Coldest Day

I remember one day when I was in middle school and our furnace gave out. It was one of the coldest winters we have had in Indiana, and of course our furnace decided to give out. I woke up that day, and all I wanted to do was go back under my covers. I remember waking up that Saturday morning, and I felt like I couldn’t move. It was freezing in our house and I didn’t know what was going on at that point. Once I finally got out of bed, I remember that I looked out the window and it was snowing. I remember throwing on a sweatshirt and sweatpants and walking into the kitchen. I found my mom on the phone with my dad trying to figure out where they were going to buy a new furnace. My mom was freaking out, but I could hear my dad telling her to calm down and that everything was going to be okay. Thankfully our house had a fireplace, so my brother got a fire going in our living room. I had multiple blankets on me at once just trying to keep warm. I was so cold that I even had a hat and gloves on. My mom told me I was being dramatic, but I have never been that cold in my life. My mom was trying to get our minds off of it, and she decided we were going to have a movie day. We watched every movie you could possibly think of. We even made my brother sit through romantic comedies. We also watched some action movies, so my brother didn’t feel left out. We snacked on popcorn, and even watched all of the Harry Potter movies. My mom was making anything warm to drink, so we had a lot of hot chocolate and tea that day. The movies did distract me for a little bit, but I couldn’t stand how cold it was in my house. I enjoyed the time I got to spend with my family, but I don’t think I would ever want to go back to that day. I will never forget about that cold winter day.

no heat
five blankets
sweatshirt on

Erika Castanon

• • • • • 

Back home we have only two seasons, rain & sun seasons. I had never experienced winter season before coming to America. to be honest my fist winter was horrible, I was so cold and wore 2 leggings and one pant, 2 sweater and a jacket because of the cold. Pascaline Muhindagiga, Spring 2020

Facebook Smile

It is not uncommon for someone to put on a smile for social media. For example, many of my friends struggled moving away from home and starting all over at a new college. By looking at their social media, you would have no idea that they were not enjoying themselves. I am even guilty of this. A remember when I attended University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, my first weekend away from home was the most difficult. I was upset and struggling to enjoy myself. A few people on my floor got together and took some photos. I ended up posting pictures with new friends with the caption "I love it here". This was not true. I believe all of my friends from home were doing the same, I did not want to be the one who moved away from home and looked unhappy. In all honesty that move was a huge change in my life and after a few months of adapting my smile became genuine. Only I know which of my smiles are genuine on my social media.

sunny sunday
I am babysitting kids
with tablets in their hands

Taylor Parola

•    • • • • • (tied for 3rd place)

This haiku was included in one of my three votes. I like this haiku because I initially liked the paragraph above it. This haiku is sad in the sense It brings you to reality and how different raising children is today. Due to advances in technology we often use it as a form of distraction. I have witnessed many parents hand a young child an iPad or tablet simply to distract them or to keep them busy rather than entertaining them with other activities or going outside to play. Hannah Watts, Spring 2020

Garage Sale

My mom always liked to have garage sales. She really likes to have things organized and she could be categorized as a minimalist. So garage sales? A big sigh of relief for her. Growing up, during select weekends over the summer, our neighborhood would have garage sales. This was fun because us neighbor kids could ride our bikes up and down the streets and check out all the cool toys each others’ parents were forcing us to get rid of. We’d come racing back home, begging our parents for five dollars to buy a toy that would eventually end up in one of our own garage sales a week later, but it was still a blast. That is . . . until your own toys were sold . . . I was about ten years old when I walked out into a beautiful summer, garage-sale saturday and witnessed one of my DEAR stuffed animals being sold to some random bargain hunting, middle aged mother. I sprinted to my mom as the woman walked away and begged her to explain to me how such a travesty could have occurred under her watch. She explained to me that she thought I didn’t care about it anymore, and that she was sure that he (my DEAR stuffed animal) would get plenty of love from another kid. Of course this made no difference in my ten year old mind, and I was resolved that this would scar me for the rest of my life. (We’re making gradual progress day by day on this road to recovery. :)

I label each of my friends
with red and blue stickers
pleeeeease can I keep this one?

