ER waiting room
so quiet and still
not like the movies

Yunek Moore

the marks on your skin
remind me of how
i feel

Emily Chudzik

clinging to the smell
of your perfume
my heart

Brittany Walsh

a love note
signed
no return address

Paige Dorsel

ER waiting room
so quiet and still
not like the movies

a love note
signed
no return address

ER waiting room
so quiet and still
not like the movies

top quarter champion

TOP half Chamption

my eyes are closed
all i see
the stars that aren't there

bottom quarter champion

my eyes are closed
all i see
the stars that aren't there

repot the same plant
doesn't matter
it's dead anyway

my eyes are closed
all i see
the stars that aren't there

the lonely leaf falls
once
part of a mighty tree

Nick Retherford

repot the same plant
doesn't matter
it's dead anyway

Yunek Moore

never whispering
        a word—
the old willow tree

Kate Gebultowicz

my eyes are closed
all i see
the stars that aren't there

Amanda Donohoe

TOP half champion

my eyes are closed
all i see
the stars that aren't there

CHAMPION & Overall Mido vs. Kuro Champion!
 

my eyes are closed
all i see
the stars that aren't there

smoke in the evening sky—
the first time i saw
my father cry

BOTTOM half champion

holding the door
for a stranger
soon to be forgotten

Nick Retherford

red rocks
warm hug our
pose for the picture

Olivia Gonzalez

overflowing trash
dirty dishes
i'm not your mother

Andrea Burns

smoke in the evening sky—
the first time i saw
my father cry

Emily Chudzik

holding the door
for a stranger
soon to be forgotten

smoke in the evening sky—
the first time i saw
my father cry

smoke in the evening sky—
the first time i saw
my father cry

top quarter champion

BOTTOM half champion

smoke in the evening sky—
the first time i saw
my father cry

bottom quarter champion

a dead man's
recliner
     reclined

a lone crab
in a tank meant
for two

a dead man's
recliner
     reclined

she stares through
the glass door
my landlord says “No Pets”

Samuel Miller

a lone crab
in a tank meant
for two

Jacob Melssen

a dead man's
recliner
     reclined

Jordan Oelze

two breaths
from the infant
and
silence

Kala Keller

grass inbetween their toes
his fingers between hers
old lovers

Yunek Moore

i can hear
giggles in the other room
a couple's first sleepover

Amanda Donohoe

stepping out of
my brain
the sun shines

Jordan Oelze

swiftly brushing my face
         hands of
         the wind

Kate Gebultowicz

i can hear
giggles in the other room
a couple's first sleepover

swiftly brushing my face
         hands of
         the wind

i can hear
giggles in the other room
a couple's first sleepover

top quarter champion

TOP half Chamption

re-lacing her rollerblades
blood trickling down
a serpent tattoo

bottom quarter champion

re-lacing her rollerblades
blood trickling down
a serpent tattoo

interested in what
the butterfly thinks
I follow him

re-lacing her rollerblades
blood trickling down
a serpent tattoo

interested in what
the butterfly thinks
I follow him

Jacob Melssen

tiny ants
crawling up and down
seems to be a race

Chase Smith

re-lacing her rollerblades
blood trickling down
a serpent tattoo

Nicholas Kemp

neon hairband
skating through the park
smiling at the flowers

Nicholas Kemp

TOP half champion

re-lacing her rollerblades
blood trickling down
a serpent tattoo

CHAMPION
 

the rings on the tree
grow outward
my love for you

the rings on the tree
grow outward
my love for you

BOTTOM half champion

i can feel
the wind in my hair
one more week

Andrea Burns

the bird lands
on a bending branch
soft song

Paige Dorsel

a duck begs
as I crumble
my last slice of bread

Nick Retherford

the gender is revealed
the baby is
a giant lizard

Samuel Miller

the bird lands
on a bending branch
soft song

the gender is revealed
the baby is
a giant lizard

the gender is revealed
the baby is
a giant lizard

top quarter champion

BOTTOM half champion

the rings on the tree
grow outward
my love for you

bottom quarter champion

the rings on the tree
grow outward
my love for you

why am i only
friendly
when i'm drunk?

the rings on the tree
grow outward
my love for you

why am i only
friendly
when i'm drunk?

