Mountain Girl at peace:
barefoot in the grass along
Elkhorn Creek Road

slight chill
warmth in my soul
apple cider

Carrie Seymour (3)

I really like this haiku. It make me think of Halloween and going apple picking then drinking cider. It bring back memories of when I would go apple picking with my cousins. —Alicia K.

This reminds me of trips to the apple orchard with my mom and in girl scouts. We would pick apples until our fingers got numb with the advancing cold, because believe me, in New Jersey it's no longer 70 degrees in October. We'd go back to the cider-house and get fresh hot cider, and watch them make old-fashioned donuts, slowly plopping into hot vats of oil. --Deidre

cold metal
scrapes the concrete
patio chair

Anthony Holeyfield

I liked this haiku because of the sound it gives the reader. In addition, cold metal scraping on concrete could be associated with things much less pleasant than moving a patio chair. I like this aspect because it gives the haiku kind of a surprise ending. —Rick

under the haystack
remnants
of last year's Jack-O-Lantern

Carrie Seymour (6)

3. I really like the nostalgic feeling of something near sadness in this haiku. They discover the remnants of last year’s pumpkin. Perhaps it was carved with a lot of care, or signifies a good Halloween. There’s also the excitement of that time of year coming again. I can smell the hay is it is moved. The only thing I wonder, is how it got under a haystack in the first place. —Katie

Me too! —Randy

I like the haiku about the haystack. It starts off with pleasant feelings of jumping playfully into a haystack and rolling around in its scratchiness. But then you discover what is truly underneath, and all of a sudden your fun afternoon is ruined by the fact that your clothes are now all stinky and wet. —Mark

the pouring rain falls
i sit in my room
reminiscing

I sit on a log
by the crackling fire
the cricket

Mark Beanblossom (3)

I believe that this haiku should at least hit home with people that have heard a cricket and how loud they can get. It also has that home feeling to it with the sitting on a log and crackling fire part. It just has that feeling to it that everything is going to be ok. The sound of the cricket becomes a regular one. —Anthony

he watches me
showing off his new hat
the scarecrow falls over

red and blue bandanas
just colors or so
much more

the lone wolf
in search of his
own destiny

Anthony Holeyfield

full moon overhead
curled up in a ball
I lay in a haystack

Carrie Seymour

This haiku is very relaxing. I picture someone lying on hay looking up at the stars, just thinking about what happened previously that day. —Alicia K.

falling aimlessly
until it hits the ground
the leaf

Anthony Holeyfield

Aha! It's one of those haiku that makes an image pop out at you at the end. I love this haiku. From the first and second lines, you're left wondering what could be falling towards the ground, until it hits you - the leaf. I see a lone leaf floating down towards the ground; it could even be the "first" fallen leaf of autumn. I'm also seeing a flashback of American Beauty, with the rose petals. Very nicely done. —Joanne

a cool wind blowing
leaves scattered all around
awaiting the children

his hand in mine
as we rock back and forth
just my baby and me sweetie

I gather them all
the orange leaves turn
into bag-shaped pumpkins

sweet caramel
sour apple
. . . I think I lost a tooth

Carrie Seymour (3)

5. This has a wonderful surprise element. You get really into the taste of the caramel apple, and also get a sense of the time of year because it is implied. The fact that the apple was too sticky and may have pulled out a tooth helps you to think that this person is younger. There is the contrast of pleasure and pain. This seems to be a memory haiku taken from someone’s childhood. Memory haiku are often the most powerful you will write. —Katie

This haiku reminds me of how much I liked candy as a kid and how much I like it now. Whenever I ate too much candy. it use to get stuck in my teethbut I never actually lost a tooth from eating candy. One thing that I will always remember is the caramel sour apples are the official treat of Halloween. —Anthony

goblins and ghosts run
witches and ghouls fill the night
I'm an I.R.S. agent

Mark Beanblossom (3)

I really liked this one, because it made me smile. At first I thought it was a haunted house, then I realized that this is about trick-or-treaters. There are the typical Halloween costumes and here I am ... an I.R.S. agent. Very humorous. —Carrie

