silent stethescope
he pulls the plug
for the first time

each insignificant
blade of grass
sways every direction

Alexis Dockins

gusts of wind
blowing each way
my mind

Grace Ganley

silent stethescope
he pulls the plug
for the first time

Erica Forbes

cemetery stroll
looking for your name
on their tombstone

Tyler Trzcinski

a bird
feathers and all
ingrained in asphalt

pitter patter
the spring rain
brings me down

another day
another dollar
repeat

touching the seams
realizing it was all
for nothing

I think these two were an excellent Kuro match. They both are angsty and dark, but not overwhelmingly pessimistic. It's almost as if they had to be the first two we read, because they eased us into the darker stuff to come. I still can't understand why I still laugh at the idea of the bird in the asphalt, but it's important to have one that can give us some kind of relief. The second one is also a smaller scale of darkness, reminding me of the teenage angst before life actually hits you. Both of these just remind me of the younger cousins/siblings trying to make themselves seem just as worldly and edgy as their older counterparts, but trying too hard. These two are still equally important though, in the context of the whole matching contest, because they ease you into and give perspective on how bad things could actually get. Cori

I like this match, as the rain haiku sets up a really good scene. I imagine walking back to my apartment after a long day of classes, and it starts to rain. So, I have to look down at where I’m walking in order to not run into puddles. While watching where I step carefully, I find a strange indentation in the concrete that I had never seen before, and this is where the second haiku finishes the picture for me. They work together very nicely. Taryn

This matching pair really stuck out to me. In today’s world, we are far too consumed with money and the things it can get us. While the first one is rather blunt, the second is more of a metaphor to how endless money can seem like it is the key to a lifetime of success, but after it is all said and done, it only buys temporary happiness. These two really made me thing about my consumption and reliance on material objects. Viv

This match was an interesting one to me. I think that it really speaks to the apathy that has become commonplace in our generation. I especially relate to the first one, because it feels like I never have quite enough money to get me through. Every day, it seems like there is something new I have to pay for, and it sort of hits you that this is simply adult life, and now that it's started, it's never going to end. On the same sort of depressing note, the one that talks about the seams is still really fatalistic. In that way, it's a great Kuro poem, but it takes something that should be special, I'm assuming a wedding, and makes it really dead. Marah

To be honest, I wasn’t expecting to enjoy many of the Kuro haiku we wrote. In Haiku Guy, the way Kuro talked about his philosophy came off as teenage angst and was pretty off-putting. Though I’m sure I will find many angst-based Kuro haiku, these two capture the hopelessness and gloom of Kuro’s ideas without being over the top, and I appreciated that. I also liked that they hinted at the insignificance of our comparatively short and mundane lives. I thought the spin on a popular phrase in the first haiku was well done, especially because it’s usually used by that one annoying coworker in an optimistic, peppy way, and the “repeat” turned the first two lines into a dry sarcasm. In the second haiku, the meaning is ambiguous but it is clear that someone’s hopes just got crushed--very Kuro-esque. Natalie

I appreciate the way the haiku is written and structured to match what it describes. As the haiku continues down each line, and it brings you to the end, you then discover what it portrays. Also, the use of "pitter patter" in the first line grabs the reader's attention. Using the term "brings me down" to refer to the way the rain, is a nice way to play on words being that rain falls down and is often associated with a gloomy feeling. I do also feel that rainy days are less enjoyable because the sun is not out and it is not bright and awake. Grace

missing him
like I miss the dog
I never got to have

the wind
never here
to begin with

again today
he smiles at her
the invisible man

knowing
that I am a handful
no one wants

I liked this matched haiku pair because they both involve wanting something that was never theirs from the beginning. There was no dog to miss, however you yearn for the idea of having those memories of having the dog. Likewise, the wind was never here. It comes and it goes, but no one knows where it begins and where it ends. One can’t claim to have the wind because it was never there. Whitney

This is a bittersweet pair that I love for different reasons. They too seem to create a good storyline with the focus shifting from his perspective and inner working to hers, like a movie cutting back and forth between close ups of faces. Alternatively, it shifts from an outer perspective to his inner monologue as well, there are many different ways to read these. The heart-wrenching hope and ultimate sadness of the first haiku is so utterly relatable and the "invisible man" part is remniscient of Kander and Ebb's famous "Mr. Cellophane" tune. These two could almost form a new haiku when squished together:"again today/no one wants/the invisible man." Genevieve

