bystanding with my family
a six foot penis
marches by

Adam Stefo

on the quad
students roll snowballs
Frosty the Snow-Penis

Melanie McLay

I like it…
soft and rhythmic
        saxophone

Alisha Goebel

smoke and wine
aroma      a blue note
from across the bar

Melanie McLay

I like these two if for no other reason than my immature nature. But, seriously, I really like the contrast presented by the two haiku and how that contrast shows how our reactions to similar situations differ depending on who we are with. The first haiku makes you really uncomfortable, and even if you've never experienced it exactly, everyone has watched some risque movie with their parents that made them really nervous about laughing. In contrast, the second haiku points out just how proud we college students are of our sophomoric antics. Brian Rohde

Other than the obvious (and slightly Freudian) connection between these two haiku, I think they go together well. Both have a slightly deviant quality. The first is obviously (at least, to me, and because of its context) about Mardi Gras and the second has that feeling of doing something naughty in public – in this case, making an obscene snow sculpture. Because both of these haiku have a bit of taboo in them, it makes them more fun to read – and they definitely give some interesting mental pictures. Sarah Corso

In a bar like this, air is always clouded with smoke, and the patrons’ minds are clouded with alcohol or lust or morose or egotism. They say they go to enjoy the music, music that “others just don’t understand.” And they say that with the idea that they are superior to others, as if not caring for Herbie Mann makes someone a lesser being. Maybe they think jazz sucks. Maybe they hate clarinets, because their parents would lock them in rooms and play old jazz recordings to drown out their cries. That seems like a good enough reason to hate jazz to me. Maybe they think it’s boring, and don’t want to sit and listen to music that is “above” them, surrounded by people who are stuck up and always judging the music, themselves, and everyone sitting around them. Maybe they don’t want to look for hope and happiness in a place where it goes to die. Ryne

The are obviously connected through the slow, easy, sensual sound of jazz music. Neither comes out and directly says “JAZZ!”, but the reader is able to piece that together. The “I like it” is followed very smartly by ellipses, which gives the feeling on letting it sink in and not rushing it. The saxophone is the key word to accompany the musical adjectives, because this instrument is very bluesy and jazzy. The second haiku I like a lot more because it invokes a lot more senses. The bar scene is set with cigarette smoke and the smell of good, but cheap wine. This actually turned out to be my favorite haiku because of it’s word choice of “blue” to describe the note. I like when color is used to portray different feelings or objects, and blue is right on the money for an all inclusive mardi gras feel. Traci Rapp

bystanding with my family
a six foot penis
marches by

smoke and wine
aroma      a blue note
from across the bar

top quarter champion =

smoke and wine
aroma      a blue note
from across the bar
 

top half champion =

smoke and wine
aroma      a blue note
from across the bar

bottom quarter champion =

only the beads
around my neck
recall last night
 

to drunken hiccups
the baby sister whispers
how was Marty Graw?

only the beads
around my neck
recall last night

to drunken hiccups
the baby sister whispers
how was Marty Graw?

Traci Rapp

frozen
on a single picture—
are those my boobs?!

Stephanie Dietrich

only the beads
around my neck
recall last night

Corinne Cullina

keeping my integrity
I buy the beads
for a quarter

Rachel Cook

Both of these haiku do a good job portraying the significance of wearing beads on Mardi Gras. After reading the first one, you know this person was probably at a rockin’ fun party the previous night, and probably had a few too many drinks. I love how it doesn’t have to come right out and say anything, and you still know exactly what they’re getting at. I like how the second haiku kind of shies away from the original cliché of flashing people for beads, and instead has a person responsibly buying the beads. Adding “for a quarter” at the end really gets across the idea that these things are so cheap and simple to attain, and yet it becomes such a big, ridiculous deal on Mardi Gras. Liz Ciaccio

