licking his face
the once small puppy
tastes Iraq

Morgan

absentminded
folding his boxers
she wears to bed every night

Ramey

a positive test—
the young girl runs
to the toilet

Caitlin

her red lips
not lipstick
but Kool-Aid

Codi

licking his face
the once small puppy
tastes Iraq

her red lips
not lipstick
but Kool-Aid

licking his face
the once small puppy
tastes Iraq

top quarter champion

TOP half Chamption

licking his face
the once small puppy
tastes Iraq

bottom quarter champion

two old women
tackle the trail
oxygen tanks lagging

these things
cannot be certain
A toast!

two old women
tackle the trail
oxygen tanks lagging

these things
cannot be certain
A toast!

Mikayla

drink and eat now
where will you be?
no one knows

Alex

apple smoke
fills my lungs
copper hookah bubbles

Mark

two old women
tackle the trail
oxygen tanks lagging

Sarah

TOP half champion

licking his face
the once small puppy
tastes Iraq

CHAMPION

licking his face
the once small puppy
tastes Iraq

character
a product
of the walls we break

BOTTOM half champion

20 min til due
pshaw!
let's get a drink

Rachel

happily
the drunks
scream

Brock

the iPod jams
his jams
while he's in a jam

Alex

music playing
someone thinking that
their headphones are plugged in

Caitlin

happily
the drunks
scream

music playing
someone thinking that
their headphones are plugged in

happily
the drunks
scream

top quarter champion

BOTTOM half champion

character
a product
of the walls we break

bottom quarter champion

character
a product
of the walls we break

spilling the cup of tea
each droplet laughs
escaping far, quick

character
a product
of the walls we break

dancing
lost in the music
the rhythm flows

Rick

spilling the cup of tea
each droplet laughs
escaping far, quick

Sarah

character
a product
of the walls we break

John

writing haiku
at the park
I nod off

Sarah

licking his face
the once small puppy
tastes Iraq

Morgan

absentminded
folding his boxers
she wears to bed every night

Ramey

a positive test—
the young girl runs
to the toilet

Caitlin

her red lips
not lipstick
but Kool-Aid

Codi

This haiku has so many emotions tied into it. There is the emotion of leaving, growing up, missing someone, returning home, etc. I don’t personally know anyone that has left for war well enough that I have had to experience these emotions in this way but they are not difficult to sympathize with. I especially love the use of the puppy because I understand the bond between a dog and their owner and have seen videos of dogs showing unbelievable joy when seeing their masters return home from war and without a doubt they have brought tears to my eyes. Ramey

This haiku is very meaningful and has a poem that is full of emotion. Many people, both individuals who have family members in the military and those that don't, can understand the meaning of this poem and can see how strong the emotions that are expressed in this haiku. A soldier is only able to take memories with him as he leaves for the military. As he is gone, many things happen in his life at home that slowly changes. When the soldier returns, it seems a lifetime has passed because he has missed some important and some not so important changes that have occurred in his life at home. At the same time, the man's family experiences these same emotions because the man who is in front of them is a completely different person than who he was when he left. This poem allows many emotions to flood into the reader's head that will allow them to make their own images of a story in their life. Codi

I enjoy this haiku thoroughly because it makes me immediately think of the summertime. One of my favorite things to enjoy during the summer is Kool-Aid because of its refreshing taste and my sister too drinks Kool-Aid in the summer. I will always remember the summers we would have as kids and there were times where she would drink enough Kool-Aid to the point where her lips did in fact turn the color of the flavor she was drinking. Alex

these things
cannot be certain
A toast!

Mikayla

drink and eat now
where will you be?
no one knows

Alex

apple smoke
fills my lungs
copper hookah bubbles

Mark

two old women
tackle the trail
oxygen tanks lagging

Sarah

The reason I like this haiku from the kukai session we had the other day is because it is about someone realizing they need their life to the fullest and was posed a question by someone who made them realize this. It makes the receiver of this question reflect the choices they have made and are going to make so that they can evaluate their life and figure out that they should live their life instead of being on the sideline. Alex

It is easy for me to picture two older ladies, perhaps at our own Fairview Park, preparing themselves to go for a walk together, oxygen tanks in tow. However, I also think it is humorous to think of them not on an actual trail, but perhaps in a shopping mall or on their way for a simple walk down the block; their old age has made this short distance a trail for them. They must bring along their oxygen tanks, just in case they grow winded on their arduous journey. The line “oxygen tanks lagging” also causes me to wonder if they are dragging the tanks or if the tanks themselves are lagging in as much as the air is having a hard time reaching the ladies’ lungs, because they are huffing just that much. Brock

20 min til due
pshaw!
let's get a drink

Rachel

happily
the drunks
scream

Brock

the iPod jams
his jams
while he's in a jam

Alex

music playing
someone thinking that
their headphones are plugged in

Caitlin

dancing
lost in the music
the rhythm flows

Rick

spilling the cup of tea
each droplet laughs
escaping far, quick

Sarah

character
a product
of the walls we break

John

writing haiku
at the park
I nod off

Sarah

I like that this poem personifies the tea in a way that we feel as humans. They are laughing as they are escaping their “death” by being consumed. And their laughter makes the consumer angry because they are escaping. It captures the quickness of spilling something that it is impossible to stop and it makes such a huge mess in such a small amount of time. The only thing I don’t like is how wordy it is and the use of the comma. It makes it sound too much like a sentence. Ramey

Even though this haiku does feel a bit like a motivational poster quote, as mentioned in class, it still appeals to me. The flow of words was used appropriately to get the point across that character was the strong word in the poem. I also see so much truth in this haiku; I believe that goes along with the mentality we pick up at college. Being away (for most students) from who or what they have always known often allows them to break out of the walls that have been closing them in. Even for myself as a commuter student, I have gotten to know many different people from varying backgrounds and beliefs, which has certainly been eye-opening. Mikayla