I really liked this haiku because it reminds me of something I would write. I happen to know that it was written by Mark (since he’s my haiku buddy). We have talked about the different styles of haiku and I think he has a new appreciation for the more offbeat style of haiku that I like to write (be it for better or worse). It was fortunate that him and I were paired up haiku buddies this year. —Rick

laying on the grass
in cool Autumn sun
a wooden flute from far away

i sit on a rock
stray black dog lies down and listens
a story of sobs

eyes that lock across the dance floor
we move like liquid, closer
in and out of time

barefoot in the lobby
I step—
on a fingernail clipping

Rick Bearce (6)

2. This haiku catches you off guard in a very funny way. You assume the person is going to step in something bad, like gum or a spill. But, the fact that they step on a fingernail clipping has a certain “eww” factor. This especially since they are barefoot and it’s not their fingernail. —Katie

middle of the lake
grey clouds overhead
the silence killing me

Mark Beanblossom

This haiku makes me picture a really big storm coming and no one is outside because there preparing for what is to come. —Alicia K.

late night study session 
her and i 
practicing physics

slanting rays
bleach hair lovingly
whisking uniforms

brisk morning 
the fat man 
running with no shirt

Rick Bearce (6)

4. My first thought is “At least he’s running!” in defense of the man. However, this haiku describes a sight that would either make most of us cringe, or laugh. It’s a good image, and makes it even more odd because it’s cold outside. Why without a shirt? —Katie

This haiku is hilarious. It wouldn't have been the same if the "running" wasn't included at the end. The image is hysterical: seeing this huge guy, probably some grunt on a football team, practicing outside on some tackling dummies without his shirt on. You can just see the, um, chubbier areas jiggling as he moves. This is wonderful! —Joanne

I know I'm supposed to be supportive of anyone who has the energy to work out, and attempt to loose any extra pounds they're carrying. Sometimes, it just isn't appropriate to bare your body for all eyes to see. The slow motion jiggle that fat gives when slammed against a stationary object is quite repulsive, yet, mesmerizing. --Deidre

back to jr. high—
the chili peppers
on the classic rock station

he watches me
showing off his new hat
the scarecrow falls over

singles bar 
the jukebox plays 
our old song

Joanne Weise

A good senryu at the singles bar, trying to meet new people. Same old crowd and same old songs on the jukebox. Already a bit on edge, then the song comes on and it all comes back, all the regrets, the memories. We did love that song! No way. It's over. Time for a new song. —Randy 

October dusk
gnomes scurry into
warm burrows

candy gems
grrr...inded
in witches' teeth

hands clasp tightly
move quick
past pretty girls

Deirdre Fields (3)

1st place. I picked this haiku as my favorite of this kukai because it gives you a good image, the feeling of holding someone’s hand, and the emotion of avoiding the temptation of the nearby “pretty girls.” I see a couple, out for the night. As they walk nearer to a group of attractive girls, the girlfriend tightens her grip and the boy looks ahead and quickens their pace. —Katie

water to my knees
children dying
I found a mail truck

first one home—
turning on
all the lights

Joanne Weise (5)

And the only one home, evidently. I feel the house is cold and dark, but soon it will be lit up, television on to fill it with voices. Okay to be alone with the lights on. Where is everybody? This person seems young, like a home alone kid. —Randy

reaching up expectantly
last pop tart...
gone

Deirdre Fields

I like the haiku about poptarts. Being a rather avid fan of poptarts, I truly know the pain of hoping to wake up to your favorite breakfast food, only to find it gone. This is what disappointment really feels like, and I think that anyone who has gone through this tragedy will feel similar feelings. —Mark

ceramic basin
overflowing with water
no plunger in sight

Mark Beanblossom (4)

At first I thought this was about a ceramic pot someone made in pottery class. The water is overflowing and the flowers are slowly drowning. Then, the last line. It is so funny, "no plunger in sight." This is when it hit me, this is about a toilet! It did not sound like it at first and that is what is so fun about this poem. —Carrie