snow day—
God DOES
exist

melting snow...
she sits through class
with soaked jeans

Brittney Gillespie

The rain on the first of March was terrible! At around 12:50pm, it was hailing and really windy. My umbrella went inside-out a bit. Every bit of me below my trench coat was drenched. Some of my pieces of paper have red stain on them now. At times like these I wish I could enclose myself in a force field. ...I guess this haiku shows that I'm not the only one who suffered that rain. Rider

snow falls
snow melts
we all fall down

Chonita Ziegler

I chose this haiku for a favorite because it describes the present state of the weather. I feel like I have experienced almost everyday for the past couple of weeks. I am happy that the snow is melting, but before we actually reach spring we have to go through this awkward weather stage that involves the snow melting during the day but then freezing into ice as it gets cold at night and in the early morning. The first two lines of this haiku are a happy thought because they make us think spring is on the way, but then the third is kind of a dreary line because it reminds us of the ice we have to maneuver every morning. Jenna

icy street
he saves her
as the car slides

Keith Chandler

I like this one because it is not as clear about what is happening as some of the others. The author gives information, but not enough to figure it all out. Obviously on an icy street a car begins to slide, but the “he” that saves the “her” could be the man in the car bracing the woman for impact, or (like I believe) he could be pushing her out of the way of the sliding car. John

semi-truck
splashing through the puddles
I just washed my car

snowbound grocery list
she sighs
take one for the team

drip drop
it all falls
down

red sun      reflecting
off white drifts
sculpted by the wind

drinking in
           the slanted light
springtime

found myself
in this quiet place
a prayer to catch my thoughts

Joan Tirado

I loved this haiku because sometimes reality is taking all the energy out of you that you feel that you have no thoughts of your own to make because you are on a time constraint. This is how a college life makes me feel because I am always in the lab, reading, or typing one paper to another. I think that sometimes when I have time for myself, I get to think about what types of decisions I will have to make ahead and this time alone gives me confidence. Also, when my grandfather died when I was eight years old and I went to the garden on the back yard because I did not understand the concept of death. The good thing was that I remember praying for him and hoping that someone would take care of him. Alya

chirping birds outside
promise warmth...
the cold air hits her face

Brittney Gillespie

I know all about early morning disappointment. Many a time have I woken up hoping for specific weather only to look outside or walk out the door and have my hopes and dreams crushed. John

rays of sun bursting
through my heart
“the light of the world”

ocean breeze—
mother’s memory
a lingering embrace

Alya Sager

I like the imagery that this haiku provides. I imagine that the breeze of the ocean sparks memories of someone’s mother. The person stands their reminiscing, and the breeze comforts them, in a way, much like a lingering embrace from their mother. John

I loved
I lost
helicopter falls from the tree

warm on a spring night
our jackets compress and swish
I love him

first spring rain
a time when jumping in puddles…
wasn’t a crime

laughing so hard
you finish my sentence
bonfire

autumn park
peanut butter and jelly
we are

childhood crush
a magnolia blooms
the first of many

Chonita Ziegler

I loved this poem just because I think that childhood crushes are so cute. I am one you recycles relationships and I just lately have reunited with a very important person in my live. I’ve known him for 8 years so I kind of consider him a childhood crush. Every year for the past 8 years there was always a time when we would talk and be friends for a while but timing ended up not being a friend of ours so sometimes we would have to part for a little bit. We both care a lot about each other and this poem reminds me of a part of my story on this significant other. Amy

cold winter night
he is next door
her shoes at the front door

heart stopping moment
his new wedding band
sparkles back at her

Joan Tirado

I like this one because I have had this moment. My ex had cheated on me and ended up marring the girl he cheated on me with, but I didn’t know that until one night he invited me to go to dinner with him and I said yes. We sat and had a lovely conversation and then he put his hands on the table and I saw his wedding ring. My heart stopped and my mouth dropped. I didn’t know what to say. Andi

fish out of water
i wear a dress
to please him

Brittney Gillespie (10)