These two haiku are interesting together because they both juxtapose human thoughts and emotions with material things. In the first, the speaker has obviously had too much fun the previous night, and there is a suggestion of guilt or regret in her words. The fact that the beads, inanimate objects, can remember more than she can almost de-humanizes her. This is where the idea of regret comes from. In the second haiku, the speaker does not do anything that she will regret the next day, which contrasts with the speaker in the first haiku. The speaker of the second, rather than objectifying herself, uses a material thing (money) to get another material thing (beads). Once again, these haiku contrast greatly, which makes the individual image in each easier to imagine. Pat

I found it amusing that these two haiku were grouped together. In both cases you know that they are about two very different women. The first one is the wild and risky live life by the seat of your pants woman or just the calm quiet woman who had a little too much tequila at Mardi Gras. You can just imagine her waking up with a hangover and a headache and as she slowly walks to get some Tylenol she tries to remember the night before. Then she stops when something in the hallway mirror catches her eye. Her eyes get wide with shock and worry when she notices the strands of multicolored party beads still strung around her neck. The woman in the second haiku is wise and prideful. She doesn’t hold anything against the wild woman who wakes up not know what she did the night before. In fact she may think that living a wild life might be trilling at times. But she is also careful and knows that as romanticized as a wild and crazy nightlife is that it would bring more trouble than fun. But she doesn’t want to left out of Mardi Gras she wants to be a little like the crazy people who are celebrating. So she goes and buys the beads instead. She shows that you can still have fun without going over the edge. Corrine

top half champion =

smoke and wine
aroma      a blue note
from across the bar
 

champion =

smoke and wine
aroma      a blue note
from across the bar

bottom half champion =

a morning sunbeam
quietly serenades
the sanctuary
 

day after Mardi Gras
we sit at Imo’s laughing
geyser of my Mt. Dew

Alisha Goebel

Lent—
a time to give up
Facebook

Pat Steadman

a week before Lent
I give up—
responsibility

Ryne Inman

the box of chocolates
closed and gathering dust—
her Lenten sacrifice

Sarah Corso

I like this set because I can immediately identify with both of these actions. While I didn’t give up facebook for Lent, I probably should have, and can only imagine how distraught I would be if given the ultimatum to do so. And if I had only had as good of a Mardi gras night as is inferred by the first haiku, I doubt that mountain dew would have been my drink of choice. I also like that the common place words used for these haiku give several images of college life and infer how much fun students can have, but that they need to find a balance to become completely successful. Erin Wyant

These haiku complement each other because of their inherent differences. Though both haiku deal with giving something up for Lent, they show two different mindsets. I really like the first haiku because you can take it as either getting to do whatever you want before Lent starts or as giving responsibility for the entire Lenten season. Alison

day after Mardi Gras
we sit at Imo’s laughing
geyser of my Mt. Dew

a week before Lent
I give up—
responsibility

top quarter champion =

a week before Lent
I give up—
responsibility
 

bottom half champion =

a morning sunbeam
quietly serenades
the sanctuary

bottom quarter champion =

a morning sunbeam
quietly serenades
the sanctuary
 

breathless words
written in my eyes
softly confessing

a morning sunbeam
quietly serenades
the sanctuary

breathless words
written in my eyes
softly confessing

Jamie Devitt

Maundy Thursday
a shiver down my spine
as the cock crows

Brian Blankenship

a morning sunbeam
quietly serenades
the sanctuary

Faith Martin

Ash Wednesday—
the one day
everyone’s Catholic

Jamie Devitt

With the two of these haiku I believe the connection is interesting because I am one of those people who are religious every now and then. I am not Catholic, but we all know those people who come to church on Christmas and Easter. But on those days when the church is filled to the rafters and the sun shines through the stained glass there is a certain melody that floats through the air. The entire congregation may be asleep, but the communion between all of them is what makes the day special and what makes people feel closer to God, even if it’s only two days a year. A. Stefo

