New Year's Day
making false promises
to myself

Lucas Chatterton

season is over
what to do
with all this free time

Alex Pratt

end of a long day
look in the mirror
missed a button

Lane Casper

the smallest things
bother him the most
crooked outlet cover

Alex Pratt

New Year's Day
making false promises
to myself

end of a long day
look in the mirror
missed a button

end of a long day
look in the mirror
missed a button

top quarter champion

TOP half Chamption

petting the old cat
three tumors
in her belly

bottom quarter champion

petting the old cat
three tumors
in her belly

superman socks
he confronts the bully
during math class

petting the old cat
three tumors
in her belly

superman socks
he confronts the bully
during math class

Trey DeLuna

my little buddy
falls asleep in my arms
bad dream

Mia Klek

petting the old cat
three tumors
in her belly

Lane Casper

thump       thump
my head resting
on his chest

Mackenzie Martin

TOP half champion

petting the old cat
three tumors
in her belly

CHAMPION
 

petting the old cat
three tumors
in her belly

two fish in a tank
does either know
how to drive it

BOTTOM half champion

lunch with friends
no one mentions
the one who’s missing

Lane Casper

bike ride with friends
wipeout
bike walk with friends

Lane Casper

learning to cook
our favorite meal
for one.

Maya Dougherty

staring at your empty seat
I pass myself
the peas

Lane Casper

lunch with friends
no one mentions
the one who’s missing

learning to cook
our favorite meal
for one.

lunch with friends
no one mentions
the one who’s missing

top quarter champion

BOTTOM half champion

two fish in a tank
does either know
how to drive it

bottom quarter champion

two fish in a tank
does either know
how to drive it

two fish in a tank
does either know
how to drive it

authentic mexican restaurant
the boy orders
chicken nuggets

in my happy place
we smile together
      shhhh

Mackenzie Martin

two fish in a tank
does either know
how to drive it

Benjamin Maynard

family dinner
my sister uses a burrito
as a microphone

Lane Casper

authentic mexican restaurant
the boy orders
chicken nuggets

Benjamin Maynard

season is over
what to do
with all this free time

Alex Pratt

••••

I liked this haiku because of how much I can relate to it. The first week that soccer season was over, I wasn't sure what to do with all my extra free time at night. I tried passing the time by watching T.V. or by playing video games with my roommates. The issue with this is that I would get bored pretty quickly with both of these options. Luckily for me, only because I don't have to worry about being bored, is that we only got a week off before we started lifting again. Now, I wish I was bored at night! Ben

the last raspberry slips
nestling in the pile
red and orange leaves

Masha Kostic

•

the smallest things
bother him the most
crooked outlet cover

Alex Pratt

••••

Was this haiku written about me? I ask this because this sounds exactly like me. The smallest things, especially when I'm not in a good mood, can bother me. For example, whoever painted our apartment in the Woods dripped paint on the baseboards way too many times to count and whoever caulked certain parts of our apartments did so very poorly. Both of these things, which would be minuscule to most people, bother the heck out of me. Something else that bothers me is anytime my room isn't picked up or neat. Ben

bicycle squeaking older than me
fresh bread
from the corner store

Masha Kostic

••

feeling down
for some reason I think
sad music will help

crumbling castle battlefield
I could almost feel the arrows
rocketing past my skin

home videos
every christmas
do I really sound like that?

Mia Klek

•

snow on the car hood:
a little girl carves
a picture of Santa

Georgia Martindale

••

raging river rapids—
icy water fills up
my new tennis shoes

Georgia Martindale

•

my little buddy
falls asleep in my arms
bad dream

Mia Klek

•••••

I really like the warmth that radiates from this haiku. I imagine a father reading to his young child before bed. Furthermore, I imagine that while the story put the boy/girl to sleep, it was scary and they instantly got nightmares. It is very nostalgic and sweet. I especially like the fact that the author used the loving words "little buddy." Mackenzie

I enjoyed this haiku because it reminded me of when we first got my current dog. Every night for a little bit of time she would wake me up from whimpering, so I would always pick her up and put her in my bed to sleep with me. After a while she would just start the night out with me and this haiku reminded me of the times back then. Alex P.

