playing under the covers
giggling like school children
another rainy day

Michael Worth (4)

Two winters ago when I went home for Christmas break it was cold and rainy outside. My little sister and I waited every day for it to finally snow. One day she was feeling pretty down, so I pulled the comforters off the beds and made a "tent" in the living room. We had a "campfire" and I played my guitar . . . it was a blast and it really lifted her spirits. And it snowed the next day. :) —Jenna

I really liked this one because I have so many memories of rainy days. This summer, I was in Indianapolis and it rained all 4th of July weekend. My boyfriend and I spend the entire weekend curled up in bed or curled up in a blanket in the living room. We laughed at eachother and really just enjoyed being with one another. —Sarah

traffic jam
a quiet moment
for prayer

Bethany Tabb (4)

There aren't too many traffic jams where I come from, unless you count when one of the local farmers leaves his tractor in the street to run into the bank to make a deposit. But I can't count how many times I have said a quick prayer in the car—even talked out loud to God in frustration or sadness or joy. The car is solitary and you can let it all out. —Jenna

"Traffic jam" is an interesting one because I get two images. I see someone who has no spare time in life due to work, kids, etc and they never get a moment to reflect and be thankful for everything they have and they come to a traffic jam—which gives them the much needed reflection moment and then they pray while they can. The other image is there is some accident or tragedy ahead and this is why there is a traffic jam. The person then prays for the people involved. I like the first image/idea I got because I think everyone can relate to that more. How better off would we all be if we had an extra fifteen minutes a day just for reflection and relaxation? —Travis

tears
a single petal
floats away

Alicia Scott (1)

I picture a person crying next to a pond. She’s sitting on a rock with her feet in the water, all the while holding a flower. Maybe her heart has broken, or maybe she just needed a good cry. As she cries, a petal falls off the flower and floats away. I really liked this haiku because of the connection between tears and a single petal. Together they add a sad note to the haiku and play to the reader’s sympathy. —Bethany

black streamline
a ballet of chrome and leather
soft tail

James Hartnett (1)

mirrored eyes
precipitation
from my heart

sun slowly rising
so childlike
as he sleeps

late summer
picking sweet apples
the bees are drunk

crisscross
applesauce
in my bowl a flea

Allisha Komala (3)

I don't know why I like "crisscross." Maybe it's the sound repeated on the next line. I don't "get" this haiku or see any image...in fact, it is rather confusing because I don't get a sense of where the break or pause is. I think I like this, because it reminds me of one of those silly songs we used to sing as kids. —Travis

snow-covered leaf
still blossoming
—she smiled

dirty mirror
i don't recognize
the face

Travis Meisenheimer (6)

This haiku is excellent because of both the basic image it creates and the symbolism it evokes. The general image of looking into a mirror and not recognizing one’s self is a powerful picture; because if you cannot recognize yourself, then who are you? And even if you believe that you are who you say you are, but cannot justify it (unclear image), then I say again, who are you? What also comes to mind while reading through and thinking through this marvelous haiku is the possibility of looking into this mirror; as if a person is looking in on him or herself; in other words, viewing their soul from the outside . . . and consequently, what they see in this mirror, is a dark and dirty soul. So perhaps, the dirty mirror is not in fact the fault of an unclean mirror, but instead the un-cleanliness of what is seen in the mirror. (is un-cleanliness a word?) —Aaron

the casket
is lowered into the ground
a last leaf falls

Michael Worth (3)

Not surprisingly, this one reminds me of my grandma Korty's funeral last fall. It was a cold, rainy November morning, so the funeral director people set up this blue tent thing over the grave area...can you imagine like forty people packed into a relatively teeny blue tent and still leaving room for the whole casked/grave/headstone/etc. that was there? (What can I say? We're a "close" family. Ooh, bad pun.) Anyhoo, the rain was driving down some leaves with it, as rain tends to do in the fall. I love all the meaning packed into that last line, too. Is it the last leaf to fall, or is it the deceased's last leaf to experience on this earth? —Jenny

The brought back a memory of my great-grandmother dying in March. The ceremony was outside and it was freezing. There wasn't enough room in the tent for everyone so me and my boyfriend stood outside. I had my hands in his pocket because it was so cold. It was the end of winter and there were brown leaves all over the ground. As we all walked by the casket one last time, my boyfriend knelt beside it to pray. As he prayed, some dead leaves were blown across the ground. This haiku brought back some very sad memories but I related to it so well. —Sarah

swing glides
a breeze moves through
an empty playground

Kari David (5)

