shake shake shake
         Senoira
shake that protein shake

Breana Bagley

ninja
blending
my breakfast

Mikaela Vuglar

counter-top cookies
testing
my strength

Whitley Sapp

workout?
idk
chocolate cake

Julia Peterson

shake shake shake
         Senoira
shake that protein shake

workout?
idk
chocolate cake

shake shake shake
         Senoira
shake that protein shake

top quarter champion

TOP half Chamption

shake shake shake
         Senoira
shake that protein shake

bottom quarter champion

yoga class . . .
i didn't know my leg
could still bend like that

inhale fresh air
exhale . . .
the negativity

yoga class . . .
i didn't know my leg
could still bend like that

finally alone
i dust off
my yoga mat

Mikaela Vuglar

inhale fresh air
exhale . . .
the negativity

Amanda Bivens

yoga class . . .
i didn't know my leg
could still bend like that

Amanda Bivens

forward fold
the perfect end to
sun salutation

Mikaela Vuglar

TOP half champion

shake shake shake
         Senoira
shake that protein shake

CHAMPIONTOP

my only cardio
is in the bedroom—
sorry mom

my only cardio
is in the bedroom—
sorry mom

BOTTOM half champion

bent over
heavy breathing
. . . not another set

Evan Chastain

feet dangling helplessly
chin up!
you can't quit now

Ariya Hawkins

the never-ending
staircase . . .
leg day

Whitley Sapp

blisters burning
i detach
my dance shoes

Mikaela Vuglar

feet dangling helplessly
chin up!
you can't quit now

the never-ending
staircase . . .
leg day

the never-ending
staircase . . .
leg day

top quarter champion

BOTTOM half champion

my only cardio
is in the bedroom—
sorry mom

bottom quarter champion

my only cardio
is in the bedroom—
sorry mom

the chatter
of fellow gym rats
music in my ears

my only cardio
is in the bedroom—
sorry mom

the chatter
of fellow gym rats
music in my ears

Whitley Sapp

6am in the gym
not a soul in sight
empty

Julia Peterson

my only cardio
is in the bedroom—
sorry mom

Jakob Cihak

plush padded bed
warm hands rub
my neck and shoulders

Grace Ruddell

shake shake shake
         Senoira
shake that protein shake

Breana Bagley

ninja
blending
my breakfast

Mikaela Vuglar

counter-top cookies
testing
my strength

Whitley Sapp

workout?
idk
chocolate cake

Julia Peterson

Honestly, I just think this haiku is really funny, but I don’t have too much else to say about it. It kind of pays homage to “Shake Shake Shake Senora” by Harry Belefonte, but it also makes me think of the movie Beetlejuice. I used to watch that movie a lot when I was younger, especially around Halloween, because my mom really liked it. So, it brings back some fond memories for me. Jake Cihak, Spring 2019

shake shake shake
         Senoira
shake that protein shake

Breana Bagley

my only cardio
is in the bedroom—
sorry mom

Jakob Cihak

yoga class . . .
i didn't know my leg
could still bend like that

Amanda Bivens

finally alone
i dust off
my yoga mat

Mikaela Vuglar

My favorite match from the healthy life contest was the last one. Because not only are they funny but they have something different about each of them that they don't really match but they are good together because you almost see two sides of a person. You see the person who goes to the gym and drinks the portion shake but then you see the person who doesn't work out unless its in the bedroom. Daryann Birt, Spring 2019

I liked the championship round because I enjoyed the to very much. Both were funny and well written. The first one was set up very nicely and twisted the direction suddenly. I just imagined someone shaking a protein shake, while also dancing around their kitchen. It just made a fun scene in my mind with sounds and movements as well. The second one was just funny and somewhat mysteriously weird. I just pictured a teenager apologizing to his mom for some type of cardio preformed in the bedroom. It was almost an akward kind of funny that was going on, and the sudden “sorry mom” at the end made it very funny for me. Overall, I liked this match, and It just so happened to be the championship match for the entire health section. I thought all of them were good, but this match was my favorite out of all of them. Evan Chastain, Spring 2019

I matched these particular haiku together because of the message and the innocence that they both have. I can see someone who used to workout in their free time before life took over. Now this person has kids to take care of and a new job taking up all of their time. Then spontaneously they want to get their old figure back and the first thing they do is get out the old yoga mat. I matched these because I believe one goes right after the other. The first day they get the mat out and head to the studio just to be pleasantly surprised by their flexibility. I like the comparison as well because no one else knows that they are bettering themselves its just them in the moment thinking about where they once were and where they are now. The first one, and one of my favorites, made it to a championship round because of how it was worded and the tone it resonated. Mason Bruce, Spring 2019

finally alone
i dust off
my yoga mat

Mikaela Vuglar

inhale fresh air
exhale . . .
the negativity

Amanda Bivens

yoga class . . .
i didn't know my leg
could still bend like that

Amanda Bivens

forward fold
the perfect end to
sun salutation

Mikaela Vuglar

I liked this match because they both gave me a feeling of peace. I love the choice of words in the first one, “finally alone.” I picture the author getting home from a long day, finally able to enjoy some time alone. Perhaps the author has not had an opportunity to do yoga in a while, considering she has to dust the mat off. The second haiku also deals with relieving stress. Once again, I picture the author coming home from a stressful day. I often find that sitting down  and focusing on my breathing is an effective way to relieve stress, so I really related to this haiku. I love the use of the ellipses. Much like deep breathing exercises, it gives the reader a chance to slow down and take a quick pause. Benjamin Woodcock, Spring 2019

