rooster tails:
wet roads
and speeding tires

baby birds
gather on the highway
flight school

Ryan Hosler (5)

This poem made me laugh out loud, really. How many of us have not been driving down the highway and seen the back of a sign or electrical wires packed full of birds? To say that they are baby birds attending flight school is a perfect reason for why all those birds congregate there. A Pixar short film comes to mind, titled the Birds, in which there are several birds on a telephone wire, chirping away, and a misfit comes and lands right in the middle of all of them. If one is driving along and sees the back of a highway sign full of birds, chances are if their windows are down and it is quiet enough out, they can hear all those birds chirping at once, just like students might be talking loudly before a class. It is such a clever metaphor. I also enjoyed the sense the haiku gave me of that noise of the birds, because so many haiku are peaceful and silent, where as this one had noise to it. —Missy

firefly field
blackwidow keeps silent vigil
over the warm gravestone

I’m unaware
listening to music before class
I’m ready

rain shower
under the awning
a beetle takes shelter

Rick Bearce (4)

I appreciate this haiku for its simplicity. It reminds me of how humans also take shelter during a rain shower. It presents a clear and vivid picture in my mind. Thanks! Amy

laying in bed
feeling warm and cozy
rain pounds against the windows

Carol Colby

rabbit munching on grass
beside my black car
he freezes, staring

peace . . .
and the whistle
of the wind

mourn
see you later
celebrate

A.J. Burse (3)

It's a nice reminder that funerals aren't just a chance to say goodbye, but also a chance to scelebrate the life that dsome one has lived. It doesn' ignore the fact that an ending can be sad, but it has all three parts of a funeral wrapped simply into a tiny little package. This is probably the most beautifully worded piece I've read ever. I'm going to hang it up on my wall here in my dorm. *Hangs haiku on wall* JP

school bus stops:
kids run
home

Amy Van Rheeden

I remember always seeing the grade school kids getting off the bus at the corner of my block.  As soon as they get off the bus they run everywhere then in a couple of minutes they all just go home. AJ

sleepless and wondering
when the monster will
go to sleep

Missy Brassie

This haiku makes me envision a battered woman lying in bed. She is laying there, listening to the sounds of her drunken husband. She is pretending to sleep, hoping that he has consumed enough alcohol to pass out. This way, she will not have to endure another night of verbal and physical abuse. Kristen

I like the imagery that this haiku forces me to imagine. I see a little child in his or her bedroom tucked underneath their Power Ranger blankets with only their eyes peeking out. It all seems kind of humorous, and I think almost everybody can relate to this scenario because who wasn't afraid of a monster under the bed or in the closet when we were children. Nate

crawl feeling
long gone
but still here

crows’ clothes                          black midnight

      Amy Van Rheeden

Haiku: A Poet’s Guide mentioned form experimentation, particularly in horizontal haiku, and this poem is a wonderful example of such. The imagery of the words is powerful; not only does the reader see a dark bird, but he can also see the murky blackness of night. The horizontal form allows the reader to process the concept of “crow’s clothes,” an atypical image, before continuing to read what the crow’s feathers remind the poet of. One doesn’t usually think of animals with clothes, and this interpretation – the use of “clothes” instead of feather – is very effective and new. Goli

a lonely hill
memories of forgotten love
a cold wind blows

John Wright

cold wind
across my face
wet mud in Mills Quad

Carol Colby (3)

Yeah I can relate to this one very well.  I had to look at that mud every day outside my window last year because I used to live in Mills.  And when that wind picks up it can get a bit chilly. AJ

morning dew
the flower
embraces the sunrise

Nathan Halteman (2)

This haiku perfectly captures the sereneness and miraculous nature of the world rising from its slumber. Very peaceful; this is the point of haiku. John

two lily pads
frog and fly
sit between my reflection

Ryan Hosler (5)

I really liked the creativity of this haiku. The phrase “between my reflection” is very thought provoking when you try to picture what’s going on in the situation. Although it’s an unusual phrase that you have to think into to understand, it works well with this haiku (as opposed to using strange metaphors in haiku which relate to the author and generally no one else). The first two lines present that nice nature image, and the last simply ties it all together. Very nice haiku. Rick

a caterpillar
moves
the sidewalk

Amy Van Rheeden (2)

This is a classic of misplaced frame of reference, beautifully written. The small triumphs over the impossible.

Jason Sanford Brown
Roadrunner Haiku Journal
www.roadrunnerjournal.net

What time is it
15 minutes till boredom
I must get ready for class again

lot of wisdom
but I have a short amount of time
that’s why I took this class

a train whistle sounds
two students
share their true forms

unfolded laundry
on my bed—
How will I sleep?