I really like this haiku because it puts together this amazing sense of serenity, as well as a unique loneliness. I say this because the gliding swing can symbolize a number of things, such as the potential imbalance of good and evil within the human soul, or the wavering identity of today’s youth, or maybe even a lost emotion . . . an emotion or feeling that someone suppresses because they feel that as an adult they have outgrown such sympathies once coveted as a child. —Aaron

at the aquarium
seals playing
an article on oil spills

Aubrey Ryan (6)

Ahhhh!!! I find this to be a really great haiku, and I wouldn't change anything about it. It's so true to how ironic life can be. For me, it represents somewhat of a paradox. Forgive me if I use the term incorrectly. On the one hand, you've got seals who are locked up in an aquarium and probably have to perform for spectators. But on the other hand, you've got free seals (and other such animals) who are just as short-changed as the "caged" seals, so to speak because of human error and/or carelessness. So basically, for me this haiku represents the fact that animals have been greatly hindered by humans and their habits (such as pollution, etc.) —Allisha

a smile so big
it’s all I see in her face
little sister

Sean Keller (2)

soft music from neighbors
and cricket chirps
peaceful in the city

a spider eats the fly
and I eat
in peace at last

James Hartnett (4)

warming in the sun,
my eyes closed
the cat was right

Jenny Schultz (5)

I really like this haiku because I feel the warmth of the sun, and I see someone (me) giving in to the wisdom of the cat. Don't wish the sun away. Take time to absorb its warmth. Receive its gift. Close my eyes. Feel the warmth on my eyelids. Go nowhere. Just be. And yes, the cat was right. I like the playful consciousness of this line, like I'm talking to myself or the cat. This is being alive!

—Dr. Brooks

wind from the lake
biting my ears
not a taxi in sight

Aubrey Ryan (6)

During high school, my friend Robin (from another town) and I made it a tradition to take the train into downtown Chicago for some Christmas shopping. Eventually, it also became tradition to miss at least one train in the morning going to downtown (there has been more than one occasion where we've watched our train pass us while we're stuck in our car at the intersection), as well as at least one train on the way home. Oftentimes, we'll be all the way up on Michigan Avenue when one of us looks at the watch and goes, "oh crap, we have twenty-five minutes to get all the way back to the train station!" So there we are, standing outside in the freezing cold on a December evening, cold wind off the lake numbing our toes and coats pulled tight around us, just TRYING to hail a cab so we can get back to the train station and make it home before it gets super dark and our parents get super worried. (This is back before everyone and their dog had a cell phone, remember.) In any case, we were never really good at hailing cabs. We'd usually have to walk a ways until we found one that was hanging out by the curb to climb into. Let me tell you, sometimes we were grateful that those cabbies drove like crazies. —Jenny

I imagine some friends coming home from a concert in the city (Chicago). It feels to him (the narrator) like 8,000 cars have sped by, but no taxis!! Where are they? It's insanely freezing, and he's tired from the excitement and long hours of the concert. He's kicking himself now for not offering to drive, but he didn't want to what with the weather and all (and the draft beer at the venue). He's also regretting not bringing a warmer coat, but who wants to carry it around for hours when you go to see a live show? Nobody, that's right. Since I live about 10-15 miles outside the city, I know what the Windy City wind feels like, trust me!!! And it's not pleasant on certain days, especially when you don't have a ride home! So I like this one a lot because I can relate to it. —Allisha

broken screen
a bee buzzes
around my head

morning mist rolling in
my visible breath
becomes unseen

I breath its scent . . .
California sky
in the midwest

wind blows
notes of a song
sung many times before

Sarah Matherly (2)

loud thunder
I drop my change
on the floor

Kari David (5)

I could relate to this haiku because I get startled easily. From reading this, I can see a man in a store paying for whatever it is he wants to buy. As the cashier gives him his change, he hears a loud clap of thunder. He wasn’t expecting a storm because it had been sunny when he parked his car. Jumping as he hears the thunder, he drops his change. Maybe after the haiku ends, we will find him crawling on the floor to pick up the change he dropped. Or maybe he is too embarrassed and just walks away. I just really liked this haiku. —Bethany