the waterfall
separates the mountains
an eagle soars above

Mia Klek

••

the glistening pond:
a pebble slips from her hand . . .
and hits the bottom

Georgia Martindale

•

dirt surrounds my vision
glove hits my leg
stolen base

70 mile per hour pitch
I see the worn-down seams
coming by way

chilly Sunday morning
get out of my bed
only for a quick pee

Austin Taylor

••

in my happy place
we smile together
      shhhh

Mackenzie Martin

••••

My imagined response to this haiku is that someone is showing her significant other their special happy place. It’s a secret place that she’s never shown anyone before, maybe a treehouse or a secluded spot overlooking a river, somewhere peaceful and quiet. They smile together, and she feels like her happy place is even more special after sharing it with the person they love. Her significant other maybe tries to speak to her, but she shushes them, and they enjoy the quiet moment, not doing anything, just existing together. Maya

breathing in
      warm summer breeze
            sigh of relief

Mackenzie Martin

•••

gleeful splashes
come from the pool
I walk back to the elevator

Alex Herrera

••

I also enjoy this haiku because it reminds me of my family on vacation. Everyone else will be having a wonderful time while one person is angry or upset about something. We will do fun things but the person sulking will just complain. In this haiku, I envisioned a family on vacation. Everyone is in the pool having fun but the teenager, who looks at everyone splashing in the pool and heads straight back to the elevator. Georgia

the bright red apple
in the palm of her hand
            summer

wind grabs
the heat of my body
one last serve

Alex Herrera

•

working out
all the negativity
a quick 6 mile run

Alex Pratt

••

the soothing sound
of rain on my window
I drift off to sleep

Alex Pratt

•••

New Year's Day
making false promises
to myself

Lucas Chatterton

••••

I like this one because it happens every single year. I always tell myself I need to do something like finally learn Spanish or read more, but I never seem to find the time to do it. I also see a ton of my friends do the same thing. They ask me to help them out in the gym. They are with me for about two weeks and then quit on me because they are tired or don't have the time. I like the honesty within this haiku. Austin

Easter
Jesus Christ Superstar
all week long

petting the old cat
three tumors
in her belly

Lane Casper

••••

This haiku reminded me of the last time I got to pet my late dog. Last spring, we had to put my dog, Oscar, down. It wasn't unexpected as he had been gradually deteriorating over the past couple years. My parents knew it was really time when my dog started standing and staring into corners and running into walls. On top of that, the veterinarian thought my dog might have had a tumor. This haiku reminded me of meeting my mom at a Casey's halfway between Millikin and Bloomington-Normal and saying goodbye to one of my best buddies. It was a sad moment and one I'll never forget, just like this is most likely a sad moment for the author, and one they will never forget. Ben

he sings to himself
when he thinks
I’m not listening

Lane Casper

••

I picked this one because it really made me smile when I read it. Being a performer, I absolutely love it when my friends that aren’t involved in theatre sing. Because for me, it’s just proof that music is in everyone and makes everyone feel better. However because I sing, my friends that are involved with sports or science do not sing in front of me because they are self-conscious and always use the excuse “you’ll make fun of me”, even though I would never! However, sometimes because it’s so easy for music to take over your body, my friends casually sing under their breath subconsciously, and I make sure not to comment on it because if I do they will immediately stop. But after they finish, I look at them and smile, and they usually blush or get embarrassed but it makes me so happy to hear their beautiful and unique voices. Mia

This poem is a representation of a sweet relationship. It's one of those little moments that makes you smile. Like even though he may be the worst singer in the world, you love the sound of his voice and the fact that he has let his guard down. The addition of "when he thinks I'm not listening" adds a different dynamic to the haiku. Mackenzie

lunch with friends
no one mentions
the one who’s missing

Lane Casper

••••• ••••

I really like this haiku because I can relate to it very well. A bunch of my friends from home would always go over to each other's house to hangout. I used to go with them all the time because there wasn't a group message. One guy would just send out a text to multiple people saying to come over and hang. Well, a few weeks later they made a group chat that I wasn't included in because they all have iPhones and I have an android (which is soooooo sooooo much better than an iPhone and they won't admit it) but it meant that my group messages and iPhone messages do not cooperate well together. They would send the text in the group chat forgetting that I don't have an iPhone and I was kind of forgotten until they asked me why I wasn't hanging out and I told them that they never told me. They thought I was in the group chat when I really wasn't. Now we have a snapchat group, which works well. Austin