Conforming to the patriarchy! Argh, I get so angry when I think about how girls waste so much time trying to dress in something that will please a man. It’s very silly and in the end no one ever benefits because you’re uncomfortable, and that translates into your carriage. Just wear what you want, and if he doesn’t like it, kick him in the shins, hard. Deirdre

I like this haiku because it reminds me of the phrase, there are plenty of fish in the sea. Meaning don’t worry there are other men/women in the dating pool. This reminds me of the situation I am in now. Not knowing weather to settle down or keeping fishing for the fish, I keep dressing cute to catch them. Lorin

I picked this haiku because I could see myself doing this. I’m not a real big “girly girl,” but I have done this before. I’ve gotten all dressed up with makeup and everything to impress a boy. Even though it is awkward just like the haiku suggests with the fish out of water. Chonita

her thong
forgotten on the floor
my mom walks in

Brittney Gillespie (15)

This haiku cracks me up because I think that every adolescent has had a time of experimentation with the other sex that has gone array. I think that it is really easy for a lot of people to relate to because everyone has at least one experience like that. It can be scarring for life but those are the memories that you cherish the most and remember forever. Lizabeth

This was my favorite!!! I loved it, I laughed so hard. It doesn’t bring a story of mine to mind, but I can see it happening. I think this is just one of those things every college student hopes never happens, or perhaps high school. I think it is well written too. A lot is implied but the story is still getting told. Phil K

you and dad
16 candles
birds and the bees

at home
I worry
for the crocuses

my own
worst enemy
shares my face

John Wright (12)

This haiku is one of my favorites because of the intensity of it. The feeling of recognition and disdain is overwhelming. It's amazing. Brittney

This is very true for a lot of GIRLS! So many girls are so hard on themselves. Geez, if I had a dime for every time a girl state something about how she doesn’t like something about herself I would be a rich lady! Lets just say I would have school paid off! This poem really works. Sometimes I think that because it is a haiku and is written in the proper basic form it cannot be as daring as the haiku that are one like or with ellipses or breaks in the words, but it is not at all true. This poem proves its position. Amy

first sunny day
after the blizzard
long line at the car wash

reaching for my shining star
my arm
not long enough

he walks out
the front door—
into brown leaves

love—
warm rain on the face
feels perfect

Sarah VanderZee

I like this one, because I love rain. I love the way rain can be warm and it includes all of the senses. You can feel it, smell it, hear it, and taste it. It’s the same with love. It becomes all of your surroundings and you become a part of that. Love surrounds people and it becomes a part of them. Sarah

January wind
she agrees to marry
to get out of the cold

Deirdre Fields (6)

vibrant sunrise
the couple has yet
to fall asleep

pouring rain
we don’t even notice
as colors fill the sky

the sunflower
reaches to the sun...
fibonacci's sequence

kitchen tiles
a diamond fitted square
faded

remembering one thing
I like about math
there is always a solution

Whitney Minor

Honorable Mention
Stanford Forrester

purely
a love-hate relationship
geometrical proofs

Rachel Morrison

After are talk about geometry in nature I thought this was very interesting. I don’t know much about proofs, but I do know about love hate relationships. If I got anything out of the talk about math and haiku I think this would be completely possible. Could it be true that a math equation could tell people if they are compatible? I wish it was that easy. Phil K

This entry reminded me of the Geometry presentation. It took me back to Diedre and Brittney’s presentation and how intresting it was. Actually I wonder if it was indeed one of their haiku. I guess time will tell come tomorrow if this haiku is born. Geometry is indeed one of those love-hate relationships. You either love the math and congruent angles or you love it and find it beautiful and artistic (as Brittney does). Jay

the trees around the pond...
she sees them sway
in mathematical equations

swirling into infinity
fractal
color bursts

              Deirdre Fields (4)

Rider says, I have one way to respond to this:

we learn fast
the math teacher
has awful breath

three people that connect
us by three lines
triangle

the shortest distance
between two points
is now zero

great mountains
from the sky
erode into nothingness

an extra dimension
in a simulation—
dizzying

robot world
we all have
a glitch

Lizabeth Hare (8)