Emily Chudzik

one tequila
       two tequila
              three tequila, floor

Kyle Kite

the rings on the tree
grow outward
my love for you

Brittany Walsh

dance with my friends
to make my weekend
better

Olivia Gonzalez

ER waiting room
so quiet and still
not like the movies

the marks on your skin
remind me of how
i feel

clinging to the smell
of your perfume
my heart

a love note
signed
no return address

I really liked how they both incorporated Kuros haiku ideas into them. They weren't overly depressing, but both were very deep and took thinking to get under a darker idea. Both showed the kind of memories that they had that would haunt them. Kuro said that everything dies eventually and I feel like the poems showed little to no emotion in them. They just showed the silence and deeper numb feelings they have. Nicholas

This haiku pair I find interested in because they both make me think of what could have been. In the first, the author is not ready to let go of what he or she had. It brings empathy and sadness to the reader. Most people have probably struggled at some point in their lives with letting go of someone, so this haiku could potentially relate to a lot of people. The second haiku is a little more vague. It is hard to tell if the author wrote the letter, signed it, and purposefully left off the return address. The thought could then be there is no looking back. But, I think the author received the signed letter, but there is no return address. It is a missed opportunity, which still brings empathy from the reader. I think these two haiku, though different, fit well together. Nick R.

the lonely leaf falls
once
part of a mighty tree

repot the same plant
doesn't matter
it's dead anyway

never whispering
        a word—
the old willow tree

my eyes are closed
all i see
the stars that aren't there

I really like this pair of haiku because they are both about nature. I especially appreciate nature haiku. There's a lot of meaning to be found in nature, especially in that of plants. The first one speaks of a leaf falling from the tree, while the second haiku is broader and only speaks of a plant. Both haiku are very similar in that they both start off with a bit of hope. For example, in the first haiku it talks of repotting a plant. In the second haiku, they are speaking a lonely leaf falling, which may be seen as slightly sad, but it could've met up with another leave. But in the end, both haikus end with a dreary tone, and hopelessness. This portrays Kuro's approach to haiku writing very well. Paige

holding the door
for a stranger
soon to be forgotten

red rocks
warm hug our
pose for the picture

overflowing trash
dirty dishes
i'm not your mother

smoke in the evening sky—
the first time i saw
my father cry

This pair was my favorite from matching contest 3. I liked this pair the most for a couple of reasons, one being that each haiku shows the stereotypes for parents. The one about the mother talks about cleaning, the one about the father talks about him crying/showing emotion for the first time. I also liked them because in both haikus it seems as if someone has given up and is at their last string. The first one, the woman in the haiku is ready to leave because she's tired of cleaning up after someone who is not her child. In the second haiku, I imagine the dad just got some tragic news and something in his life has ended, either his job or a person he loves dearly. It's easy to pair these since they both have parents, but examining both on a deeper level is why they are my favorite. Dub

I thought "smoke in the evening" was well written and the flow seemed really connect with the reader. It was deep but it was not personally relatable to me. I think that seeing a father cry is different and unexpected, and it was different to see a haiku written about a father crying which is emotional and it brings more meaning to the haiku. I just imagined the father crying while smoking a cigarette. I think that it might have been a divorce from his wife and I just imagine him smoking hence the smoke in the evening sky. This haiku was powerful and this was my favorite by far. Olivia

Both of these haiku elicited responses from me immediately. They each set up unpleasant images: the overflowing trash and the smoke in the evening sky. It is easy to get a harsh feeling right away. The one about the dishes continues with unpleasant images, and it is definitely something that I can relate to. However, this haiku then uses the unpleasant images to come in and make a joke. The other haiku brings a more nostalgic image to mind. It may have still been unpleasant, but it is relatable as well. I vividly remember the first time that I saw my father cry, and it is still a moment that I analyze today. I think that both haiku were related in their unpleasant imagery, but they took different turns at the end. They even relate to mother and father. Mothers are always picking after the children, and it can be unpleasant. I like in the father haiku that the smoke is covering or masking the pretty evening sky. This could be the author having a cloudy image of their father because of his tears. The story could go many ways. Jordan

she stares through
the glass door
my landlord says “No Pets”

a lone crab
in a tank meant
for two

a dead man's
recliner
     reclined

two breaths
from the infant
and
silence

I selected these two haiku because I think that they went well with each other. The theme of these two haiku is death. Although both revolve around death they don't display it in the same way. They don't have to use the words death to explain to the audience what has happened. Their words are very detailed and hit the audience with a moment that no one would like to experience. For example, the first haiku makes me think of someone walking into a room and a man on the recliner is dead. No one would like to walk into someone's home to find someone dead. It's just a moment that's not comfortable and sad. The second haiku revolves around an infant and the struggle of survival. I see a mother watching her baby being worked on by doctors because the baby can't breathe on its own. Both these haiku are moments that I would never want to experience and correlate to death; therefore, I believe that they fit very well together. Kate

