brushing raven hair—
far off
a train howls

Stephanie Dietrich

tied up hair
ready for a
run

Alisha Goebel

I love the simplicity of this haiku. It uses very few words to convey a clear image, but along with that image comes a feeling. It reminds me of a NIKE commercial where you see a woman getting in her mindset to go for a run. She is half stretching while listening to music, jogging in place to warm up and doing breathing exercises. I also like the word “tied” in reference to a ponytail. This hair is not going anywhere while she runs- she wants no distractions. This is a very determined woman. Faith

summer daisies
adorning
Momma’s dark hair

Liz Ciaccio (2)

the oak and I
sit
—settling dew

I try hard
but can’t keep up
with my running nose

Traci Rapp

Amazing!! I love this haiku because it is about a simple, every day act that explains the frustrations of bigger, more important issues. Every day, I run into situations that are just like a running nose. No matter how hard I try, something always goes wrong, or progresses so fast, that I can’t keep up. It is an every day adventure, trying to control the continuous flow of events that enter my life. I like that the haiku is directly from the author’s perspective so that they are not only sharing their experience with the reader, but also making them an actual part of the situation. I can see and feel their frustration; therefore I have a much closer connection. Erin

as I watch the stream
the stream
watches me

the missing of Changchun
so crimson crimson red
they carry it always

between the skyscrapers
Christ reaches out
to those below

as the rain begins to fall,
I turn my face
toward the heavens

Sarah Corso (7)

I liked this haiku because it created an image of the relationship between man and nature. The first line takes the reader to a rainy city. I personally imagine a rainy spring day in New York City. People are rushing to the places they need to get to as they cover their heads with the Times. However, there is one person (the speaker) who cannot believe that one more bad thing (the rain) has happened on this particular day. In sheer amusement at the final bad thing to happen, the speaker does not have words to express what he feels for the heavens at this time. He stares incredulously upward as he ponders the meaning of the day he has had. Pat

Walking home from class, weighed down by my books I try my best to make it home without breaking down. All of the stress and looming chores seem to follow me like an annoying little child constantly poking and prodding at me. On the verge of tears I press on, barreling through the crowds of people, refusing to show my weaker side. Suddenly I feel moisture on my cheek, and I stop to wipe it away. Have I become so far from myself that I’ve lost control of my senses. And then there is another drop and another and another. Suddenly I realize the drops aren’t coming from my eyes, but from the heavens above me. Turning my face towards the sky I allow the rain to wash over my face. As if the drops are that of a gentle woman calming me I’m cleansed. For a brief moment I am freed of stress and responsibility and I am simply loved by the rain. Eventually I continue on my way thanking God for my moment of peace. Sitting at my computer to begin my day of homework I let the water drip to the floor. Jamie

wishing you hated me
anything but this
indifference

summer's permeating heat—
a rainbow appears
in the mist from the sprinkler

Sarah Corso

This haiku is great because of the surprise factor in the last line. Most often, one associates a rainbow with the end of a rainstorm, or perhaps coming from a prism. However, in this case the author chose to use a garden sprinkler as the source of the rainbow. While a sprinkler is not often thought of as “special” or “beautiful,” in this instance it is so. This fresh and unexpected image of a rainbow is a welcomed alternative to the ordinary. Melanie

on a higher bough
you are my brother

tree bark
warmed by the sun
streak of a meteor

morning kisses
softer than
your pillow

Brian Blankenship

I enjoyed this haiku because it has a nice universal quality. It gives a sweet peek into the author’s life, but can also be related to by many readers – that wonderful feeling of being able to kiss someone first thing in the morning after you’ve been apart for a long time and only had the other person’s pillow to kiss first thing. I identified with it well – I’m a pillow thief myself. The word morning also made it very sweet, and gave it a sense of soft, pre-dawn light. Sarah

