hide and seek
I count to 10
in the cave

Austin Taylor

searching the cave
we follow
his soft echoes

Austin Taylor

father's bedside bare
mother's full of
her favorite authors

Alex Herrera

hanging from the blanket
one piece of fringe
longer than the rest

Maya Dougherty

searching the cave
we follow
his soft echoes

hanging from the blanket
one piece of fringe
longer than the rest

searching the cave
we follow
his soft echoes

top quarter champion

TOP half Chamption

ash black eyelash
on my finger
fake wishes

bottom quarter champion

ash black eyelash
on my finger
fake wishes

ash black eyelash
on my finger
fake wishes

placing my sweaty hand
in my daughter’s
family marathon

afternoon drive
a goose tending
a broken wing

Lucas Chatterton

ash black eyelash
on my finger
fake wishes

Mia Klek

placing my sweaty hand
in my daughter’s
family marathon

Mia Klek

face first in the dewey grass
the white-winged dove
ooh baby ooh

Mackenzie Martin

TOP half champion

ash black eyelash
on my finger
fake wishes

CHAMPION

ash black eyelash
on my finger
fake wishes

a clowder of newborn cats
awaiting their
nine lives

BOTTOM half champion

the breeze filters
through the open window—
you smile

Lane Casper

summer rain
instead of going inside,
we dance

Lane Casper

mom calls
I don't answer
the end of the world

Benjamin Maynard

come downstairs
the kettle’s on
a visit from grandma

Maya Dougherty

summer rain
instead of going inside,
we dance

mom calls
I don't answer
the end of the world

summer rain
instead of going inside,
we dance

top quarter champion

BOTTOM half champion

a clowder of newborn cats
awaiting their
nine lives

bottom quarter champion

a clowder of newborn cats
awaiting their
nine lives

a clowder of newborn cats
awaiting their
nine lives

in front of the campfire
flames burning       first time
since my accident

the floorboards creak
as the mouse scurries by
two eyes in the shadow

Trey DeLuna

a clowder of newborn cats
awaiting their
nine lives

Kalli Farmer

finals week
studying
I'd rather be sledding

Benjamin Maynard

in front of the campfire
flames burning       first time
since my accident

Mackenzie Martin

hide and seek
I count to 10
in the cave

Austin Taylor

searching the cave
we follow
his soft echoes

Austin Taylor

father's bedside bare
mother's full of
her favorite authors

Alex Herrera

hanging from the blanket
one piece of fringe
longer than the rest

Maya Dougherty

This was the most difficult matched pair for me to decide upon because the haiku seemed so similar to me. For both haiku, I was struck with the question: why? There is mystery and adventure in the fact that they are in a cave. However, I liked the second haiku because it puts more of an emphasis on the mystery, exemplified immediately by the first line "searching the cave." I am led to believe that they are searching for a boy that has somehow gotten lost in the cave, but I also believe that they are searching slowly, like they are confident that they will easily find him. Mackenzie

This pair of haiku make a good match because of their sense of eeriness/mysteriousness they provide using the cave as an unknown, cryptic hiding place. The echoes are unsettling because they are soft, implying they are far away which makes it difficult to keep up. The second line in the first haiku is also ominous because counting implies that the narrator is alone while the rest of the group is distancing from the seeker. Masha

I really liked this matched pair because of how they both remind me of family and the bedroom. The first haiku reminds me of my mom and dad. My dad's bedside table is always clean and neat. Everything has its place and everything is in its place. However, my mom's bedside table is an absolute mess. There are books everywhere, usually a cup or two of some sort, some tissues, and more. And all this stuff is piled to the sky. I just thought it was neat how this haiku described both of my parents to a "t." I liked the second haiku because it reminded me of an old blanket we have that my grandma made that is starting to come apart. It resembles a blanket less and less after every use but, of course, we would never get rid of it. Ben

This haiku has different levels to it, which I find intriguing. When I first read the haiku, I took the last line literally; the speaker of the haiku was actually standing in a cave when they counted to 10. However, the second time I read this haiku, I interpreted the line completely differently. I imagined a small child counting to 10, huddled underneath a “cave” of blankets that they created with their friends. I was struck by the change in my interpretation. This haiku encourages readers to put themselves into the moment, and I really like that. Lane

Like we mentioned in class, this haiku made me think of the movie It that just recently came out. When I imagine this haiku, I associate a more sinister scene with it. I imagine that the person who they are following is in danger, and they are searching the cave because the boy is in danger. This situation makes me think of the movie It because, in the movie, the main characters search the sewer system for the missing children in their community. It's dark in the sewers, and when they get separated from each other, they follow each other's voices to find their way back. This haiku is definitely good for Halloween; it has a dangerous, sinister feeling to it that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Lane