The haiku above shows that no matter how much we try to be perfect we are always imperfect in something. Sometimes we might think of ourselves as perfect but others might disagree with our assumption. Technology today is technically supposed to be more efficient and cause us less stress. Yet that is not the case based on that computers as well as software systems malfunction all the time. Also, the human body to science is a perfect form of complex cell structure and organization. The sad thing is that many people get disease or develop cancer. Thus, even in our own world or an imaginary one, there is still a glitch to the perfect reality. Alya

I see this haiku trying to relate that our world is obsessed with perfect people. We think we are in a perfect world. This is a very selfish and untruthful idea. This imagine we have that we are in a perfect world make me question, why do point out all the flaws then? Lorin

This entry made me think about how computerized the world is becoming. I’m computer-literate and reliant but as the movie I-robot conveyed, will computers take over ? Will artificial intelligence indeed exceed homo sapien intelligence ? Last time I checked we had computer intelligence operating at the capacity of a 4 year old child. If it ever exceeds this we need a system of checks and balances. But we both have our glitches we are imperfect as are the computer’s that we produce. Will we ever have a human computer person utopia ? Yes….but in my lifetime I’m not so sure. Jay

he touches her
pregnant belly again—
summer morning

Keith Chandler (4)

I like this because I imagine a newly wed couple lying together in bed on a summer weekend morning. They are still in the honeymoon stage and all he can do is just rub her bell because he is in awe of what he had made. Andi

I really like the feelings from this one. It is an early summer morning, so it’s not hot yet. The woman is not quite awake, but the husband is already pampering her and touching her belly. I think it is cute when men get really excited about having a baby. It’s like they miss out a little, because they don’t get to experience it completely. (Although I’m sure they don’t miss the pain at the end.) Rachel

one wrong step leaves
me lost and alone
a lamb

remnants
of our family vacation
falling into place

frumpy black dress
beads of rain on the window
perfect day for a funeral

slick sidewalks
an old woman balances
a soup pot on her side

kiss
on the shoulder
I want you

Rachel Morrison

This is cute. I think of this as two people who are good friends and the guy kisses her on the shoulder. The girl wants to see him as something more, but he does it because he cares. This is sad, because everyone feels this at some point. It’s a longing of being some thing more than friends. Sarah

sparkling silvery ice
softly falling snow
no school tomorrow

in the cold rain
prostitute, wife
all impulses

night before
clothes laid out
first day of school

Grandville Shannon (5)

I admit that this is what I do the day before school starts no matter if I am at college. In my mind I believe that people that have never seen me will make a first impression based on my physical appearance alone before they talk to me. My theory is that the first day I should dress in good and decent cloths that complement my style and personality. It is a process that I have done from elementary school to college and I think I will do it until I am old and gray. In a way, figuring what you will wear for the year sets the type of style that you would like to evoke to others. Alya

I think this one has a nice freshness to it. It reminds me of myself last night but instead of having it be the first day of school it was a presentation. It makes me think of that person really trying to achieve a good studious level. Also, I think of the anticipation of the first day of school and a presentation. They are very different but they both hold a sense of excitement, nervousness, and a lot of questions! Amy

sun warms my shoulders
I search for answers
in your eyes

forgiven lies
watching
autumn wind blowing them away

spring rain
we make
another compromise

Rachel Morrison (6)

The Third Place poem incorporates sound, but in this case on a more quiet level. Here the weather reflects the underlying feeling of the poem. It is a spring rain, an optimistic rain that parallels the couple’s ability to thwart of a possible breakup. Stanford Forrester

on a blanket
stitches back and forth
my heart

the child races
to the bus-stop
a mud covered rump

Lizabeth Hare

I was never this child but I remember vividly laughing at the child who would always do this. Sure, he was a little stocky and always had a back pack that was unzipped and two sizes too big for him and while there was a little sympathy there, you couldn’t help but laugh. His hair is a little disheveled and he’s got a pair of large rain boots on. You would just pray he wouldn’t sit next to you on the bus because you didn’t want to get that mud on your seat. But alas, karma bites you in the ass and he sits next to you. That’s what you get for laughing at him. Keith

