Sabi

cars passing by
I sit on the porch
with tea and a book

Jared Chapman

I enjoy this haiku because it reminds me of home. Our porch faces a road where cars pass by frequently. I enjoy hearing the different radios and engine sounds as they pass by for a moment. Sometimes you even hear a moment of conversation or singing. On nice days I always bring my water bottle and a book onto the porch, usually my dog is close at my heels and we enjoy the weather. This haiku allows me to reminisce on those peaceful and quiet moments. Shania Dvorak, Spring 2020

empty room—
I find
the other earring

Morgan Timmons

I love this haiku. Usually when I lose one earring, I give up on the hope of ever finding it again. It's always exciting when it pops up where you would least expect it. I feel like this person wasn't looking for it, but they found it. I picture an empty room because they are moving out, and then they find this earring that brings back so many memories of the night that she wore it. Hope Klessig, Spring 2020

my blanket hugs me
not the same
as your arms

Jared Chapman

I likes this haiku because I found it to be very relatable during this time. Lots of people are sheltered in place and not able to see their loved ones. Some people could be hugging a blanket instead of their loved one or this blanket could be a gift from their loved one. However this is significant to the reader I think this haiku is very comforting. Hannah Watts, Spring 2020

I braid my own hair
the flyaways
my only company

Grace Newton

I enjoyed this haiku because I can relate to it and I just like the playfulness that I see in it. I imagine long french braids in brown hair, the sun is shining down and the flyaways are so vividly pointed out by the sun. When I read the haiku, I feel that this person is happy that they are alone, only with themselves and their flyaways. Morgan Timmons, Spring 2020

on zoom
my classmates voices
muffled under the blankets

full moon
the old dog howls
back at his ancestry

Dalton Glasco

through the years
the tree we used to climb
now has fewer branches

in a field of yellow
one lone tulip
red instead

Shania Dvorak

I enjoy the pop of color in this haiku. It catches the ear like it catches the eye if it were being viewed through the eye. The warmth of these colors helps you feel the season turn from spring to summer as well. A light warm yellow color as a pop of red hot color starts to enter.

the waves
hitting the sand
the sadness sinks in

Taylor Parola

she plays chess
with herself
check mate

Hope Klessig

I enjoyed this haiku because it reminded me a lot of myself. I’ve always been the type of person to play chess and not checkers in life. Also, I’m the only child and I’ve had to play several different games alone because I didn’t have any siblings to play with. Jada Miller, Spring 2020

the crackle
of the fireplace
she sips her tea

Hope Klessig

global pandemic
empty school
spring break never ended

Pascaline Muhindagiga

This haiku made me kinda sad after I read it, and makes me want the world to go back to normal. After leaving school directly after spring break was very surreal to me, and it didn’t fully hit me until a couple weeks later. I just feel like we have been on an extended spring break this entire time. The situation that has been going on for months now, has completely changed the way we live our lives. It still doesn’t feel like this situation is real, and I hope it’s just a bad dream! I miss being at school with my friends, and miss going to class everyday. This haiku was well written, and makes me want this pandemic over and done with. Erika Castanon, Spring 2020

blanket of nighttime
I lie
awake for hours

Olivia Tharpe

I sit and reflect on this haiku at the dawn of its arrival. I stay up with restless nights with no sleep and ponder at life and the world around me. It is an amazing thing that I have no hard time waking up and feeling refreshed everyday after. When the night ends well in thought the next day seems like I slept for hours. A night of sadness and stress makes the next day feel like I never even slept.

quietly, 
oh, so quietly
she wakes up

empty bedroom
mirrored reflection
my only friend

Olivia Tharpe

lonely—
the ladybug lands
not a notice

the peaceful garden
I plant
trying to avoid my work

Ashley Christensen

I really enjoyed this haiku because I was able to relate my life to it. Ever since I’ve been home I feel like I’m on summer break. I fill my days with helping my mom around the house, and doing puzzles. I’ve been completely avoiding my homework and waiting until the last minute to do it. I have never been a procrastinator, but during this quarantine I’ve had no motivation. I keep myself busy and occupied most of the days, but I never find myself doing homework. This haiku was very calming to me, because I love to garden when I’m stressed out. The author still made this person sound productive, because they are out working in the garden. Erika Castanon, Spring 2020

the dog
sound asleep
I wonder what dogs really think

Ashley Christensen

Being the owner of a dog, I often sit back and watch Duke sleep. Duke is a tri-color boxer and husky mix. When Duke enters a deep sleep, he tends to shake as if he’s having a seizure and I often wonder what is going on in his mind, if anything during that time. I once was worried and called his veterinarian doctor, but she ensured me that nothing was wrong, he is only dreaming! Jada Miller, Spring 2020

Other

workout
i flex my arm
as i eat my chips

Dalton Glasco

stay-at-home,
what if they
have no home?

