once striking,
no longer after he
struck

Adam Stefo

beautiful wife
crying in a corner
abused

rain drops
wash away
her face

Rick Bearce

your sparkling eyes
fade with the North Star—
jaded

once striking,
no longer after he
struck

rain drops
wash away
her face

top quarter champion =

rain drops
wash away
her face

top half champion =

rain drops
wash away
her face

bottom quarter champion =

re-reading
a childhood favorite
pressed dandelions
slip to my lap

re-reading
a childhood favorite
pressed dandelions
slip to my lap

fifty years later,
the fair princess—
is not the frog

front steps
used to
seem bigger

Brian Blankenship

re-reading
a childhood favorite
pressed dandelions
slip to my lap

Stephanie Dietrich

years later
the petals are still pink
on the dried rose

fifty years later,
the fair princess—
is not the frog

Corinne Cullina

top half champion =

rain drops
wash away
her face

grand champion =

rain drops
wash away
her face

bottom half champion =

one
wrinkle
too many

wrinkles—
lines of beauty
fade into history

one
wrinkle
too many

Rachel Cook

girl
in the mirror
a woman's
lost reflection

trying to find
her youth
in the mirror

one
wrinkle
too many

trying to find
her youth
in the mirror

top quarter champion =

one
wrinkle
too many

bottom half champion =

one
wrinkle
too many

bottom quarter champion =

the old woman
doesn't recognize
the girl in the picture

the old woman
doesn't recognize
the girl in the picture

porcelain angels
count each year
from glass prisons

the old woman
doesn't recognize
the girl in the picture

Pat Steadman

I see my face
in Mom's
wedding pictures

porcelain angels
count each year
from glass prisons

packed away
in the attic
her wedding dress

re-reading
a childhood favorite
pressed dandelions
slip to my lap

Fifty years later,
the fair princess—
is now the frog

front steps
used to
seem bigger

re-reading
a childhood favorite
pressed dandelions
slip to my lap

This pair ended up in our matching contest sort of by accident: when we set up our eight pairs in the matching chart, we didn’t notice that these two might get matched up. When they did, it made for some good laughs. These two haiku unexpectedly play off of each other in a cause-effect relationship. After reading them side by side, I imagined that the favorite childhood book mentioned in the first haiku was The Frog Prince. Paired together, these two haiku take on a new meaning—a meaning that is comical but tragic all at once. Melanie

Although this pair was in the first round of eliminations, I found it difficult to choose between these two haiku. Both haiku convey original ideas. “front steps” puts me back into the world of childhood, the world that exists below door knobs. It used something commonplace and stationery to measure the passing of years. In “re-reading” I like the idea of pressing dandelions rather than roses or corsages as true evidence of childhood. Although I think “front steps” is better written, it employs less imagery and detail. I still prefer “front steps” as my personal favorite, even though the group chose “re-reading.” Natalie

rain drops
wash away
her face

your sparkling eyes
fade with the North Star:
jaded

one
wrinkle
too many

Wrinkles-
Lines of Beauty
Fade into history

When our group was discussing the haiku to pair up, these two made up one of the most unlikely (and one of the last) matches. On the surface they seem very different, but underneath I found a surprising connection – nature. The first is about false beauty being washed away by the power of nature: the real declaring its ultimate power over the fake. The second compares a person’s eyes to a part of nature: both are fading. I really liked the use of the natural element in these two, especially in the first, when it shows how nature triumphs… maybe that’s why it was ultimately our champion! Sarah Corso

This pair of haiku is an interesting match. They show two contrasting views of wrinkles. The first haiku shows wrinkles in a negative light- even one wrinkle, no matter how small, is “too many” in the eyes of the author. The other haiku shows wrinkles as “lines of beauty,” not necessarily implying that wrinkles are physically beautiful but rather that they with age comes beauty of the soul. The wrinkles, therefore, show that the person has become older, wiser, and more beautiful inside if not out. They are two very different views of wrinkles. Personally, I prefer the first haiku because I feel it is the better written of the two. The last line of the second haiku is a bit confusing- what does it mean? I don’t understand what the author was trying to convey with this haiku, but it was not conveyed to me. The first haiku, on the other hand, is very short, sweet and to the point. It uses only necessary words to convey an image and a feeling without being too abrupt or incomplete. The first haiku is the better of the two. Faith