killing the wasp—
praying I'm not
troubling a star

deer in the cornfield
the breeze
smelling of freshly cut grass

Rick Bearce

The sweet smell of blooming and the first mowing that rides on breezes in spring and summer is in full force in this haiku. Almost as much as the person is in the haiku, the deer are enjoying the scent that’s passing through the air. They’re in the fields, maybe eating weeds that have grown since the farmer was last tending it or just passing from one wooded area to the next. Setting the haiku in a cornfield opens up the scene right from the start, but the breeze and the smell make it limitless in scope. Ryne

taking a deep breath
after
saying his vows

today
they grabbed hands
with a spark
for the thousandth time

thick summer night
even the fireflies
are lazy

Rachel Cook (11)

I think this haiku does a great job of making you feel the heat on a summer night and how it makes you so tired. “Thick summer night” is such a good way to put how a hot and humid summer night feels like. I picture a few friends out in the backyard, drinking sodas, and not having the desire to move or do anything else in the heat. They feel the strain of breathing that occurs when the air is so thick with humidity that it feels like you’re breathing water. They are watching the fireflies, but even the fireflies only flash their light every once in a while, seeming to feel the heat just as much as the people. Liz

The night air was so thick with heat and sweat that you could almost see it. Our bodies moved as if they were submerged in a sea of molasses, each movement being entirely too laborious and slow. We laid there on our blanket surrounded by hundreds of anxious people, all waiting for the same few hours of celebration. The valley wrapped around as if an added blanket, only intensifying the sticky sweat plastered to our bodies. Even the thought of feeling your skin against mine is repulsive. Dry mouths, lazy minds, becoming more and more irritated with each moment. Then, the band suddenly strikes its first chord and the valley comes to life. Suddenly the painfully motionless crowd springs to life and becomes an ocean of song as the night wears on. Jamie

Most Summer haiku make me think of my childhood or high school, but this haiku made me think of last summer when my friends would be off doing their own things and I'd be in a state of such complete and total laziness that turning on the tv seemed like a chore. I really like the use of the word 'thick', I think that it really captures exactly the kind of night that the author was going for. I also always enjoy when we use traditional Japanese haiku words like 'fireflies' in ways that don't represent what the Japanese had intended. Brian R

sunset—
a time
to listen

Brian Blankenship (2)

Overall, I did not think many of the poems in the kukai followed the Zen approach haiku, but the ones that did were very well done. "sunset--" is my favorite of them all. Firstly, this magnificent haiku is achieved with only five words, a mark of true skill. Secondly, with its seasonal word "sunset," the first line simultaneously invokes sight, sound, and touch. I can see an orange disk sinking into the horizon, feel the coming cool of evening, and hear the chirp of insects in the grass. The last two lines explore the Zen link between man and nature. Rather than describe the sunset through the author's emotions, the author realizes he/she must simply take in the surrounding nature by listening. Natalie

crystal vase
a goldfish floats to the top
belly up

Jamie Devitt (8)

I realized I chose the two most “sick” and twisted haiku I could from this kukai, because I was feeling quite overwhelmed by the plethora of choices that were “oh ode to beautiful nature how I could sing of you forever blah blah”. This haiku sets the reader up for such beautiful, interior pleasure by using a crystal vase as the starting focal point, but each line takes it further from that tone and into a more relatable middle class suburbs appeal for me. Almost everyone has had a goldfish because it’s not really a pet…it can’t interact and most people get this because parents don’t want something that needs a lot of care, so right away I was intrigued. When the fish died at the end I felt almost triumphant in a sick way—it just goes to show you can disguise an environment in anyway, crystal vase or no crystal vase, but if it’s life is meaningless and cheap it’s going to bite them in the…belly. Traci

old ladies gossip
over formal tea
chickens squawk outside

Rachel Cook

I like that this haiku was obviously used to fulfill the requirement for the last class’ assignment, as it displays the characteristics of the Zen principle of oneness, yet, at the same time, it is still a very interesting piece of poetry. I enjoy the parallels drawn between the old women and the chickens as a commentary on our animalistic behavior and the face that, although we may regard ourselves as being a great deal superior to all other creatures, in many ways we are on the same level – an idea that completely exemplifies the Zen principle of oneness. Brian B