Dalton Glasco

the way the sun shines
on your clavicle . . .
adrenaline

Jared Chapman

visiting hours are over
she still talks
to someone?

hallucinating
he flirts with his wife
at the nurse’s station

my fingertips calloused
from the times
I’ve played to hear you

Grace Newton

This haiku is so introspective. I love that the author leads us on by having us assume that they’re playing for someone else, when all of a sudden, the third line brings us in to tell us that they’re playing for themself. It’s sacrifice, it’s love, it’s admiration and dedication. I can hear, feel, and feel t his haiku and I love it! Niki Curatti, Spring 2020

burning supper
again
he holds me

Hope Klessig

I love the feeling that this haiku portrays. The ability to feel like you failed, but your person doesn’t even mind. They just wrap you up, and don’t have a care in the world about any mistakes that you made. It also gives a sense of reassurance, as well. A reassurance that even when things go bad, or may not go your way, everything little thing will be okay. Bre Johnson, Spring 2020

indulge in self-care
you will certainly need it . . .
watch.

i wish on every star
that i was enough 
to make them notice

morning of the funeral
her eulogy
half-hearted

Kevin Escobar

puzzle pieces—
fitting the boxes
into the trunk

Morgan Timmons

This haiku was really relatable, and in that same way, very very sad. I’m going back to Decatur this weekend to move more of my belongings from where I lived this year—my sorority house—into different storage. It’s kind of heartbreaking knowing I lost a whole semester in my sorority house, because I’ll never live there again. Packing my boxes up is like ending a chapter of my life and it’s hard to go through. Grace Newton, Spring 2020

black sharpie on the box—
I write each room
in cursive

Morgan Timmons

This haiku was very sensory for me. I could smell the sharpie and hear it as the person was writing on the cardboard. I see beautiful handwriting in cursive, but it is rushed. I have recently been helping my sister move into her new house and I have seen this exact image several times this week. Jared Chapman, Spring 2020

she looks
for the beauty in aging
       within her flowers

baby pictures—
the chunky cheeks
she still wears

Morgan Timmons

This haiku was one of my favorites because of the light heartedness that is behind it. The word choice fit perfectly with what the author was going for. “The chunky cheeks” was my favorite line. This line made me smile and wrapping the haiku up with “she still wears” gave the haiku meaning. I read the haiku as someone looking through baby photos of a loved one and still seeing the similarities between them grown up and as an infant. Taylor Parola, Spring 2020

what does it take
to be a performer?
a never ending script

insanity grows
as the pandemic spreads . . .
the next virus

cancer ribbon
worn proudly on her sweater
final infusion

Jared Chapman

I enjoyed this one because my mom just recently finished treatment for breast cancer. I think this haiku can represent the amount of courage and determination that one has in order to go through treatment for cancer. You can tell by reading this that the individual is proud to be wearing that ribbon because it represents their fight against cancer and they are celebrating that they are one step closer to conquering this journey. Ashley Christenson, Spring 2020

This haiku made me just feel full - full of love, joy, happiness, confidence, beauty, and everything in between. I can imagine a woman coming out of the hospital from her last infusion, with the pink ribbon on her sweater, and she has just a look of relief and glow to her. I believe that this haiku shows the person is proud of themselves, and they are feeling more confident in themselves than ever before. Morgan Timmons, Spring 2020

whispers 
through the dark
to get to you

Paige Boomer

Karumi

in the morning
a bird in the sunlight
eats the worm

bubbly
since I saw you
I crinkle my nose

Taylor Parola

harmonious commotion
opening and closing of cabinets
a breakfast to be made

Hailey Wimberly

sunlight peeking through
red leaves—
they wave to me

Morgan Timmons

my sister giggles
a splash
"don’t push me in!"

in the airport
pulling my suitcase along
practically skipping

Grace Newton

a short prayer
before
the juicy steaks

Hope Klessig

merry-go-round
we pass
each other's smiles

Hope Klessig

take a breath
sit by the tree
and eat some sushi!

