i draw back the curtains
bright sunshine
he rubs his eyes

Jennifer Van Natta (3)

This haiku made me imagine a mother drawing back her son's curtains to let in the sun and get his day started. I can see her smile as her son rubs his eyes adorably. He looks at her sleepily and probably complains that he doesn't want to get up and go to school, but she just smiles and tells him to get out of bed. Nichole

This one has a real homey feel to it. It seems to be from the perspective of a mother, or a maternal figure, perhaps even an older sibling. Bright sunshine indicates the “he” in this haiku has slept late. It makes me think of Sundays when Mom makes breakfast and then comes in to wake you up. What better way to greet the day than to wake up to cheerful sunshine? Abby

tissue blots
the bleeding wound
little capsized boat

Abby Kavanaugh

I had a harder time deciding whether to pick this haiku as one of my favorites. I couldn't really get the connection of the bleeding wound and the capsized boat initially, but after pondering I have come up with a scenario. I see a young child being treated for a scrape by his mother after he has tried to run to upright his boat in a stream. The only other issue I have with this haiku is the fact that it uses the word “wound” when the tissue is just blotting. It seems to harsh a word for a small injury or cut. —Katie

one eye
            closes
the other

Katie Steimann (4)

I can see a boy struggling to stay awake. Maybe he's a little boy who was up all night playing with his friends or maybe he's a college student who spent the whole night out partying. He's in class and trying to keep his eyes open, but they keep slowly trying to close and he nods off, only to jerk awake again. Eventually, they both close and he loses his battle to stay awake. Nichole

This haiku is simple but enjoyable. For me, it expresses the action of one eye closing and then, subsequently, the other eye closing. Both eyes are closing but the haiku implies in some ways that the second eye closes as a result of the first eye closing. Rick

ordering Grandpa
to read
the young boy

Katie Steimann (2)

a Rubix Cube haiku. i probably would have written it "the young boy / ordering Grandpa / to read," but i also like the author's original order. I see a very specific bedtime story order, a determined grandchild already climbing Grandpa's knee, not even giving him a chance to say no! —Emily

back from summer
all my friends
with new haircuts

Emily Evans (4)

This haiku really conveys what I think that every student feels when coming back to school. When this semester first started, I saw a guy that I had had several classes with during my last go around here. His hair was different -- dyed. It seemed like it took me a moment to adjust to that. After speaking to him for only a few minutes, I found out how much more about him had changed. The hair was just the first thing I noticed. Jennifer

This haiku reminds me of coming back to school and seeing how all my friends have changed over the summer. These changes are not necessarily limited to hair but any new factors in appearance. This haiku brings back memories of the first day of school every year. Rick

the police dog
uncovers the leg
of an old table

Rick Bearce (3)

This haiku I loved because of the SURPRISE! I was not expecting the last line to be what it was at all! It made me wonder how many times that actually happens to police dogs. What if they were on a big chase and hunting for something and when they finally dig up “the evidence” that the dog has found there is nothing there? I thought this was very humorous! I can't get over the surprise! —Regan

dark street
the sound of his footsteps coming
home to me

Regan Bledsaw (3)

This haiku was the first that caught my attention. The person might not even be there, but could be imagining this scene. All I see are the feet in this haiku, a man's feet in the darkness walking towards the final destination; her. I like the sound of the feet on the pavement and the movement. —Katie

This one was interesting because you don’t know if the person is happy about his return or scared of it. It really leaves a lot to the imagination. —Alicia

your hands, making
words appear on parchment
are they for me?

Joanne Weise (2)

I could get into this one because my friend and I are both writers and we share our stories constantly. There have been times when I’ve asked her if she had any more or if she was working on one —Alicia

purple flowers
still, on the box
reminds me of her grave

Abby Kavanaugh

This haiku reminds me of my late father. There are so many things I come across in life that give me vivid memories of him. —Lea

bright blue-green-gold evening,
the clatter of keys
in a silent room

Nichole Johnson (2)

This makes me picture a high school couple on prom night. She wears a blue-green-gold dress. The hotel room is silent and dark. The couple is very nervous. He fumbles with the keys, even drops them. —Lea

I love the imagery in the first line. It really reveals the depth of sunset turning to dusk. I interpreted this in two ways. One, that this person is leaving the silent room to embrace the outside world. Or that this person is coming home from a long day of work, to the silence of home. Either way, the jingling of the keys reverberates in my mind. It is a new twist on an old cliché: so quiet you can hear a pin drop. Abby

New Year's Eve
you kissed
            her

Katie Steimann (6)

This haiku really drew me in. I could feel the emotion that would envelop my body if I was in the writer's position. I could feel the anxiety in my heart and the anger and feelings of hurt, neglect, betrayal, embarrassment… I was amazed by how many emotions I was able to conjure after only reading six words. I love the way “her” is placed somewhere differently on the last line. The attention that is drawn to the word helps with the dramatics of what the author is trying to express. —Regan

great use of spacing providing a beat, adding to the effect of the third line. punctuation is a tricky choice in haiku. the author could have used a "you kissed:", "you kissed - ", but the space is the best choice I think. very simple, but it creates a scene, could even be a dialogue to the kisser! —Emily

I really enjoyed this one. It draws you right into the scene. A whole new year is opening up and everyone is making their resolutions. Perhaps the person watching him kiss her was going to make that first move tonight. But instead she witnesses that New Year’s kiss going to another. The indentation of “her” is like the painful intake of breath as you watch the scene unfurl. Abby