I how this haiku juxtaposes old ladies gossip with chickens squawk. It's really funny because the sounds are very similar if your not listening to the words. I also thought it was interesting that the author chose to make it gossip over formal tea. I can imagine rich and refined old ladies possibly all in the D.A.R. gossiping at a country club. I don't exactly see chickens there I just think that the old ladies are the chickens. Another image I have is of old ladies in a small town gathering at one of their houses once a week and calling it formal tea when they sit on the front porch sipping southern sweet tea and gossiping about everyone in the neighborhood. Corinne

arguing
just to hear
his voice

Elizabeth Braden

I like this poem because it shows someone who cares about someone else so desperately that they would be willing to fight with him just so that she could hear him speak. There is the sense that the person cares about this man so much that being with them is all that matters even if they don’t like them back and treat them poorly. Most people would leave if the only thing they could expect when they talked to someone they cared for was anger. This person however, doesn’t care, they want to be with the person no matter how badly they are treated. Andrew

I really, really enjoyed this haiku. I think it represents that stage of flirting where all you do is fight over stupid little things, just to have an excuse to talk. And you bring up subjects that you know will cause a debate, just to get his attention and keep it a little while longer. Allison

the cool autumn chill
reminds me
I am alone

the flowers
happier
after the thunderstorm

Corinne Cullina (2)

I like this one because I think everyone can relate to the refreshing qualities of water. If you are exercising and take a gulp of ice cold water, you suddenly get that extra boost to go until the end. Or after a rough day, a hot shower washes all of that stress away, or when you wake up in the morning and it is raining and you get that feeling of wanting to stay in bed just to hear the water tap against the glass of the windows. That’s what impressed me about this haiku, is that the author embraced what the essayist wanted to get across. They equivocated the flowers to humans. And it was done in such a way that it did not make the poem seem sappy, or unrefined. Adam

spring afternoon
planted in the grass—
we grow together

Liz Ciaccio

I really like this haiku because of the play on words. I also really like the visual of seeing two individuals sitting alone on the fresh green grass talking and enjoying the outdoors. I like the fact that I can smell the grass and hear water running from a nearby creek. This haiku in entirety is very well-rounded in thoughts provoked and personal visuals in my mind. Alisha

behind the church
a field of thistle
in morning sunlight

Melanie McLay (5)

I’m not exactly positive why, but the thistles, when presented in a religious setting, are a very foreboding and ominous image, which almost creates juxtaposition between the morning sunlight which bathes the entire setting. Perhaps this connotation comes from being placed behind the church – where they can be hidden and are free of the judgment and scrutiny placed upon them by others – or perhaps because of the thorny tops of the plant – foreboding and ominous themselves, the thorns, in their placement atop the plant, bear a striking resemblance to the thorny crown of Christ. Brian B

Both this haiku and the other I chose put me in the same location, outside the church I attend. It borders a cornfield on one side, and across the way is a large prairie plot. The morning sunlight can have two different effects on the thistle, but I don’t know if this is the image the writer was attempting to achieve. Some mornings, the thistle looks dark and shadowy against the bright sun coming over the trees. Other times, the flowers mixed around the plot create a more colorful picture, almost like a painting. I like how the image is framed against the image of the church, and the rest of the void around it is filled in with the rest of the haiku, ending with a light source that creates a final feeling of action in a tranquil scene. Ryne

the water still cold
to our bodies—
summer lake

Pat Steadman (3)