When I was a child we went on a field trip to Allerton park. I was running to meet the bus by the sunsinger so I wouldn’t get in trouble for being late. I fell in th mud dragging my mom down with me and one of my friends. We were all covered in mud. Lindsey

screen door shuts
all the stars are out
in the country

Philip Jones

I remember living at home (in the country) during the summer time. It would be 10 or 11 at night and I would just be going out to meet my friends. All the lights in the house were shut off and where I lived, there was no type of street light for miles. I always used to walk out of the house and hear the screen door slam shut behind me and then I’d just kind of look up. The stars shone fiercely. It makes home feel like home. Keith

grass stains
left on the blanket
our last picnic

Jenna Pelej

This makes me think about the quilt I leave in my trunk. I’ve pulled it out and used it before in the winter and noticed the pieces of grass clinging to it. It makes me so ready for summer and July 4th and other many good summer times. Quilts are good memory makers as evidenced in this haiku. This haiku has a good seasonal element. Cindie

This haiku is very sad. It makes me think of a girl who finds a blanket with grass stains on it and remembers that it is from her and her ex-boyfriend’s last date. She planned something really special that spring afternoon, she planned a picnic. When they went on this romantic picnic she found out that he only wanted to break up with her. Now, when she looks at things, like the blanket, that remind her of him she starts to become sad. Another sappy love haiku I loved. Joan

she has a heart of gold
she makes me whole
I try to make her smile

raindrops
standing next to you
soaking wet

in the silence
is where You are
ever present

wildflowers grow
through the barb wire
—of my heart

shimmer sparkles
in your eyes
our first date

grandmother passes down
a quilt      I continue
the oral tradition

lightning
illuminates the room
Bible under my pillow

Rachel Morrison (2)

eyes wide
I wait
for my favorite

Jenna Pelej

I love ice cream. I love ice cream even more when there are things mixed into it. Hence, Coldstone Creamery is a virtual heaven on earth to me. I don’t know what exactly this haiku is about, which makes it a little bit more weaker, but I do know what it’s like waiting in line at Coldstone Creamery for my favorite ice cream. It’s an eternity of pain and suffering, but it’s always worth it. By the way, you should really try the birthday cake remix…cake batter flavored ice cream, mmm. Deirdre

winter lake
our hands are frozen
together

Keith Chandler

Honorable Mention
Stanford Forrester

I liked this haiku because each line really speaks for itself and together they set a beautiful scene. The first line brings up the image of a frozen lake, white, cold and bare. The second line sets people into the haiku. The people are cold and have frozen hands, possibly from skating on the lake too long. The third line really brings the haiku all together because it explains that it is a couple on the lake and their hands are frozen together. I think this haiku is beautiful and romantic, because if your hands are going to be frozen, the best way would be to have your hand frozen to your lovers. Jenna

I really enjoy this haiku because it talks of lovers that I believe to be so in love they are almost stuck. So in one way I see this as a positive haiku in which everything else is cold, the weather, the lake, but the lovers are together and their hands are warm because they are joined. In another way I can see it as two people that have been together for so long they almost just feel like they are stuck, and they don’t know what they would do without each other, but their relationship is frozen, just like the lake. Whitney

her eyes
stare into my soul
old photograph

Brittney Gillespie (7)

I think this is really accurate with some photographs. You may or may not know the person in the picture, but it is like she knows everything about you. However, I felt like this could be taken another way too. Like you are seeing a relative, and she seems exactly like you. You hear stories or see pictures, and the similarities grow. Rachel

Old photographs seem to have a certain je ne se quoi about them that is almost of an eerie quality. The eyes in particular are always so piercing. Granted the method used to take those photos could have contributed to that ’look.’ Still just the same the people always look so purposeful, and strong, almost a different breed than what we’ve become today. I noticed this the most out of pictures around the Civil War era. Phil D

dusty photo album
my mother used to
look like that?!?