This is a good pairing for a few things. The first, being the obvious, that both have to do with meditation and yoga. Pairing these together gives the idea that the person just set up their yoga mat for the first time in a while, and then proceeded with the routine of yoga, getting rid of all the negativity that built up over the time of not doing the yoga. The second thing that I like about this paring is the movement both of these haiku have. The arm motion of dusting off the mat and the movement of the breath is really nice and puts you into the POV of the person doing yoga. Finally, both haiku bring in a sense of being okay with alone time, and in fact need that time to inhale and exhale everything out. Connor Mendenhall, Spring 2019

I enjoyed these haiku these haiku because they create a feeling of peace.  Both of these haiku imply or state that the author is alone.  I picture someone with a hectic life that finally has caught up with everything going on in their lives and has time to process everything in this moment of peace.  I enjoy the positive attitude behind both of these haiku. Mikaela Vuglar, Spring 2019

I like this matched pair, because they almost work together in a chronological way. In Mikaela’s haiku, I imagine someone unrolling a yoga mat. The air fills will dust as its shaken a couple times. Then, after the dust has cleared, they can inhale fresh air and begin their yoga. Whitley Sapp, Spring 2019

I really like this haiku because it talks about a different aspect of health. Most people when they think of being healthy, they immediately gravitate towards the physical aspect of being healthy. Mental health is just as important as physical health. I like this haiku because it gives a feeling of release. We can only handle so much negativity and this haiku just reminds us to breathe in and just let it go. It is not good for people to hang onto negativity. There is a sense of relief that also comes with this haiku because you are releasing negativity. By releasing negativity, you can feel the happiness that was being hidden by the negativity that was in your life. I like this haiku because it reminds me to let go of things that are toxic and do not belong in my life. Emily Reeves, Spring 2019

bent over
heavy breathing
. . . not another set

Evan Chastain

feet dangling helplessly
chin up!
you can't quit now

Ariya Hawkins

the never-ending
staircase . . .
leg day

Whitley Sapp

blisters burning
i detach
my dance shoes

Mikaela Vuglar

I really enjoyed this haiku because I feel like it just has a voice in it that exudes a bright personality. It’s motivating, and it makes you want to keep going. I also really enjoyed the contrast between “helplessly” and “you can’t quit now” because it starts out with a sense of hopelessness, but the end gives a sense of hope. You can do it. Jake Cihak, Spring 2019

I don’t really work out, so trying to respond and connect to this batch of haiku was just as difficult as writing them. I connect with this one mostly because almost all of my classes have been on the third and fourth floor of buildings on campus, the behavioral sciences office is located on the fourth floor, as well as the behavioral sciences lab. I’ve walked to the fourth floor of Shilling so many times in my four years at Millikin, so I can only imagine how many calories I’ve burned doing it. Needless to say, I still get winded walking up all of those stairs, so I feel the author’s pain here. Jake Cihak, Spring 2019

the chatter
of fellow gym rats
music in my ears

Whitley Sapp

bent over
heavy breathing
. . . not another set

Evan Chastain

the never-ending
staircase . . .
leg day

Whitley Sapp

my only cardio
is in the bedroom—
sorry mom

Jakob Cihak

Both of these haiku take place in a gym, so I feel like they are a good match. I have worked in a gym for several years and often refer to the members as gym rats. I like how in the first haiku, the sound of the fellow gym patrons brings comfort to the author. I imagine it being his home away from home. In the second haiku, the author is exhausted and gives the tone of exhaustion and dreading doing yet another set in the moment but will ultimately thank his or her self later. Amanda Bivens, Spring 2019

This was my favorite pairing from the third matching contest because the subject is both the same, cardio, but describes and ends each haiku in a very different place. The first haiku actually never comes directly out and says the word cardio but they use descriptive words that lead readers to the conclusion of cardio. For instance, the never ending staircase . . ., triggers each readers memory of the feeling they most likely get during cardio, that it will never end. The second haiku directly states cardio in the first line but leaves mystery to the reader using the word “only” also foreshadowing the rest of the haiku. As for the first haiku, there wasn’t much mystery as a reader could assume before reading it, the author would describe and exercise. The exercise they described was one many people could relate to, also triggering the memory factor. The second haiku leaves even more mystery in the second line using the special character -. Ending in a very different exercise from the first, I love that it ended with a little bit of humor which was also a little different than the exhausted feeling the reader might get from the ending of the first haiku. Bree Bagley, Spring 2019

the chatter
of fellow gym rats
music in my ears

Whitley Sapp

6am in the gym
not a soul in sight
empty

Julia Peterson

my only cardio
is in the bedroom—
sorry mom

Jakob Cihak

plush padded bed
warm hands rub
my neck and shoulders

Grace Ruddell