I like this haiku because of the contrast of hot and cold between the first and last lines. It is a hot, summer day, but the lake water has not absorbed enough of the sun’s heat to warm up. The shock of cold water on hot skin is a universal sensation—something most everyone has experienced. Also, I like the way the middle line uses "our bodies" instead of "my body" This makes the experience one for everyone, not just for the author alone. Melanie

peaking above ground
the tulip
blushes at the sun

Jamie Devitt

This is my most favorite time of the year. I love it when the flowers planted in the fall just start to come up. It’s such a fantastic present in the springtime! Especially when they are tulips! I also like how this haiku uses the phrase ‘blushes at the sun’. I would never have thought of it that way but it is such a beautiful way of writing it. Even the phrase ‘peaking above the ground’ is such a playful way of saying the flowers are just starting to come up. All in all, I really enjoyed all aspects of this haiku! Elizabeth

from the braid
frizzy strands
escape

Natalie Perfetti

This haiku really brought me back to my childhood, actually up until my senior year of high school. I always had the loooooongest hair ever, pretty much down to the small of my back. I always had my hair in some sort of a braid when I was younger because I couldn’t do much else with it. My hair was always very frizzy though, so like the haiku says, little strands would always escape the braid. Once I cut of 12 inches of hair at the end of my senior year, my hair would no longer fit into a braid and makes me a little sad thinking about that. I have a little cousin who looks a lot like me and she also has pretty long hair that she keeps in a braid a lot of the time. She also has really frizzy hair and it makes me laugh every time I see her because I know that is exactly how I looked at her age. I like how this haiku reminded me of good memories of something I hadn’t thought about in a while. Elizabeth

avoiding the cracks
on the sidewalk—
I walk down the street

Pat Steadman (3)

This is quite possibly the most passively if not accidentally hilarious haiku I've ever read. I still avoid cracks when I walk down the sidewalk as some sort of tribute and remembrance of my childhood, but I've never been in a situation where there were just so many cracks on the sidewalk that, in order to calm my nerves, I had to walk in the street. Seriously, maybe the author wasn't intending to sound as crazy as they do, but the fact is: this person unquestionably has obsessive compulsive disorder. WHo would take the time to walk to the street just to avoid sidewalk cracks? Still, aside from my thoughts on the sanity of this person, I really like the haiku. Brian R

pearly counter top—
one red-ish, rotting
apple

amid the flowers,
a concrete goose
without its head

Melanie McLay (11)

The text in this haiku is very simple, but the elements within it give a very stark contrast. A flower bed is soft, fresh, and inviting where as concrete is man made and unforgiving. It’s an interesting depiction of what spring time does to humans…on one hand they want the natural beauty of colorful flowers on their lawn but somewhere deep inside a cry for a replica of a goose that every other lawn has just must be included. I like that the author made it headless because it signifies how hideous these lawn/porch ornaments are and how they really should just die. The reader is then left with a humorous vision of an odd shaped block of concrete in, undoubtedly, a most fashionable outfit- perhaps a yellow raincoat with matching galoshes... Traci

This haiku basically describes one of my mother's worst fears. I bought her a concrete goose two years ago because she always wanted one and was the only one in the neighborhood that didn't have one. Tragedy I know. She is so sure that if she puts the concrete goose that I bought her outside then someone will knock it over, till it, break off the head, excetera that she keeps it in our living room. However, my little cousins would always play with it and wound up cracking it. My aunt fixed the crack and repainted it. But now my mom wont move it off of the table in the basement because she says "He's safe there." Just the whole idea of the concrete goose I think is kind of funny. The concept got just that more wacky when they started making clothes for them. My mom has many patterns to make more clothes for hers. So even though it's a little mean I can't help but smile just a little at this because of how ridiculous the concrete goose is but how important it is to so many suburban moms. Corinne