This is my favorite matched pair from the matching contest. I think they both really embodied Kuro's approach to writing haiku. The first one is one of my overall favorites. I think the last line is clever and unexpected. You can take one of two ways: either a ghost is in the recliner or the man's dead body is still in the chair, reclined from when he was still alive. It's eerie and well written. The second one is pretty dark and also unexpected. I imagine a newborn taking its first few breaths and then unfortunately perishing before life even begins. Emily

Reading these two paired together made me think of my grandpa and dad. When my grandpa was still alive and I would go to his house he would always have his recliner chair that he sat in. It was always a game to see who could sit in papa's recliner the longest before we were kicked off. When my grandpa passed away it was a hard time for my family. The first time I saw my dad cry, I remember we were sitting in the kitchen and I knew that something had been going on with my grandpa but no one had told me anything yet. My dad got home and sat my brother and I down and said that he had pancreatic cancer and that my grandpa had asked that we don't see him. By this time he had whittled away to hardly anything and didn't want us to see him that way. My dad teared up as he told us and I will never forget that moment. Seeing your dad cry is something that you don't ever imagine because, for me at least, my dad is my rock. He isn't supposed to cry he is supposed to make me stop crying. Caitlyn

grass inbetween their toes
his fingers between hers
old lovers

i can hear
giggles in the other room
a couple's first sleepover

stepping out of
my brain
the sun shines

swiftly brushing my face
         hands of
         the wind

interested in what
the butterfly thinks
I follow him

tiny ants
crawling up and down
seems to be a race

re-lacing her rollerblades
blood trickling down
a serpent tattoo

neon hairband
skating through the park
smiling at the flowers

I really thought that these two were a good match. First of all, they're both about bugs which is kind of cool. They both give personality to the bugs, which I really liked. The butterfly is given a personality and a mind of its own, and I loved that the author was interested in its activity. The ants also have personality because maybe they're racing! or maybe they're just crawling. Who knows? It's still fun. Jake

I like "interested in what" because it gave meaning and value to those butterflies we all have. I like the butterflies because like I said, we all have them, so it's extremely relatable. I've never thought about those butterflies, but I think they're kind of beautiful because we 100% know what's a good idea and what's not, so those butterflies especially know. But yeah, beautiful image and idea and situation. Andie

This was by far my favorite pair of haiku in the matching contest because to me they were two sides of the same coin. They each took the same basic subject, rollerblading, and wrote poems with two entirely different connotations. One is rough and bloody, while the other is bright and positive. I'm more attracted to the rough and bloody aesthetic but it's very intriguing to know that two people got the same idea in their heads and could create two different poems out of it, all without ever communicating or planning this. They both have good visuals and evoke strong emotions from those sensory details, making them an effective pair. Sam

I really like the pairing of both these haiku because the common element of rollerblading tells two different stories. The first haiku is not very innocent, with the person having blood on their body. The way this haiku describes the individual, I get the idea that she is partaking in roller derby. This woman is one badass lady and I really like the character. On the other hand, the second haiku is very innocent and simple. I imagine a little girl roller skating while her parents sit on a bench nearby. She is just enjoying life and is very carefree during this moment. Brittany

i can feel
the wind in my hair
one more week

the bird lands
on a bending branch
soft song

a duck begs
as I crumble
my last slice of bread

the gender is revealed
the baby is
a giant lizard

I like this pair of haiku because of its use of animals in two very different ways. The first paints us a very peaceful and calm picture of sitting in the park on a calm day and feeding the ducks. You also get the image of the duck begging for food, maybe the sounds of it squawking. The second I appreciate because of its humor. It builds up a very monumental moment in being a parent, and then squashes it with something weird. I think the contrast between the two is very funny and I wish I would've thought about it first. Kyle K.

why am i only
friendly
when i'm drunk?

one tequila
       two tequila
              three tequila, floor

the rings on the tree
grow outward
my love for you

dance with my friends
to make my weekends
better