With this haiku, I have multiple responses to what I think this haiku means. At first, I think that the one who is missing is possibly a friend who has died. No one wants to mention their lost presence because maybe they are just trying to get over it. The other way I read this haiku is that someone has betrayed their group of friends and no one wants to talk about what that person did. It may be better to forget them completely and not mention them anymore. Kalli

This haiku comes with many options on what happened to the friend group and why the one friend is missing, and that’s what I like about it, how it’s completely up to the reader. Maybe no one mentions this person because the person passed away extremely recently and it is just too soon for the friend group to talk about it. Or maybe the person that is missing did something that hurt his/her other friends so much that the person is simply shut out of their group. I also like how friends and missing are in the same haiku, they have very opposite connotations. Mia

I imagine that this group of friends has just exiled one of their members. Maybe there was a big fight between two of them, and they decided to banish one of the friends from the group instead of them being divided. Instead of gossiping and bad mouthing the exiled member of their group, they just decide to pretend like she never existed in the first place. Maya

learning to cook
our favorite meal
for one.

Maya Dougherty

••••

I like this one because of the twist at the end. It’s just such an epic twist. It’s so cute in the first two lines, especially because it says “our” favorite meal. That gives me such a warm feeling. It gives me the image of a guy finally being taught how to cook the meal they both love so much by his girlfriend. But when the third line comes into play, it completely switches the image for me. Now I picture a woman who is used to making a serving size for two of their favorite meal, and now she has to cut the measurements in half because her spouse either passed away or they went through a sloppy divorce. It’s a killer haiku. Mia

first bloom
we walk side by side
kidnapped

Masha Kostic

•••

At first this one makes me think of people walking together in the beginning of spring, but the last line kind of jumps out and grabs a deeper thought process from me. What first came to my mind was someone tied up and gagged being escorted to a remote area that wouldn't be discovered. I also thought of more than one person having been kidnapped at the same time and being taken by multiple people instead of one. Alex H.

halloween candy on sale
i’ll start my diet
tomorrow

Maya Dougherty

••

I very much like enjoyed this haiku because it is so realistic. Each time I tell myself that I am going to start trying to eat healthier, I find myself eating something I shouldn't and saying that tomorrow is the day that I will start. Halloween candy in particular is something that cannot be passed up because Halloween is only once a year. Alex H.

a figure
standing in the shadows
streetlight goes out

Masha Kostic

••

long day
coming home to
a pile of dishes

my phone dies
while on with the operator
in the trunk of a car

Masha Kostic

••

superman socks
he confronts the bully
during math class

Trey DeLuna

•••••

What I like this about this haiku is the image it creates in my mind. I see this kid look at his superman socks, since superman is probably his role model and giving him strength and confidence. With those socks on I can just picture this little boy feeling like he is unstoppable and has the power to confront those that are against them. Kalli

stargazing
putting our heads together
to see the same star

Lane Casper

••••

I think this haiku is just so sweet. I imagine young siblings, maybe a brother and a sister, and their parents let them stay up late to see the meteor shower. They are probably cuddled up together outside with a blanket. They are tired from staying up past their bed time, so they lean their heads against each other. Then, they spot a shooting star at the same time. Maya

family dinner
my sister uses a burrito
as a microphone

Lane Casper

•••••

I really enjoyed reading this haiku. I can imagine a family sitting around the dinner table and its Mexican night. They have tacos and burritos and are telling stories. It is the sister's turn and all of a sudden she whips up her burrito and starts acting like it's a microphone while she tells her story. It is a really fun and cute haiku. Austin

a child tries to salvage
his ice cream
lost to the ants

Alex Herrera

••••

I really like the imagery and the sensory details in this haiku. When I read this haiku, I can clearly see a small child frantically trying to fix the situation that they got themselves into. I imagine the scene in summer time, with the sun beating down. The child had just gotten the ice cream from the ice cream truck, and hadn’t even had a taste before dropping it on the ground. I can feel the summer sun and smell the ice cream. This haiku is very vivid, and I like it a lot. Lane