Surprise, surprise what I noticed and loved about this pair was the utter contrast. The fist haiku illustrates the pure beauty and mysterious love of Christ that is present during Ash Wednesday mass. It is full of love and happiness. The second haiku portrays the exact opposite. It illustrates the disappointment that certain devote Catholics have for those who choose to express their supposed faith only when they are given a chance to gain attention from its practices. Every year when Ash Wednesday comes everyone seems to wear ashes on their foreheads to profess their faith, but come the next Sunday the pews are empty once more. If you wanted to connect them as one flowing haiku, you could interpret the first as being spoken by someone who comes to church every Sunday who is deep in prayer, and then the second being their interruption of peace as they realize all those surrounding them that are there for the wrong reasons. Jamie Devitt

keeping my integrity
I buy the beads
for a quarter

frozen
on a single picture
are those my boobs?!

Ash Wednesday—
the one day
everyone’s Catholic

Maundy Thursday
a shiver down my spine
as the cock crows

I thought these two haiku made a really great pair (pun intended) because they kind of reflect two different types of people at Mardi Gras (or parties in general actually). Since these haiku are about boobs, I can only presume (and hope) that we’re dealing with girls. In the first haiku, the girl has too much integrity to reveal herself for a stupid set of beads. The second girl, on the other hand, seems to have no inhibitions (often a sign of too much alcohol consumption). I really like how both of these haiku have the same subject matter, yet they are so contrasted. Rick Bearce

I chose to compare these two because they have parallel subjects but entirely contrasting commentary on those subjects. Although I personally am not very fond off the “Ash Wednesday” haiku, I see how it is comparable to my favorite from this selection—the “Maundy Thursday” haiku. The first of these two uses a holy day at the onset of Lent as an illustration of religious shallowness. The second haiku, however, uses another holy day of Lent to convey deep and sincere religious awe. On the other hand, both haiku use religious allusion to say much with few words. Knowing that Ash Wednesday is a day that many go to mass, wear an ashen cross on their forehead, and vow to sacrifice something for Lent, we understand what the author means by saying that it is “the one day” that everyone claims to be Catholic. In the second haiku, by knowing that Maundy Thursday is the day of the Last Supper, Jesus’ arrest, and Peter’s denial of Christ, we understand why the sound of the cock crowing (signaling Peter’s denial) would give someone the chills. Melanie McLay

bystanding with my family
a six foot penis
marches by

only the beads
around my neck
recall last night

frozen
on a single picture
are those my boobs?!

breathless words
written in my eyes
softly confessing

These two haiku really give a great sense of a complete Mardi Gras experience. The Mardi Gras events are completely different than anything else in our society. I can relate to these haiku because I was at Mardi Gras this year and the adventures of being there made me appreciate these haiku together. Alisha Goebel

Both these haiku feature a very strong emotion: regret. It’s obvious that some crazy things went down the night before. In the first haiku, the character is only just re-discovering exactly what did happen the night before, while the second character seems to be dealing with the emotional aftermath. But in my mind, there is one clear difference between these two haiku, and that difference is in exactly what is regretted. In the first haiku, it’s obvious that the person regrets her actions of the previous night. In the second haiku, however, the character seems not to regret the actions, but the confession. I see something beautiful and sacred to that person that has been made ugly and cheap by others. I feel a deep sympathy for that person. Stephanie Dietrich

breathless words
written in my eyes
softly confessing

a morning sunbeam
quietly serenades
the sanctuary

These haiku compliment each other very well. In each of these haiku, it is not words or sound which make the image powerful but the silence. The first haiku, if taken by itself, could be anywhere, but I imagined it in a sanctuary. The subject is kneeling in the pews or at the alter, so burdened by guilt that the heart cannot allow the body to produce words. So instead she gazes at the cross, her words “written” in her eyes. The second haiku gives a feeling of an empty sanctuary at first, but if taken in context of the first, the sanctuary could be the actual body of the subject of the first (the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit). Here, at confession, a morning sunbeam peers through the stained glass and creates a reflection that is stunning. This is God’s message of peace and reassurance of forgiveness. Faith J. Martin