In this matching contest, the first one was my favorite because it made me think of the sad people on the street that are in love with someone else, but are too afraid to show it. Or, that the person has showed it and are now being rejected. I have been on both sides of the smile, ignoring someone who tries to talk to me, and smiling at someone who does see me, and both sides bring a completely different feeling and moment. The second haiku brings the focus to the invisible man who is doing the smiling, showing that he feels now that he is a handful that nobody else wants since he was not smiled back at. Lauren

sitting across from her
the sound of silence
never louder

alone . . .
Mom smiles
as we leave her side

I enjoyed the way these two haiku paired with each other. They both seem to be representing some sort of dark situation, possibly at a hospital. I imagine a relative passing away in the hospital and the silence in a situation like that is a deafening form of silence. The second haiku makes me imagine a scene where mom asks for some time alone with the relative and as you leave she smiles as if she's telling you she is going to be alright and everything will be okay. I find these haiku to be depressing yet have some sort of positivity to them. Tyler

sitting across from her
the sound of silence
never louder

silent stethoscope
he pulls the plug
for the first time

I really like this matched pair haiku. I like how both of them talk about silence. With the first haiku, the silence is loud and unbearable. With the second one, the silence is new and frightening. I can imagine that the silence is unbearable as well. The doctor knows that this silence is unavoidable from now on and he must learn to live with the silence. Both haiku feel like something is coming to an end. In the first haiku, I feel like the relationship was coming to an end. The silence is so loud because this is where it ends, this is where it all falls apart. In the second haiku, someone’s life is ending. It has more depth and a greater meaning, but the idea of someone’s life depending on a sound coming from the stethoscope, makes it seem small. It’s like you’re waiting for response from the person across the table. With the first haiku, I thought it was very relatable. We have all been in that situation where the silence is painful because you know the relationship isn’t going well. This is the end of it and the silence really sends that message home. In the second haiku, I cannot imagine having to be that person and having to hear that silence. I cannot imagine how heartbreaking that would be, but I give so much credit to those who do do it and keep standing tall. Corrin

sitting across from her
the sound of silence
never louder

alone . . .
Mom smiles
as we leave her side

mom's text
I'm too busy to talk
again

ignoring texts
she doesn't get
her hopes up     again.

This pair makes me sad because I miss my mom. She texts me all the time and I always feel bad about not being able to text her and leaving her every time I go home. She cries every time I part from school and it breaks my heart each time. I always feel terrible inside when I cannot stay or I am too busy to talk to her because she has done so much for me and I owe her so much. This is a good pair because they both mention and talk about the feeling that come from being away or leaving a mother. Erica

another day
another dollar
repeat

each insignificant 
blade of grass
sways every direction

mom's text
I'm too busy to talk
again

ignoring texts
she doesn't get
her hopes up     again.

I like these haiku not because of how good they make me feel, but because of how worthless they make me feel. These Kuro haiku are ridiculously saddening, so much to where it is almost comical. The way both of these make me feel insignificant in the bigger picture of things is awful. My interpretation of the first one is that I will eventually grind my life away for dollars and become a sad old man. In the second haiku I am as insignificant as a blade of grass. This haiku exercise was fun for this one time, but I don’t think this should be a regular occurrence because I might spiral into a deep sadness. Jacob

Both of these haikus involve twenty first century problems. I believe that I wrote the first one, so of course I feel the vibe that the author was trying to portray. Whenever I need my mom the most, she always seems to be busy. I am really starting to get mad about it. I am always hoping to talk to her about what is going on in my life and she just can never answer her phone and talk to me. She just loves to text, but messages can only go so far for conversation. Maybe mother does not truly enjoy talking to me, which is why it relates so well to the second haiku. In this haiku, there is a petty female ignoring some trashy guys she just met off of tinder. He was an absolute jerk to her last night, but she has the heart of a saint. She always gives out second chances like a suburban teenager on Halloween. Yet she knows better this time around, no time for jerks anymore, so she just ignores the boy. Moves on, and is starting her journey toward womanhood. Joe

each insignificant
blade of grass
sways every direction

gusts of wind
blowing each way
my mind

silent stethescope
he pulls the plug
for the first time

cemetery stroll
looking for your name
on their tombstone

This pair is my favorite match from Kuro because I think that they wind changing the mind of the person and the wind controlling the grass relate well and are very good matches. They both give a feeling a loss of control and are again relating nature to human feelings. Alexis

This haiku is very emotional and dark, just as Kuro’s advice was meant to be taken. This haiku really stuck out to me because of the first line. I can just imagine not hearing a heartbeat or anything through a stethoscope and the emotions that come with it. The next two lines add to these emotions, making this haiku very powerful. Finally, the haiku never gives the exact situation, which leaves the reader to think about the details for him or herself. Michael