yellow lighting
my body gives in
to the plush cushions

Trey DeLuna

•

end of a long day
look in the mirror
missed a button

Lane Casper

••••• •••

I liked this haiku because I can relate to it a lot and find humor in it. I imagine a woman coming home after a long day of work. She is stressed and just wants to watch television and lay down. She looks in the mirror before she gets changed into pajamas and noticed one of the buttons on her blouse is undone. I can imagine her embarrassment, wondering how long it has been like that, and also anger that no one told her. It is funny because she thought she was already having a bad day and then it just got slightly worse again. Georgia

I like the relatable humor in this haiku. Almost everyone knows what it is like to come home after a long day of work or class and they take a deep breath and peek in the mirror and see that they looked like a doofus all day. I like the way the last line comes in unexpectedly to surprise the reader. On the other hand, this could have a negative connotation and be just as effective. As the character notices the missed button they could proceed to go through the day realizing important moments where they had a misbuttoned shirt. Maddy

I liked this haiku because I think that it is very relatable for a lot of people. I think everyone has those days where everything goes wrong. Usually when I have those types of days, if I get back to my apartment and see that I missed a button or something I usually just end up standing in one spot laughing for no reason because that’s the only thing that I have the energy for. Alex P.

old baseball glove
duct-tape
covers most of it

Kalli Farmer

•

two fish in a tank
does either know
how to drive it

Benjamin Maynard

••••• ••

I like this haiku because of the play on words it has. I had to read it multiple times to figure out what it was saying. The fact that the person is asking if the fish know how to drive the tank. I literally laughed out loud when it was referring the tank as an army tank or something like that. I imagine a child asking this question being completely serious. Kalli

I thought this haiku was really cute and clever. Obviously, the biggest reason I decided to write about the haiku was because of its double use of the word "tank." The author writes in the first line that there are two fish in a tank, which is normal enough. However, the next to lines suggest that the fish aren't in a fish tank, but possibly an army tank. It asks us if the fish know how to drive this tank and how to operate it. I imagine to goldfish sitting in seats within this big camouflage tank. There are flopping around on the seat. I liked this haiku because it is so different and creates a completely weird, yet interesting image within my head. I would have never thought to compare a fish tank to an army tank, but this haiku puts that image in my head. Trey

This haiku made me laugh very hard. I cannot deny that it took me a moment to understand the joke, because I was no expecting for someone to expertly craft a joke into a haiku like that. But once I understood the joke, I found the joke to be hilarious. I think the haikus well written, as well; the joke is perfectly paced to surprise the reader, but not completely blindside and confuse the readers. I really appreciate the punny, “dad joke” nature of the humor. Lane

authentic mexican restaurant
the boy orders
chicken nuggets

Benjamin Maynard

••••

I liked this haiku because first of all I thought it was funny. The other reason that I liked this haiku is because it reminded me of me when I was a little kid. No matter what restaurant I went to for the longest time I was afraid to try anything other than chicken nuggets and mac n cheese. Alex P.

first baseball game
rosy-cheeked child
sits on mom's lap

comfy, over-sized
t-shirt
she hides her insecurities

Kalli Farmer

•••

This haiku is very interesting in the story arc that it presents. The first two lines evoke a relaxed, comfortable feeling in the reader, followed by a third line that shifts the entire mood of the haiku. It presents the idea that we never know what is going on in other people’s heads, in that I could see this character on the street and think that she is very comfortable in her own skin and with herself in general, when in reality she is quite insecure. Maddy

walking away
maybe the referee
won't know it was me

Benjamin Maynard

••

dust in the combine
we listen to classical music
a flurry of activity outside

staring at your empty seat
I pass myself
the peas

Lane Casper

••••

This haiku was really interesting and I liked it immediately upon reading it. It is very deep and somewhat sad, suggesting that there is a missing person at the dinner table. It makes me wonder what happened to this person and why they are not there anymore. It could simply be a spouse who is married no longer and is eating by themselves or maybe something sadder, such as a loved one who has passed away. The scenario that I immediately thought of was of a sibling at Thanksgiving dinner whose brother or sister decided not to show up for whatever reason. I like how the author says they are staring at the seat, which gives me the impression they are thinking of that person who was most likely very important to them. I also liked how they played about the word "passing", which is normally used when another person passes food to the other. Instead, the author passes themself the peas, which suggests it would normally be done by that other person. Trey