Niki Curatti

• •    • • • • • (tied for 2nd place)

This is my favorite of the Haibun Haiku's because I can relate to the situation the author has recalled in their memory. My childhood was filled with garage sale shopping with my mother, and my mom hosted an fair share of her own. I would always browse around for "new" toys to play with. I also have had some of my toys sold without me comprehending why this was aloud to happen. I think the haiku captures the fun experiences one can have with the nativity that comes with being a child. Michael Santos, Spring 2020

I love this one because I had a similar thing happen to me as a child. My mom was the same way and loved going to or having rummage sales. I remember if I wanted something and it was marked too high for her standards, she would tell me I had to go bargain with the seller. This was so embarrassing to me as an 8 year old, but I got pretty good at it. I was able to negotiate nice things for only a quarter. As much as I hated it then, I'm thankful for it now because I am not afraid to negotiate anything! Hope Klessig, Spring 2020

This was my favorite out of the three that I selected because I relate to this haiku so much. Growing up as an African American female, my mom has always told me to watch who I hang around and to remember that everyone is not my friend. On top of that, mother’s know best. So before I truly became friends with someone, I would tell my mom about them and our experiences and she would tell me if they would be a real friend or not had she hasn’t been wrong yet! Instead of labeling them red or blue, she labeled them real of fake. Jada Miller, Spring 2020

Munich

I went to Germany for a choir tour last summer. The first place that we arrived was Munich. We stayed at Hotel Daniel near the Marienplatz, the main plaza of Munich. One day, several friends and I went to the Marienplatz and decide to eat at a restaurant right by the central plaza across from the huge clocktower. I had been to Munich and the Marienplatz several years before, but I think coming back this time was the first time that I really appreciated it. It was sunny out and the plaza and the clocktower looked absolutely beautiful. It was also very hot but the restaurant we chose had outdoor seating with umbrellas so we opted to sit outside. We ordered our beers and just talked about our plans for the day and people-watched. There were tons of shoppers, children playing, street performers, and peddlers. Some of the peddlers had blankets spread out with all of their items. We sat there for about two hours but even in the shade of the umbrella we were all sweating. As we continued to people watch, we noticed the peddlers with blankets dragging their stuff over to set up shop again in the shade. Eventually we left the restaurant, and continued to explore the town. When we passed through the plaza again later in the afternoon on our way back to the hotel, we noticed once again that a lot of the same peddlers were there but had moved with the shade. Finally, by the time we returned to the plaza again in the early evening to go to a club, many of them were starting to gather up their belongings in their blankets and carrying them home.

high noon
in the heat of the plaza
the cuckoo emerges

Kevin Escobar

• • • • •

I haven’t done much traveling outside the U.S. but I connected to this one a lot. The haiku that goes along with it as well is very fitting and adds more to the story. The flow of time and exchange of interactions told in this story is beautiful in a way. As well, I just like how everything was taken in, the architecture and people. Hailey Wimberly, Spring 2020

 

Nana's Christmas Tree

I remember grandmother’s house during Christmastime. She had a tall tree covered in glass ornaments, tinsel, and lights. Every year, when we visited, an ornament would fall off onto the floor. This was sometimes caused by the children playing, or by one of her pets. Most years, the ornament would shatter and there would typically be a pine needle inside of one of the pieces. There would be a gorgeous reflection of the Christmas lights from the tree onto the glass inside of the ornament. I can smell the fire burning in the background with the brick-red fireplace. It is the typical Christmas scene, stockings on the fireplace, cookies on the table, and the angel at the top of the tree. However, it feels cozier because it is in Nana’s living room with the family gathered. Every year on Christmas Eve, the cousins would debate on whether we would open gifts first-thing or later on in the evening.

angel gazes downward
reindeer statues
watch the tree

Jared Chapman

• • • • •

This haiku was so touching and warm to me. I do not have a very close family, in fact as years pass, we feel less and less united. However, Christmas time never ceases to bring us all together for one day during the year. My mom always decks the house out and cooks a huge dinner and we watch movies all curled up on the couch. We have an angel, something we’ve have forever, and she watches all the festivities every year. This haiku reminds me of happy times, and better days. Shania Dvorak, Spring 2020

I really loved this story and haiku. I also have nostalgia from moments with family and traditions, and so the fond memories of moments from back then really ring true for me. I also really like the rich imagery in the descriptions of the sparklers, because the light and excitement of sparklers is kind of hard to capture and I thought the writer did that really well. Grace Newton, Spring 2020

No Admission Price

College students often struggle to have money. I personally wouldn’t say I am hurting for money, but college is a time that I need to be monitoring my spending habits. This means that when possible I try to do things with friends that don’t cost anything or cost very little. When we are home for Christmas break one of the things my friends and I do is drive around looking at Christmas lights. At least once a week or sometimes more often, we would drive around town looking for lights and just catching up with each other on college and life. There is one specific house that we like to go to that is out in the country and they decorate their entire house and farm and sync the lights with music. You can participate in this by turning your radio in the car to a certain station. This is one of my favorite memories and each year I look forward to everyone coming home on Christmas break so we are able to do this whether there is snow on the ground or not.