I like this haiku because of the simplicity of it. The haiku comes across as merely an observation that one might make while staring at a blanket. When I read this haiku, my first instinct was to question why the speaker noticed the piece of fringe. Were they staring at the blanket because they were bored? Or, is the speaker in the midst of an awkward conversation, and are looking at the blanket to try to distract themselves from the situation at hand? One of the reasons I like this haiku is because every reader can put their own spin on it, and put whatever intention they want with the speaker. Lane

afternoon drive
a goose tending
a broken wing

Lucas Chatterton

ash black eyelash
on my finger
fake wishes

Mia Klek

placing my sweaty hand
in my daughter’s
family marathon

Mia Klek

face first in the dewey grass
the white-winged dove
ooh baby ooh

Mackenzie Martin

ash black eyelash
on my finger
fake wishes

Mia Klek

a clowder of newborn cats
awaiting their
nine lives

Kalli Farmer

ash black eyelash
on my finger
fake wishes

Mia Klek

mom calls
I don't answer
the end of the world

Benjamin Maynard

These two were the final two in the matching pairs contest and my favorite pair. I enjoyed the first one because “ash black eyelash” sounds really nice in the haiku, and because the last line is interesting. I enjoyed the second one because I liked their usage of the word clowder and the reference to the cat's' nine lives. I also really like cats so that makes me think the haiku is even cuter. These were both very well written, making it hard for me to choose a favorite. If I had to choose my favorite it would be the “ash black eyelash” haiku because of how smoothly it flows. Georgia

I really enjoyed both of these haiku for very different reasons. I liked the first one because of the language that is used in it. I really like that they described the eyelash as "ash black" because it gives me a different image than if they had said just black. I also love the usage of ash and eyelash together. That line just is fun to say. The second haiku I enjoyed simply because of how relatable it is. I've definitely lived through that moment when you check your phone for the first time in awhile and you have like 4 missed calls and 6 unanswered texts from your mom and you just get this sense of dread because you know she is going to be mad when you call her back. It just is so relatable of a feeling. I also think it's funny because it really does feel like the end of the world. Lucas

the breeze filters
through the open window—
you smile

Lane Casper

summer rain
instead of going inside,
we dance

Lane Casper

mom calls
I don't answer
the end of the world

Benjamin Maynard

come downstairs
the kettle’s on
a visit from grandma

Maya Dougherty

I enjoyed this pair because both had to do with a sense of relaxation and calmness. The first haiku made me think of when I get to open my window for the first time in the spring and the fresh air comes in and makes me feel so good and happy. The second one reminds me of when I was a little kid playing outside with friends. We would never let the rain stop us from having a good time. Alex P

I like these haiku because they both have to do with some sort of maternal care. I imagined my own mother getting frantic when I would not answer the phone when I was younger. At the time I did not see it as a big deal, but Now I realize that she just wanted to make sure I was okay, or on another hand she had a reason to get a hold of me. The second one made me think of a grandmother coming over and making some tea for her visit with the grandchildren. My own grandmother would come over and insist on helping with dinner in some way every time and it brought back memories of our family dinners. Alex H

In the first haiku, I liked how relatable it was. I remember during middle school and high school I turned off my ringer because I was in class, but never remembered to turn on my ringer. My mom would call later in the day and I wouldn't hear it because my ringer wasn't on. I got my phone taken away so many times and my mother would get really mad at me. This haiku was very scary to me. The second haiku is well written. I read the first line as a command from mom telling me to come downstairs. Then I read the rest as me coming downstairs and noticing a kettle on the stove, which meant grandma is here. I thought this haiku was very nice and didn't exactly fit kuro style, but maybe someone has a mean grandma. Austin

I like this haiku because of the free spirit of the people in it. They are not letting rain get in their way of enjoying summer. It is just a positive and uplifting haiku with a fun meaning. The fact that they are dancing in the rain is pretty great, the author could have chosen another word like play but I like the meaning it has with the word dance. Kalli

I really liked this one because it was so relatable. Every time I try to call my mom it takes her 4 or 5 calls before she finally answers but when she calls me, and I miss the call she acts like it's the biggest deal in the world. Alex P

I like this haiku because I think it is extremely relatable to people my age. If my mom calls me and I don’t answer, I know I am going to get a lecture about me not picking up my phone when I call her back. I always feel defeated when I miss a call from my mom because I know what is going to result from it and I like how this haiku captures it. Kalli

the floorboards creak
as the mouse scurries by
two eyes in the shadow

Trey DeLuna

a clowder of newborn cats
awaiting their
nine lives

Kalli Farmer

finals week
studying
I'd rather be sledding

Benjamin Maynard

in front of the campfire
flames burning       first time
since my accident

Mackenzie Martin

ash black eyelash
on my finger
fake wishes

Mia Klek

a clowder of newborn cats
awaiting their
nine lives

Kalli Farmer

I enjoyed this haiku because I think it's how most college students feel. When fall finals roll around it's so hard to stay focused on school and not on break. Alex P

These were my favorite haiku from the matching contest, and they were the top two, so in the end I had to vote for one of them, which was really hard to do. I really like the eyelash one, because “ash black eyelash” is such a clear image. Sometimes, when I am wearing mascara, my eyes will start to feel irritated, so I’ll start to peel off the mascara. However, sometimes I end up pulling out some of my eyelashes as well. I like the idea of someone making wishes on these eyelashes, even though they probably won’t count since the eyelash didn’t fall out on it’s own. I also really like the second one because of the clever phrasing throughout. I really like the word “clowder,” I never knew that was the term for a group of cats. I also really like the “awaiting their nine lives” part because I think it’s really clever. Overall, I think I like the aesthetic of the first haiku more, but overall both of these haiku made an impact on me. Maya