Rachel Morrison

Once I read the earlier haiku on photos it got me thinking about this haiku. It is never surprising that when we see pictures of our family members from long ago they always look so strange. Perhaps a little thinner. The third line of this haiku is funny because not only is it asked questioningly, but also with an emphasis. Also, the photo album is dusty so it hasn’t been viewed in a while. Phil D

across from me
at the dinner table…
years of experience

Keith Chandler

When reading this haiku I see a girl who is introducing her boyfriend to her parents for the first time. They are all at the dinner table and the girl looks across at her parents and thinks about how long the have been together. And in her mind, she hopes that she will have that same thing with this boy. Chonita

the roses are beautiful
the gifts are great
I only wanted him

spring breeze--
God leaves the light on
a little longer

Lizabeth Hare

It always so exciting when I start noticing that it’s staying light out longer. As the days get longer, the air is warmer and the birds start to sing more. Other signs of spring are the flowers that start to bloom and the trees start to bud It’s even better when the time changes and it stays light an hour longer. All these things seem like little gifts from God. Cindie

smiling back
upside down on the page
glue already dry

bedroom wall
a child’s handprint
distant laughter

Alya Saqer (2)

This haiku gives me a really sad feeling. I feel like this is a parent looking in the room of their child who has died. I get a real sense of mourning and sadness in this haiku. As if, the parent is remembering when the child was alive and longing to hold them again and hear their laughter. Lizabeth

sunlight peaks though
a cloud passes over
peek a boo

the quilt that still keeps
me warm today
grandmother’s hands

house porch
mother and child wrapped
in a family quilt

one stitch at a time
she works diligently
memories

water tripling
I tap my big toe on the page
nothing happens

late morning
long island ice tea
the college life

Phil Koberlein (5)

This haiku made me laugh because it reminded me of a recent conversation I had with a friend about long island iced teas. My friend, who had never actually had a long island, thought that it was actually a drink made with iced tea. She didn’t know it was named this because the color of the drink resembles iced tea. I also like this haiku because it leaves room for interpretation; you don’t know if the person is having a late morning because they had one too many long island iced teas the night before, or if they drink a long island iced tea to help them get through their morning. Either one could be part of the typical college life. Jenna

This haiku says to me that we take advantage of college life. We take for granted how easy life is now compared what is it about or going to be. I see it like a vacation before we start in the “real world”. So it ok if we wake up late and enjoy before we begin. Lorin

cocktail sting
my wife
is flirting

Philip Jones

This entry makes me feel sympathy for some fat over-weight, middle aged man with a receding hairline that managed to catch him a trophy wife back when he had a head full of hair. The ravages of time haven’t been kind to him but they have to his wife. As, Mike as we’ll call him, sits at a bar and takes the 1st sip of his cocktail, he notices his wife talking to some rich entrepreneur, giggling and flirting. Suddenly the cocktail tastes bitter going down and maybe it should be traded for some shots. Jay

strange lights
rain from the sky
spaceship

stroll through the park…
the dog walks
the owner

Rachel Morrison

I think we have all seen this before. Dogs can seem bigger than their owner. No matter how often I see it, it is still funny. I think most people feel that away. Like the thong haiku, it is well written and flows very well. Phil K

stroll through the park…
the dog walks
the owner
This just reminds me of a person that is easily controlled and swayed by others. Maybe a person that cannot stand up for himself or herself so they let others make the decisions in their life. I don’t see this as the dog being in control, but as everyone else being in control of this person’s life including the dog. This person is to the point where they can’t even be in control of their own dog. Whitney

each blade of grass
forms a lawn
pictures to stories

make your way
through the invasive thoughts
of a sentient planet

sit, down, roll over
no…..
sit, down, roll over

Shannon Hackl

Reading this reminds me of all the hard work that I have put into training my dogs. They are so hard headed. All the time I am wondering who is training who. Lindsey

spring prints
one side      paw
other side    nose

knees fall
on rocky ground
liberation

leaping off the garage—
maybe I’m
Kryptonian too

John Wright

This made me laugh out loud. All i can think of is in cartoons or tv shows where a kid wants to fly. He climbs on top of the garage and leaps off in faith that his powers will keep him from hitting the ground. It has a complete innocense to it that makes me chuckle. Brittney

strange people
in the parking lot
I don’t like this town

falling star…
why we are
here

Rachel Morrison (6)