Paige Boomer

I really like this haiku because one I went out to the park in my hometown and I just ate sushi and it was one of the best days I have ever had. It was so peaceful and I loved it so much. Paige Boomer, Spring 202

school is out
sitting on the warm porch steps
with old friends

Ashley Christensen

I enjoyed this haiku because it reminds me of the excitement associated with the last day of school as a child. My friends in the neighborhood and I would always run home from school on the last day with our backpacks filled with stuff from the school year. As soon as we would get home we would all throw our backpacks at our front door and go play with each other outside of someone’s house. Then, we were always excited to be done with school but now that I am close to graduating college, I feel that I won’t be excited to be officially finished with school. Ashley Christenson, Spring 2020

This haiku was also one of my favorites because it made me excited for the semester to be over. It has definitely been difficult switching to online. I am not an online learner, so It has been a huge struggle. Being so close to being done is very exciting. This haiku gave the reminder to keep working hard because we are so close to being done! Taylor Parola, Spring 2020

raising our arms
to the song in the car
sunglasses

porchlight shines
we dance
in the rain

Jared Chapman

This haiku reminds me of a movie. When the sun sets, the rain pours, and it is just two people dancing together. They do not worry about who is around them, or what is going on in the world. At that moment it is just the two of them. It was a nice calming haiku that gives you a very clear sense of what you see and hear. I can almost smell the rain, as well. The overall feeling of this haiku is peaceful, and loving. Bre Johnson, Spring 2020

This haiku sums Karumi up beautifully! I love that there are multiple people in this haiku. I love that I can smell, hear, and feel the rain. I love that I can hear the music. I love that I can see the light radiating off of the porch and being absorbed by the rain drops. I love I love I love! Great haiku! Niki Curatti, Spring 2020

This haiku is beautifully written, and it brought me to a very specific vision. This haiku brought me to a couple cooped up during quarantine, taking a moment to find beauty in the world for a moment. I imagine them sitting on the porch watching a storm roll in and when it begins to rain, he reaches out his hand and they begin to dance in the rain. I love this haiku; it is so beautiful and peaceful. It makes me happy. Shania Dvorak, Spring 2020

fruit blossoms
changing
the greenest leaves

woodsy walk
down to the water
sand?!

sunshine
ducklings at water's edge
enjoy the sun

Pascaline Muhindagiga

thunder storm
flickering lights
we pull out the Ouija board

Hope Klessig

feeling blue
she paints her face
bright pink

Shania Dvorak

I love the use of the colors and feelings in this haiku. It's so easy for girls to cover up their feelings with make up. Without make up, people can tell I'm sick or have been crying, but the second I put some foundation and blush on, they have no clue what I'm feeling. This haiku is light and fluffy, but it has a deep meaning behind it. Hope Klessig, Spring 2020

quidditch match
cuddled under a blanket
we root for Gryffindor

Shania Dvorak

I am a huge Harry Potter fan and can visualize several scenes from the films when reading this haiku. I love that the quidditch match and Gryffindor are separated by a line describing a couple cuddling on the couch. It makes it seem as though it isn’t really about the match or watching the movie, it is the fact that they are doing it together. I think this haiku was well-constructed and wholesome.Jared Chapman, Spring 2020

corona season—
my neighbors laugh
through the walls

Dalton Glasco

driving down
the country roads—
wild flowers

return to the ocean
wind in my hair whispers
of sandcastle dreams

we sit
enjoying the company
of our horses

Erika Castanon

I have been having a lot of dreams recently where I live on a farm and I own horses. And now I just want to live on a farm and own horses and ride them around the countryside. Paige Boomer, Spring 202

after school
in the cafeteria
her first kiss

Hope Klessig

This haiku made me feel better after reading the last one haha! I like the innocence of it. It takes me back to a much simpler time in life, when the most romantic thing in the world was a kiss after school, or your hardest trouble was that they didn’t have what you liked for lunch. I feel like this haiku just takes me back to a time in my life when things were a hell of a lot easier. Grace Newton, Spring 2020

one little paw
on my thigh
puppy chow

Hope Klessig

This haiku caught my attention because I love puppy chow. I also find puppy chow so much fun to make because it's very easy. I think it's cute how this yummy treat was incorporated with dogs and paw prints as well. Overall this haiku makes me very happy and makes me want to fix puppy chow. Hannah Watts, Spring 2020

birds chirping
alone on the golf course
I’m at peace

Erika Castanon

the dawn appears
we forget
dusk

Bre Johnson

2 bats
1 for looks
1 for hits

Hannah Watts