JP Moyemont (5)

I like this one because it reminds me of when I was younger. So many times my bed would be cluttered with clothes at bedtime. These days I would take the time to put them all away, but when I was younger I wouldn't hesitate to just throw them on the floor only to throw them back on the bed the very next day. It was a vicious cycle. Nate

I’ve had this feeling before: lots of work to do, barely enough time, and sleep tugging on your eyelids. I imagine that the writer of the haiku decided to just move the laundry and take a nap, shunning the work until the next day. John

This haiku reminds me of something I would do. It’s another ode to the procrastinator. The author is almost saying “I’ve already done all the laundry and brought it back to my room, folding now would take entirely too much effort so I’ll just leave it till later.” Later then becomes bedtime and the clothes still aren’t folded. I for one will not hesitate to admit that I’ve been in this situation and simply slept on the clean clothes. Clothes are pretty much like shaped blankets anyway. This haiku is very humorous in that respect and it can relate to many people. Even if the reader isn’t that sort of person, I think most people know at least one person who would do something like that. Great expression of everyday life. Rick

reciever dropped
after the eighth ring—
another anniversary alone

JP Moyemont (2)

I envision a woman. She has prepared a candlelight anniversary dinner for her husband. This time, he has promised to make it home. He is already late, so she calls him on his cellular phone. He does not answer. As she hangs up the phone, she wonders if this marriage is worth saving. Kristen

I love this haiku! The tone is serious, and the word play is exquisite. I thought football, but then I was moved to a relationship issue, feeling the hurt of betrayal. Amy

rainstorm approaching
the cattle
gather

Nathan Halteman (3)

I like this one!

Brock Peoples '03

nicotine, alcohol,
cocaine?
memories of a Christian childhood

Rick Bearce (2)

Not all people are who they say they are. They say they believe in Christ, but then follow an alternative route. It makes me think of those people who stop you in the super market to talk to you about their personal relationship aobut the lord, scold you about your "devilish ways", then go home to get drunk and beat their wives. JP

sticky little bottle
I touch it
it almost falls

my own hand
shakes
every morning

never complaining
she cooks the meals
stirring round and round again

one day clean
feeling again
reborn

Rick Bearce (3)

neglected garden
weeds
solitary rose

Nathan Halteman (3)

This haiku accurately exhibits the haiku characteristic of a “cut.” The first two lines can be separated from the final one, introducing almost two different ideas. However, when all three lines of combined, the effect of the poem is massive. The image of a run-down garden, ridden with gray and yellow weeds, a single red rose pushing through the grime, is very clear. This is one of my favorite haiku so far. Goli

looking in the mirror
my body trembles
blood drips off the blade

the small hummingbird
pokes the empty carton
rotten under the heat

vengeful?
re . . .
think

A.J. Burse

I like this poem because it’s simple and direct. The simplicity actually made me think of the consequences of vengeances. I think that was the concept the author was trying to get at. I also like the poem because it broke the rules of Haiku. Haiku I thought are generally supposed to follow a 5, 7 , 5 sequence. It also made me think of the concept of morality. I like to hear other people's interpretation of morality. Brent

small pace
I’m kept silent all day
someone listen

heavy rain—
the flowers
persist!

Amy Van Rheeden (4)

The image of flowers being beaten down by a heavy rain storm, but yet between each rain drop the flowers spring back just for a second. The flowers fight the rain and after it stops, they usually sag and droop. After time, though, they will bounce back for good, regaining their once unchallenged beauty. Certainly this is a wonderful metaphor for the will power of people. We can be beaten down and hammered to the ground by we will fight on, and we will persevere until we are able to spring back. This haiku in particular captures that triumphant mood with the exclamation point at the end. They will not be defeated. What a victorious haiku! —Missy

a stream of light
filters through the window
dancing with the shadows

sunlight
through the blinds
first smoke of morning buzz

the fan hums
into
deep sleep

Amy Van Rheeden (3)

I enjoyed this poem because I always enjoy the fan on while I’m sleep. I pictured myself in my dorm after a hard night of studying, with the wind from the fan blowing in my face. I also enjoyed the poem because the author shared a similar interest with me. (Sleeping with the fan on) The poem is short and direct. It makes me tired just thinking about it. Brent

This is reminiscent of Chris Gordon and well wrought, the restorative motion precluded by the essential but mundane. I hope this does intrude; I wish I could take your class.

Jason Sanford Brown
Roadrunner Haiku Journal
www.roadrunnerjournal.net