soft breeze
from the whiff of the bat
over the plate

Kalli Farmer

•

thump       thump
my head resting
on his chest

Mackenzie Martin

••••

This haiku was one of my favorites because I enjoy how the author is talking about someone's heart beat without ever even saying the word. They use other words to describe what they are talking about. I like the first line because it allowed me to hear the heartbeat and work out what it was myself. I like how each "thump" is spaced from the other, because it shows the time between heartbeats. This is an interesting haiku that plays on the sense of sound. Georgia

feet up on his dash
my eyes flutter open
to his smile

bike ride with friends
wipeout
bike walk with friends

Lane Casper

••••

I loved this haiku because its structure and comic effect it gives off through its language. It starts of simply with a bike ride with friends. I am put in a happy mood and don't expect the next line to come, which is "wipeout". I like how the author used this word because it implies a bigger fall than normal. I have "wiped out" many times on a bike before and it is not simply falling off the bike. It is going too fast around the corner and flying off because you hit a bad crack in the sidewalk or something. Finally, the author keeps the same sentence, but changes it from a ride to a walk, because the person is not longer able to ride or is too afraid to get back on the bike again. I think this is such a clever way of writing and the repeating of the line adds a very unique and comedic effect to the haiku. Trey

cracked phone screen
he storms
out of her house

Masha Kostic

•

her fur coat
she tries to hide
the bankruptcy

Masha Kostic

•

playing Beethoven
for my family
mom looks down and smiles

a broken record—
Mother says
"Clean your room!"

Georgia Martindale

•

hiking down the
woodland path . . .
leaves rustle

Georgia Martindale

••

driving through country—
the sorbet sunset     fades
to black

Georgia Martindale

••

This haiku does a very good job of describing a sunset without using usual descriptions of one. The use of the word sorbet made this one of my favorite because of how it made me picture the sky and the comparison I made in my head. Alex H.

Turkey day
my grandfather calls dibs
on the gizzard

Austin Taylor

•

Halloween office party
masks everywhere
but no costumes

Lucas Chatterton

••

ironing board
I try to straighten
my life

Masha Kostic

••

Christmas morning
new toys
no batteries

Lucas Chatterton

••

the last flicker of light
the old puddle
of honey wax

Masha Kostic

•••

This haiku is very interesting in the story arc that it presents. The first two lines evoke a relaxed, comfortable feeling in the reader, followed by a third line that shifts the entire mood of the haiku. It presents the idea that we never know what is going on in other people’s heads, in that I could see this character on the street and think that she is very comfortable in her own skin and with herself in general, when in reality she is quite insecure. Maddy

a new baseball mitt
waiting for dad to play catch
he doesn't show

Lucas Chatterton

•

hiding in the
shadows—
kittens wait
for the return
of mother

Alex Herrera

•

thunder rolling
i burrow myself
deep into bed

Maya Dougherty

•••

Sometimes there's no nicer place than your bed, and you really get that feeling from this haiku. I like you instantly feel a little warmer and more refreshed, like its 10 am and you've just woken up but can't get out of bed. I particular like the wording of "thunder rolling," and that this is a stormy, movie-watching, lazy kind of day. Mackenzie

baseball mitt up
too late
black eye

Benjamin Maynard

•••

This haiku made me feel nostalgic and happy, because it reminded me of my all-time favorite movie: The Sandlot. In the movie, there is an iconic scene in which the main character, Scotty Smalls, attempts to learn how to play catch. While learning to play, he is told to "keep his eye on the ball" in order to catch it. Although Scotty tries his best, he doesn't bring his glove up in time when his stepfather throws the ball at him, and it hits Scotty directly in his eye. He immediately acquires a black eye, which he has for several days. I love that movie, and I can picture this scene so vividly when I read it. Lane