dorm room
scraping up
. . . every penny

Hannah Watts

• • •

My favorite out of these three is No Admission Price! I totally agree I need to monitor my spending habitats while I’m away at school. I try to save my money, and not spend it on junk food and clothes. I have a vivid memory from my freshman year when I was literally looking in my desk for spare change. I just wanted to get a polar pop with my friends, but I didn’t have any money. So I searched everywhere in my room, and I found enough pennies and quarters to get myself a pop! While I’m away at school it is hard to not go out to eat, or go get a Starbucks coffee, but I have to save my money! My freshman year made me realize that I couldn’t spend my money on pointless stuff. So this haiku made me think back on the memories of my freshman year! Erika Castanon, Spring 2020

Old Barn

I grew up in the country just a bike ride away from my grandparent's house. Framed by corn fields, I could see the farm from my living room window. In fact, I remember my grandma using her binoculars from her kitchen window to see if any cars were home in our driveway. Although the farm wasn't running by the time I was born, we used it to house our pigs in the summer. We would get pigs in April and raise them through the summer so that by the time the county fair came they were around 300lbs. Taking care of them included biking to the farm twice a day, feeding them, watering them, walking them, and washing them. 

The barn was in no shape to hold the many animals it once housed when the farm was running. Now it was run down with dusty floors, rusty pipes, and creaky doors. I used to imagine how it once looked, when my grandpa was still alive. It was hard considering the shape it was in now. Actually it was a bit creepy to be in there alone. My friend's and I loved to explore it together though. We found the "trap door" which was really just the hole for straw to drop from the loft into the lower level, and we found the thousands of spiders that moved in after my grandpa died, and we found the old milk parlor that now housed stray cats.

wheat field
in the rear view mirror
selling the farm

Hope Klessig

• •    • • • • • (tied for 2nd place)

My favorite haibun was “Old Barn”. My cousin lives on a farm and raised pigs during the summers. It was the same process as the one that Old Barn’s author took part in as they were growing up. It was frustrating because I wanted to hang out with my cousin over the summer, but I couldn’t because she had to be home to take care of the pigs. I love that the author really enjoyed these daily duties though. The process is a special memory to them. The story about their grandpa and the mirroring of the barn’s upkeep was haunting but reflective. I love that the haibun was not a summary of the story, but instead a glimpse into the future. The preceding story allowed us readers to get invested and the haibun revealed the outcome. Both were beautiful! Niki Curatti, Spring 2020

I liked the Barn haibun because it reminded me of my dad's farm. We would go to it all the time when I was younger and then one day we didn't go anymore. We would always have family reunions when we would go to the farm, but they became less when I found out that we were selling it. It had a lot of history and I don't think my dad wanted to give it up yet. But he knew that he wasn't going to take care of it by himself and his brothers and sister lived too far away to help with the farm as well. Paige Boomer, Spring 2020

Pumpkin Farm

I can remember the local family-owned pumpkin farm that is by my house where I would go often in the fall each year. Whether it was with friends or family, we would go to pick pumpkins, take pictures, enjoy some food and go in the haunted house and the corn maze. I can remember on specific time with my family when we planned on going early to beat the large crowds that would come on a Sunday afternoon. As we drove down the hill to the parking lot it was pretty empty and I remember it started to get windy and it looked as if it was going to rain again. They were closed because it had been raining pretty bad the night before.

along the long road
not a single soul
in the pumpkin field

Ashley Christensen

•    • • • • • (tied for 3rd place)

I really enjoy this haiku for some reason. It feels like it supposed to be sad, but to me it feels like a loving memory. The family gathered to get there early to get the best pumpkins but could not due to the rain the day before. It probably sucked for the kids because they were excited, but in my head I would of thought awesome a day at home with the family because they already planned to spend it at home and then we get another family day when we decide to try and go get pumpkins again. Dalton Glasco, Spring 2020

I chose to write about this haiku because of the word choice and description that was written with it. Pumpkin farm made me think about my childhood. It was the best quality time to spend with your family. As we drove in the back trunk in car provided by the owner of the farm to get to the middle, no one was around. I used to go to an empty pumpkin farm near where I live each year. No one was around, but I enjoyed it not being chaotic. Taylor Parola, Spring 2020

