wilting leaves
sitting on the sunny ledge,
forgotten

Nichole Johnson

I love this one. It's a really beautiful image. It's very serene. —Lea

watching him
take off his shirt
to reveal another

Emily Evans (3)

I really enjoy this haiku because of the surprise of the layers of the shirts. You see a clear picture of someone taking off their shirt, and you think they won't have anything on underneath it, but another shirt takes its place. It's that innocent kind of curiosity that makes this haiku unique. The girl probably was wishing he wasn't wearing something underneath. —Katie

I love this haiku's subtle hint of sexuality. It's really moving. —Lea

This haiku is so awesome because of the surprise at the end. I know that this haiku is by my haiku buddy. The first time I read this (after she sent it to me about three weeks ago), I instantly fell in love with it. The first two lines set you up for something sexy or even erotic, and then BAM!—you get hit with the surprise extra shirt! On a more serious note, I also like the slow feel of this haiku. I just imagine him taking off his shirt slowly. Even with the surprise at the end, this haiku is extremely sensual. —Jenn

until the fireworks
the bats
circling

Katie Steimann (2)

I really enjoyed this haiku. When the sky lights up and all of a sudden you see thousands of little bodies scurrying for cover… Wow. It really lighted up my imagination. No pun intended. Abby

from the treetops
almost touching
heaven

looking down
from the cliff
morning mist rolling in

his gentle snore
in the darkness
i dress

Jennifer Van Natta (4)

guest vote

I love the use of the small i. This haiku gives a great image. —Lea

It’’s so hard to pick only two favorites from the group to write about, as there are so many wonderful haiku. This one gives me a sense of familiarity between the couple: his snoring being a sort of routine for sleeping. She (if she is a “she,” I just put myself into the poem) seems unbothered by the fact that he’s snoring; rather, she welcomes it as part of what makes it him. She seems reluctant to be getting up from their bed, hearing his rhythmic snoring calling her back to bed. Really awesome imagery.—Joanne

I enjoyed this haiku because I like the sense of sound, visual and touch as I read it. I like to be able to hear his snore, to see him in the darkness, and to feel myself getting dressed. This is also special to me because it reminds me of moments I have experienced. I am comforted while reading this haiku. —Regan

cheeks flushed red
he compliments her
butterflies

Lea Evers (4)

O Mabson Winner

I feel that this haiku captures a moment better than any other here. I especially appreciate the 'surprise' line that is the simple "butterflies." Also, this is a very bare haiku compared to the rest, honing toward the 'wordless' Zen tradition. Even without an apparent seasonal indicator, the image I receive from these three lines is that of a girl dressed in a long wool coat, gloves, and one of those fluffy-wool hats, flushed from the cold wind of a mid or late autumn night as leaves rustle by in the breeze.

Brock Peoples, guest judge

twisting the tube
to dress my lips
in red

Joanne Weise (6)

I am also a big fan of this haiku because it approaches something so normal from a very creative viewpoint. I see the movement of the twist and the application of the lipstick. Red is such a vibrant color too, it always is very clear and distinct when it is mentioned.—Katie

This haiku is genuis. I enjoy the playful, surprising nature of this haiku. At first I thought the author was twisting herself into a tight tube dress, but then they use the double meaning of "dress" to imply lipstick. I think this is something to explore: the many meanings of words, and how they create such different images and actions.—Emily

This haiku is really great. I never would have thought to write a haiku about lipstick! It works really well! —Lea

I liked this haiku because, at least in my experience, the moment a woman puts on her lipstick is a moment of pure concentration. Everything gets blanked out while she concentrates on making sure her lips look perfect. And it's not a moment that actually takes a lot of energy. It's a moment where she clears her mind and relaxes before she heads out for whatever event she would be heading out for. And those feeling remind me of what haiku is all about…the relaxation and the meditation. Regan

I want
for you to want
Me

Regan Bledsaw (4)

This haiku really hit me. It's great. It's so basic, yet so real, so true. I absolutely love it. —Lea

guiding me through
the bar
your hand on my back

Katie Steimann (5)