I choose this as a first place poem because of the depth it reaches in so few words. It captures a rare cosmic moment and it links the celestial to the earthly. Many a poet would have written this poem with the cliché "Why are we here?", but the poet here doesn't ask that question. There is a moment of enlightenment, an Epiphany not only in metaphorical sense but also in concrete sense; we see the actual light of the star in our mind. The star comes out of darkness and into view and reveals itself to the poet. The falling star gives its answer to our question/s about life and we the reader are left to understand it. Stanford Forrester

I really like this haiku, because I think that it is a question we all have at some point in our lives. I often wander about the world and how it works and everything that is involved in it. I just think it’s crazy that obviously we were put here for some kind of reason. I also can see this as a small child looking up at the stars and asking their parents, “why are we here.” I think this is something all children ask and usually all adults do not have a real answer for it, because it is something we all wonder. Whitney

snow hides
another puddle
soaking foot

falling all over again
but not in love
despair

silent hospital night
I find
my faith

I tense
as the surgeon
inserts the needle

I feel nervous
the doctors starts
the freezing process

Philip Jones

I'd feel nervous too if the next time I'd likely wake up would be in several decades. Just anything could happen. o.o Crazily enough, it could happen to me in 50 years if things go sour enough with my quest for immortality. But what's a little nervousness for skipping ahead 70 years of medical technology? ^^; Rider

the stare
of an impatient customer
i move slower

Brittney Gillespie (8)

I work at the library here on campus and there are so many people that I would like to do this to. Whether or not they think I am trying to be slow, I’m really not. I can’t make a computer work any faster. But, sometimes I would like to show them just how slow I can move when properly demotivated. I, myself, am very impatient. However, I do not rush to blame someone that is trying to help me get what I want. Rachel

I wanted to write a response to this haiku because it is something I encounter all the time especially in Decatur. Lets just say that good service in Decatur is for the most part non-existent. I was brought up under the presumption that the customer is always right. Similarly when I spend my money I except pleasant and pleasing tones for those I give my business to. This is not an excuse to act impatiently with a check out person. This haiku catches this familiar scene in the perspective of the worker, the worker observes that the customer is in a hurry for whatever reason, and moves slower to aggravate the situation. Phil D

I worked at Bergner’s for two months and hated every second of it because I cannot deal with people who are buying overpriced retail that they do not need. Nevertheless, I put 100% into that job like I did every task I undertake. However, if people even began to give me the eye like my work was not good enough, you better believe me that I took my effort for them down about 10% more for every glance, sigh, or eye-roll that I received. Keith

step into
a protected jungle,
click, snap

insignificant
dreary day        the blade
reminds me i'm alive

small fingers
form a fist
he’s holding onto life

Jenna Pelej (5)

I like this even though it’s sad. I see a little baby that is born prematurely and is holding onto life with every little ounce that he weighs. His family is standing by his side and when they see that he is making a fist, they get excited and see it as a sign of hope. Andi

No more teachers
No more books…
until tomorrow

Lent
what should I give up
my homework

I watch the snake
slithering past…
I wonder how it tastes

John Wright (4)

they point in dismay
at a mind
not in meat

hope in her eyes
in her cardboard house
the coldest day of winter

lost, I call
to You
sunrise

remembering
a time…
fire between us

Whitney Minor

Everyone dreads this time in a relationship, when the “honeymoon” is over and you’ve settled down into what you’re going to be for the rest of the relationship. It’s hard not to feel a sort of death in that time, a disconnection. Sometimes, people can’t survive that happening, and I can see a man who’s gotten to that point and past it, and realizes that for him, there’s nothing left that’s worthwhile. Deirdre

the radio blares
the soundtrack of our break up
you open the door for her

cold and blustery
the bickering keeps
us warm

teaching her how to dance
he thinks…mistakes make her
perfect

Whitney Minor (7)

This memory brought back wonderful memories for me from the Dominican Republic. I tried to be a really good dancer. It is something I enjoy but the jury is still out on whether or not I am good at it. However, the Dominican Republic is a country that loves to dance, especially merengue. Before my trip I had never danced like that before but the Dominican men are more than willing to teach anyone who wants to learn. I thought it was so wonderful that instead of getting frustrated when me and the other girls in my group would make mistakes, they thought it was cute. I think that says a lot about a person when they appreciate mistakes instead of getting frustrated. Life is all about mistakes...they are what make it fun. Lizabeth