Rope Swing

When I was eight or nine, my family was gifted this massive playground set for our backyard. It has a rope swing, 3 regular swings (red, yellow, and blue—blue was mine), a fort area that had a slide coming off of it, and a big tire swing underneath that raised fort. It was absolutely the best possible gift in the entire world. My siblings and I, eight, five, and two, would play on that set for hours on end. During the summer, we would jump in the pool and cool off, then play on the swings, the tire swing, or the slide until we got too hot and again, jump in the pool, and the cycle would begin again. Even in fall as it would cool off, my sister and I especially would get onto the tire swing together and use our collective weight to spin around as fast as we could. Right after school we would have snacks inside and then run out the back door to play and giggle and draw in the fort or push each other as high as we could on the swings. We’d always check for spiders on those swings, or we would dash up the slide and pretend we were Indiana Jones on some sort of crazy adventure.

the day before school
sitting in a fort
wondering

Grace Newton

• • • • •

Growing up, the night before the first day of school, I would sit and wonder. Well, actually freak out. I was always scared of the first day of school. Although I went to a very small school, saw my friends over summer, and knew all of the teachers in the building, I still had this sudden fear that everything would be different on the first day of school. It was always so unknown of how the first day of school would go. With a whole new classroom, new teacher, and different friends. I never knew if a prior classmate had changed over summer, so that was always a fear that we would all come back so different. It was always challenging in elementary school to have those wondering thoughts, but every first day was the same; great! Bre Johnson, Spring 2020

Rusty Tractor

I grew up on 50 acres of land. When I wasn’t swimming the town pool, me and my brother would explore what felt like every inch of those 50 acres. As I grew older it wasn’t so much as sprinting through the woods but taking them in. I enjoy walking out of the house. Then I follow a mowed-out path into the woods, not caring about mud or thorns, because I had mountain boots on. I go further and further in until I reach my favorite place. This place is at a low point in the woods where the grass remains not as overgrown. There are trees occupying this area still, but in the middle is an abandoned tractor. Mother nature grows in and around it. The sun beams through and I just sit and relax. Until the bugs become overbearing and annoying. Then, I track back up to the house; where sometimes I am forced to hose off before coming inside. I am met with coolness and lunch made by my grandpa.

animal prints
that guide us to a patch
of American Bittersweet

Hailey Wimberly

• •

Sparkler Smoke

I have always been fascinated with sparklers, when I was little, and even now. Sparklers just have a significant tie to a lot of different memories of mine. The first one that comes to mind is holidays, like the Fourth of July, when I was younger. This has always been my favorite holiday, so I would always beg for the sparklers on this day. The next memory that I envision is my high school graduation party. I had sparklers as a ‘fun party ender’ at my party, just because I love them that much. It was a signifying time because it was almost like good luck from everyone that came to my party. The last memory I have is holidays spent with my family on my Aunt’s dock. We always celebrate Fourth of July as a family, because it happens to be my step-father’s birthday too. We always have fireworks and sparklers, so it reminds me of that kind of tradition that we always have.

I write my name
in the air
traces vanish

Morgan Timmons

• • • •    • • • • • (1st place)

I love this image and the choice of words that were used. I love that you know exactly what they are talking about and the associations of sparklers with summer time and the fourth of July. I can picture myself as a child playing with a sparkler, and writing my name and then the letters would immediately vanish. I would always be fascinated with how quickly the sparkler would burn out and this haiku describes it perfectly. Ashley Christensen, Spring 2020

Vegetable Stand

Anytime we travelled we always took time to stop at different farmer markets. We would go and look at all the cool items being sold and all the fresh goods to cook while there to really get a feeling of the atmosphere and culture in that given area. It was fun going around and smelling all the fresh herbs and the delicious fresh vegetables. It was so nice visiting a bunch of different booths and looking at all the cool handmade objects being sold. This was one my favorite parts of vacations and it excited me more than visiting a beach or a theme park. The diversity around the states is amazing and can be seen in a small version at these farmer markets. You can experience so much about the world in a crowded area. It is also a place of joy for many you walk around and most people are happy even though it is usually close quarters and hot and humid places.

bobbing and weaving
through the legs
farmer markets

Dalton Glasco

• • • •

I really like the memory that is attached to this haiku, and the senses that it brings. I can vividly see the farmers markets and smell the scent that they are talking about in their memory. I also like how they used “bobbing and weaving” instead of an ordinary description, like walking. It gives a sense that they are truly taking their time and soaking in the experience. Morgan Timmons, Spring 2020