I also liked this haiku, and though I know precisely the goose the author is referencing, I think that just about anyone could relate to the haiku without having seen that poor decapitated lawn ornament outside the New Halls. If I’d never made the acquaintance of the goose, I would probably consider the last line as a nice surprise ending to the haiku (I saw it coming though, just like I foresaw the untimely demise of the goose…) Sarah

last night's stroll
the smell of bar-b-que
still lingers

watching the grandkids
play jacks—
delight

the geese
…flock…
through springtime

swimming in circles
I see myself within the glass
trapped

ice tinkles
in the lemonade
southern comfort

Rachel Cook

a firefly lights
on a blunted dagger—
outdoor theatre

white rocks
piled up
to tracks

an afternoon excursion
at the lake . . .
fish for dinner

Melanie McLay

This haiku really reminds me of my time spent in Minnesota. I’ve been an avid fisherman since I could hold a pole and shore lunches are no stranger to my family. This haiku may not even be referring to a shore lunch type scenario, but it still implies a good day fishing. I really love how this haiku doesn’t talk about the good day fishing but it’s reference to eating fish for supper reveals to the reader a lot about the day that has transpired. Rick

low murmurs
through the window:
a rabbit's nest

morning breeze
shower of white petals
float to the ground

Natalie Perfetti

This haiku interested me simply because of the beautiful image it created in my mind. The first line made me imagine a calm morning; there is a breeze but not a wind. It’s a cool morning and very foggy. The second line took me to an entirely different place. I imagined a person standing in the middle of a clearing of some sort while the white petals surround her. There is no limit to the abundance of the petals; they seem to come from no where. The ground is now entirely white from the petals; the speaker is actually ankle-deep in them. The speaker then falls down on her back, knowing that the petals will break the fall. Pat

bowing down
the fawn
sips the holy water

Jamie Devitt (6)

I liked the surprise of this haiku. The first two lines give a nice image, but it's the third line that really makes this haiku stand out. I imagine this happening on a very clear, fall morning. Maybe the deer is drinking out of the fountain of a little country church as the parishioners walk into Sunday services. Allison

dark rain
drowning
all the earthworms

a walnut in its teeth,
the squirrel peers at me
from a low branch

Sarah Corso (4)

I liked this one because it gave the squirrel a personality. Lots of people give animals characteristics to make them understandable, like the wise old owl, or the thieving coyotes. This one did by telling us what the squirrel was doing instead of just coming out and saying “conniving”, or “mischievous”. It really carved the path to allow us to make our own connections and discoveries regarding the squirrel. For it me it reminds me of Decatur, because it St. Louis, squirrels are small creatures that collect nuts and sit in trees. Here, they are the size of dogs and lunge at you aggressively like they have something to prove. Adam

beside the railroad
two squirrels
frozen

resting against the tree
a nearby squirrel
rummaging in the leaves

talk of hospice, then
new test results
and the opening of daylilies

in the grass,
a pair of flapping wings
springtime

Natalie Perfetti

shining bright on Bashô—
the illumination
of the black desk lamp

my stomach
turns over
another bad test grade

magnolia trees
in full bloom—
the soy factory!

Melanie McLay (7)

blowing hair
from wide open windows
road trip

Liz Ciaccio (4)

The author has chosen a great action to portray the mood of this trip. The blowing hair and open windows alludes to a carefree, exciting trip taken by a group of friends, or fun loving family members. I also get the feeling that the setting for the trip is somewhere down south during the summer, possibly a trip to Florida, or somewhere else along the Gulf Coast. The author has done a great job of creating a vivid picture in the reader’s imagination that places them right into the scene. I feel as if I’m in the car, feeling the fresh air whiz right past me. Erin

jagged stone
half-submerged
splits the river

a tie-dye blanket
so many colors
. . . a rainbow beauty

the ancient oak—
the lightening scar
still visible

Rick Bearce (5)