I really like this haiku because it’s abnormal. Normally guys are the ones who do not want to dance and hate when their girlfriends make them. This haiku explains how it is the man who likes to dance, and knows how, and tries to share his passion with his girlfriend. It makes me think of the laid back world I experienced in the Dominican Republic. The men love to take you into their arms and dance with you all night long even if you do not know how. Joan

inspiring…
a sunset
from outer space

it's you and me
pitcher vs. batter
the pause in mid air

stadium lights
the pitcher shakes the dust
from her glove

Whitney Minor (8)

I like this Fourth Place poem because it is a poem about being focused. Not only is the pitcher focused, but also the reader has to focus on the pitcher. This especially is difficult since one imagines the action taking place in a huge stadium and being up in a high seat. Again light plays an integral part in the poem. Here it is not natural light, but artificial and if we look as closely as the poet does, we can see her shaking the dust off her glove. The poem is filled with excitement and exemplifies the Japanese kanji of MU. That of no mind. Or we would say being in the grove. Everything must disappear for the pitcher, the stadium, the people; all that exists is the ball and the batter...
Stanford Forrester

coach keeps telling
me not to get tagged
why doesn’t he try?

mind repeating
“Keep your eye on the ball”
as it soars past

John Wright

I chose this haiku because this is exactly what I do when I go up to bat. I repeat over and over again in my mind to keep my eye on the ball. I repeat it until the ball is released and I either hit it or let it go by. Believe it or not, it is a very good piece of advice. Chonita

keep your eye
on the ball
. . . SWING!

stretch too far
into the baseline
cleats in my leg

fly ball between
left and center
we collide

high in the sky
the ball is coming down
error 1

fast pitch
shooting pain in my shoulder
don’t tell mom

the explosion of light
illuminates your eyes
staring at her

Jenna Pelej (3)

In this haiku I see three people a young man, a young girl, and a stranger. They are all watching the fireworks on the 4th of July. The park is completely dark and when a firework goes off the park is illuminated with the light the firework creates. The young man looks at the girl, watching her changing expressions at each firework, and thinks how much he loves her. I really love sappy haiku like this. Joan

dancing
sparkler in hand
a personal celebration

Lizabeth Hare

This haiku makes me think of a child dancing around with their own sparkler. Maybe it’s the first time they’ve been old enough to have their own sparkler. I especially like the last line because it makes the sparkler such a happy experience. You can just see the child sparkling with happiness. Cindie

lights
in the dark
you can see the clouds

fireworks…
you’ll always be
forever blue

one wish
to watch fireworks
with you

Chinese New Year
the blind man
feels the fireworks

Lizabeth Hare (9)

This Second Place poem also incorporates the element of light, but the juxtaposition here is that of a man who can't see surrounded by the flash of fireworks. This poem not only hinges on this poetic technique, but it also incorporates sound, the smell (of the fireworks) and touch (vibrations of the explosions). A wise man does not need his eyes to see. There is also an auspicious feeling due to the New Year and all that it represents. Even without seeing we know the blind man is enjoying himself. Stanford Forrester

This haiku brings up sensory elements very well. The fact that the man is blind is unique because he can only feel the boom of the fireworks, not see their beauty. It's almost as if he's content with only feeling them though, and he enjoys the experience nonetheless. Brittney

This is really cute. I see this blind man, and he is with some of his friends and his girl friend. He doesn’t have to have eyes to enjoy the fireworks. He can find enjoyment from the laughter and ooos and aahhhs. The moment becomes about the people he is with and coming together. I think this is the feeling of the fireworks. This celebration gives this group of people a time to sit back and enjoy some time together. That is really sweet. Sarah

late to the game. . .
fireworks splash against the sky
our first touchdown

Cindie Zelhart

Honorable Mention
Stanford Forrester

holding hands
for the first time
fireworks

Rachel Morrison

On my first date with my husband, we went to a baseball game. I can remember watching the fireworks and hugging him for the first time. How lucky I am. Lindsey

the wind picks up
flash of lightening
she just tied the game