This haiku gives me such a warm, fuzzy feeling! I can see the narrator and her boyfriend walking through the bar and he’s being protective and taking care of her. Maybe she’s had too much to drink, or maybe she’s perfectly sober, but whatever the case, he cares for her and she’s HIS girl. It’s really cool that really deep feelings can be conveyed with such a simple gesture in this haiku.—Nichole

This haiku is so simplistic. It's such an everyday thing. My ex always did that! —Lea

I love this image. It’s amazing how an act so little can have such a profound impact on another person. I see a couple, probably one that met in college, who are planning on going out with a few friends at night to a crowded bar. Instead of getting separated, the boyfriend keeps close by having his hand on his girlfriend’s back the whole way. Amazing - a simple touch can convey what kind of love and togetherness the couple shares.—Joanne

stomach lurches
they're just friends
   . . . right?

Nichole Johnson (3)

I could really relate to this haiku. It reminded me of how my best friend Eric and I were. Everyone knew we should have been together but us. We just found out a little too late. But every time we’re around each other it all seems to come back in exactly the same way as described above. A beautiful job with this one. Abby

watching through the glass
as she walks away
one last time

Rick Bearce (3)

I really like the structure of this haiku. The lines get shorter and shorter, like they’re trailing off into the distance. I can just see the woman walking away, getting smaller and smaller until she disappears. I also like how this haiku very simply conveys such an emotionally loaded image. The narrator is watching as someone (whom maybe they love) is walking away and they know that either they’re never going to see the woman again or things between the narrator and the woman will never go back to the way they were before she walked away. —Nichole

This haiku is beautiful. Although nothing is said of the person looking through the glass, you can feel so much of his emotion. I picture a man with tears in his eyes watching the woman of his dreams leave forever. I sense feelings of sorrow, regret, and yearning from this haiku. Also, the choice of words is very elegant, especially in the first line. These words hold feeling so much better than something plain like, “looking out the window.” —Jenn

after class
watching the model
put on her clothes

Emily Evans (1)

rituals fulfilled
the folded flag lies
by the marine's urn

first one up
silence
fills the camp

Alicia Scott (2)

This haiku reminds me of many of the camping trips I've been on. Whenever I go camping, I always get up very early in the morning and sit alone by the campfire. I always find it a very peaceful setting in the dark silence. —Rick

snowstorm moves in
ice fishermen drive away
over the frozen lake

purring cat
rubs against her leg
empty bowl

Lea Evers (3)

guest vote

Christmas morning
gift wrapping everywhere . . .
sleeping dog

new apartment
someone's hair
waxed to the tile

Katie Steimann (4)

A wonderfully observant, compassionate haiku. Thank you for not thinking the hair is gross, and for taking time to notice it, and what it means in a broader scope. The Zen Tenet for this week explains Basho sleeping, drunken, on stones. Many have passed, and many will pass after him. We are small, and only just passing through, a connection. —Emily

This haiku definitely came alive to me. Moving into an unfamiliar place is enough to stress someone out, but add in the fact that you’re finding strange hair from a possibly strange person on the floor, and that’s worse. It’’s always gross to find someone else’s hair on your bathroom floor, even if they belong to your roommate; this person has no idea where the hair came from. Whoever wrote this did an excellent job tying the strangeness of a new home to the few hairs of a stranger.—Joanne

stirring the compost
under a banana peel
new grass grows

Emily Evans (2)

fell asleep
with my glasses on
static on tv

Jennifer Van Natta (3)

I’ve done this so many times before. Though with the invention of DVDs I more often wake up to the main menu. —Ali

This haiku also reminds me of a situation where I often find myself.   I often watch tv late at night and since I don't sleep in my contacts, I'm wearing my glasses. I then have a tendency to drift off to sleep. I don't always wake up to a static screen but the light of the TV will usually wake me up at some point in the night. —Rick

at a moive
waking up
to the credits

sending letters
across the pacific
a pebble drops.

tiny fingers
hold the bottle
to Teddy's lips

Lea Evers (3)

When I read this one I could just picture my second cousin who is two and like a niece to me. From what my cousin says she loves playing with dolls and such. —Ali

a night alone—
from her shoes
they took the laces

beer can
         rolls
down the hill

Abby Kavanaugh (2)

this moment is meant
to be kept
under glass