The haiku coincides with the Zen ideal of nothing special. With the phrase "lightening scar" the haiku hints at a raging gale and the tranquil days of healing that followed. From this poem, the reader realizes that the tree has suffered, but prevailed. "the ancient oak--" does not presume to impose a lesson on the reader, he/she merely observes this phenomenon of nature and captures it in an elegantly written Zen haiku. Natalie

sunrise
over the ocean—
pina colada

Brian Rhode

I really like this haiku particularly because of the fact that the first line says sunrise. I think it’s absolutely hilarious to imply that this person is drinking a pina colada and watching the sunrise. The haiku in general reminds me of some stereotypical corny haiku about watching the sunset on the beach with a cold drink, but the fact that this person is watching the sunrise just adds a whole new dimension to this haiku. In addition to the humorous aspect, the haiku also has a nice image of the sunrise over the ocean out on the beach. Rick

solace—
the warmth
of another

first raindrop
sizzles
on the asphalt

deep in the forest
the wind blows softly
whispering in the trees

Sarah Corso

I really liked this haiku because is summed up the entire scene with the use of sound. This is interesting because deep in a forest there are so many other senses being bambarded with elements far more than sound. There are bright colors of the flora and fauna, the feeling of the wind or the leaves, and the smell. You would of course hear many things, but to me that seems like a lesser sense in a forest situation, in this poem however it is not. The wind blows through the trees, and rather than seeing the leaves move, or feeling the breeze on your skin, it is the sound of the wind rustling, or whispering, thought the leaves. I really liked that, it gave me a whole new perspective. Andrew

final performance . . .
backstage
a stagehand pauses

august morning—
washing bedroom sheets
found in the hall

a child's painting—
the refrigerator magnet
stuck in the middle

Stephanie Dietrich (7)

This haiku took me directly back to my childhood and elementary art projects. By the time you get them home in your book bag, they are all wrinkled and bent up, but your mom still looks at it proudly and tells you it’s the most beautiful thing she has ever seen. I love how the last line specifies that the magnet is smack dab in the middle of the painting. To me, this implies that even though the magnet is covering up a good portion of the painting, it doesn’t really matter because the point isn’t really what the painting is of… The point is that whoever put it on display on the fridge was so proud of the little artist that they would have put it up no matter what it looked like. Keeping that in mind, I feel all warm and cozy inside when I read the haiku. Liz

This haiku reminded me of being a little kid and trying to hang up a picture on the fridge and trying not to cover up any important part of the picture. This haiku makes me think that the picture fell down and some one just quickly picked it up and placed it back on the fridge not even realizing that the animal magnet or the state of Missouri magnet was now smack dab in the middle of a piece of art. I think its kind of funny and a little pitiful to imagine. But I can see my little cousin getting upset because the picture he colored is covered carelessly with a weird magnet. I also thought of DaVinci's mom placing an animal magnet in the middle of the Mona Lisa. That is if DaVinci had lived in a time when there were refrigerators.   Corinne

“a child’s painting-
the refrigerator magnet
stuck in the middle”
This is another simple image, yet a very cute one. This haiku is extremely relatable because everyone has experienced that one childhood “artwork” that just won’t go away. My mom used to put up our artwork or homework on the fridge. This image of the magnet right in the middle of the painting makes me think that the child was so proud of his masterpiece that he marched up to the fridge and tried to put it up as high as he could all by himself. However, he couldn’t reach very far and the magnet ended up right in the middle of the picture. This was just too adorable for the mother to take down, so she left it up exactly as it was… for the next ten years or so. Faith

tranquil is the first shiver
from a flurry—the last
tells you you're home

as the popsicle melts
the joke
is revealed

Brian Rhode

I love this haiku because I was there when it happened. Actually, it was my popsicle. My roommate, trying to take care of me went to the store for me to buy me jell-o and popsicles. When she returned, I opened the popsicle and read the first of the joke. Frustrated to find out the answer, we sat in the living room waiting for me to finish eating it to find the answer. I just like the memory it brought back to me. I was in complete pain but thinking back I appreciate the kindness of my roommate and friend. Alisha

through the sprinkler
me and my
hollyhock doll

dressed all in white
I step out
into the snow-covered world

leaves rustling
through the half-open
window