breeze brushes back my bangs
like his hand
lost in silence

heat storm
from the roof of the building
we see the lightning

Jessica Golden

I love the imagery this one evokes. The words are fairly simple, and yet I picture a striking scene of an orange, red, and yellow sky in the distance with thundering clouds that split the sky in half moving overhead. For some reason, I always associate heat storms with sunset in the dead of summer. I used to be terrified of storms as a kid, then I got over it and when through a phase where I wanted to be a storm chaser and the only movie I ever watched was Twister. As soon as I realized that storm chasing meant meteorology, and that meant a ton of math and science, I quickly decided it wasn’t the career for me. I still retain my love of weather though and I find a lot of beauty in watching lightning. Laura

I really like this haiku. It makes me see a couple on the flat roof of a house, or maybe they climbed up on top of a shed, and it just finally got dark. They are laying on the roof, maybe on a blanket and it is hot, and they are sitting close. Maybe they are facing each other talking and the girl sees a flash behind him just as she leans in for a kiss. It is a perfect moment, full of passion and heat in both a literal and metaphorical sense. The heat storm could literally be a heat storm, but could also be a metaphor for the electricity and chemistry between them. Overall, it is a really sweet and tender moment. I love lightning and I think it is so extraordinarily beautiful. I always wanted to be a storm chaser, so to me, lighting is the most romantic and beautiful thing in nature, just like I think that a rainy day is far more beautiful than a sunny one. This haiku really captures the heat of a relationship and the chemistry between two people. Beth Ann

I really like this haiku because, as a child, I was fascinated by storms – particularly lightning. It reminds me of the times I would just sit and watch out my window – despite my mother’s warnings to stay away from the windows. It also brings into mind Greek mythology. The sheer power that is contained by lightning, although we can explain it scientifically, still makes one want to say some all-powerful deity is controlling it and can smite any mortal he wants with a whim of his imagination. Although I don’t believe in Greek mythology as something that has or is occurring, I still like to immerse myself in legends and lore from bygone days. Danny

on the couch side-by-side
space            between
       the silence

Beth Ann Melnick

I like this haiku because of the breaks. It brings the actual silence into the haiku. The reader can feel the awkwardness, the tension in the silence and can relate to that. I can see a younger couple, sitting in the living room of their house, watching a movie of some sort. They are sitting close to each other, not with hips touching, but not on opposite ends of the couch. The girl is waiting for the guy to make a move, and the guy is unsure about whether he should make a move or not, resulting in an unbearable tension that is felt by both of them. Eddie

starry night sky
gazing upon
our future

Ally Staudenmaier

spoon-fed
she guides his finger—
spring blossoms through the window

autumn night, walking
just do it
hands touch

I absolutely love the fall. (When it is real fall weather, which means it doesn't go from 90 to 60 in a day) I love walking outside with someone you care about. When I was in high school, I dated a guy who loved the outdoors and one evening before sunset we went out to the land where he hunts to spend time together. We walked a long way to a forested area and crossed a creek to end up in a gorgeous open field surrounded by trees on either side to watch the sunset. After the sun had gone down, we were walking away and kept just slightly touching hands when we walked. I so badly wanted to hold his hand, but since we just started dating I figured I should wait. After we dated for a long time, I finally told him how badly I wanted to hold his hand and he laughed because he was feeling the same way. Ally

locking fingers
onlookers
and their smirks

cuddling on the quad,
dreams tucked between
fluffy summer clouds

My favorite part of this haiku is the image of dreams being tucked into the clouds in the sky. In a poetic sense, dreams are not of this world... they are imaginary figments that float here and there. Our dreams all mingle with each other in the same sky. I love the idea of this couple’s dreams connecting to each other in the sky just as their bodies are close to each other on the earth. This haiku just makes me want to float among the clouds, and bat them around the sky. I just thought this was a really pretty image, and it was an altogether lovely haiku. Katie

wondering what he's thinking
I watch a moth
dance in circles

I like this haiku a lot. It contrasts something very emotional with a simple act in nature. I have a few experiences in which I was outside, and alone with a guy. I had feelings for them, and would die to know what was on their minds. However, something outside would be my distraction. In this moment, I could feel the heat of passion. Steph

his fingers folding
neatly within mine
a new bud appears

sea sand
battered against continents
same old, same old

porch steps
his hand awkwardly finds
mine

under the umbrella
suntan lotion
an excuse to get close

hazy moon
second chances
one last time

Samantha Miles

crowded bed
I finally find a place
for my left arm

Beth Ann Melnick

I love this haiku because I can instantly see the scene. I think of a couple sharing a small dorm room bed. This situation is not ideal because two people are not meant to share a twin size bed. One of the people on the bed moves around a lot when they sleep so the other person is having a hard time finding a comfortable place to rest for the night. I feel like no matter how a person sleeps one arm is always the awkward arm that can not find its place on the bed that is comfortable. I love that the haiku ends with some resolution of the problem with the awkward arm finding its place. Madeline

snowflakes dance
celebrating
as he kneels

summer afternoon
on the old wooden bench we kiss
as your dog stands watch

risking it all
to be each other’s
summer love

Jessica Golden

This pretty much sums up my summer relationship to a tee. The guy I dated over the summer was many things that made the relationship ‘forbidden.’ He was my ex-boyfriend’s best friend. He was my best friend’s ex-boyfriend. And he was also of a different racial background. For these reasons, my ex-boyfriend didn’t approve, my best friend didn’t approve, and my parents didn’t approve. But I risked losing all of those people just to be able to call him my boyfriend. Now I know that it was highly stupid of me. I’m lucky that my friends and parents supported me, because I could have lost their love for good, which would have been extremely unfortunate since that boyfriend and I broke up as soon as summer was over! Kelsey

our hands
like embolus and epigynum
spider’s glistening web

Kelsy Whitney

spider on the ceiling
my knight in shining boxers
saves the day again

Laura Scoville

first snow
finding my way into
your cubby

lips touch
one last time
departing summer

Samantha Miles

two birds bickering
love's laughter
we nudge each other as we walk

Samantha Parks

I liked the image this haiku portrays. I can imagine a couple as they walk through the park and they look up at they see the birds chirping at each other, which just makes them laugh. You can see the smiles on their faces and you can feel the love and happiness between them. I love how it also uses bickering n the first line which normally seems sort of mean but in this haiku I feel like it's being used in a cute playful manner, which adds to the simple, good time feeling of the haiku. Sam Miles

Facebook breakup
glowing sun
becomes a glacier