a message
in a smoky bottle
tossed by waves

ashes in the lake,
my father and I
drift apart

Tyler & Grant (11)

I think I liked this one so much because of how different the edit made it. Before, it caused very little emotion. This could have been because the placement of words was kind of confusing. After the edit, I got goose bumps just from reading it because it made so much emotion stir up inside of me. I think all haiku should cause some sort of physical reaction and this one definitely did! Becky

The edit made this haiku. We have a sense of sense of relationship, and space (figuratively and literally). Literally, I imagine someone sprinkling their father's ashes in a lake, whether it be a weekend or vacation getaway, or just a place the speaker's father loved. It's a sense of closer, and as the ashes float along the lake, the speaker feels the separation from his (or her father), which may or may not parallel their relationship when the father was alive. Aubrie

holding on with all its might
the last leaf
hangs tight

rummage sale
inside the dusty locket
a baby tooth

first lost tooth—
she keeps one eye
open for faeries

Aubrie Cox (7)

I loved the sweetness of this haiku. I like the idea of ayoung girl eagerly awaiting what is to come after the loss of her first tooth.She has obviously heard of the tooth fairy, but has yet to experience it, andhe anticipation is driving her crazy! I remember being young and waiting for mymom to tuck me in with one eye open, just slightly, because I thought I couldtrick her into thinking I was asleep.

loose tooth
she bites into an apple
holding back tears

Carmella Braniger (10)

the tree of liberty
brown leaves falling down
The Patriotic Act

moonrise
the broad arch
of her brush

on her cell phone
talking to no one
just to avoid him

Becky Smith (5)

I really liked this because it reminds me of myself. I use my cell phone as a distraction when I'm in awkward situations or I see someone I don't like. It's not necessarily that I talk to people though... just for the sole purpose I don't want my phone ringing when it's at my ear. Ha! I usually just text people or get online. Tara

This is a great haiku. It’s somewhat mean spirited, but I think a lot of people have done this. In our society, cellphones are such common place that you can literally talk to yourself and it’s not strange at all. It’s a perfect escape from someone you don’t want to talk to. It’s kind of ironic that a device that is supposed to make connecting with people easier is being used to avoid someone. Nora

my $150 cell phone
completely swallowed
by poison ivy

the umbrella shields
his false hope
hurricane season

family cookout
clouds pour out
their different plans

among rolling fields
he picks up a single blade
content

Tyler Lamensky (4)

we get lost
in cornstalks
taller than my dad

Kylie Cochran (3)

I really like this haiku because it reminded of me when I was smaller. I remember that when I was younger, me and my friends would also claim the superiority of our dads. We would say thing like, “well, my dad’s stronger than your dad,” or “my dad could beat your dad up.” We all think our dad is the best dad in the world when we are that age. This haiku presents a feeling of hopelessness because they are lost in the cornfield, but also a feeling of comfort ability because the person’s dad is with him. Alex

lost in the woods
we search for
something familiar

Tara Goheen (5)

her only source
of air—
coffee

Becky Smith (2)

bakery worker
eyes also
glazed over

Jordan Pennington (15)

This haiku is so hilarious! I can just imagine this worker being bored out of his mind so he takes a smoke break to help pass the time. Now he is just staring mindlessly around the small bakery, enjoying himself just a little bit more. It’s just so humorous because it’s a situation that probably happens often. Jade

These wordplay haiku are really winning me over. Using a double meaning for the word glazed gives this poem its flair. It’s also a very comical scene. I immediately imagine a fat bakery worker ending his overnight shift, his eyes half open, mumbling whenever he speaks, and practically dead to the world. Jackson

tree branch arms
lifting the sky
she closes her eyes

Carmella Braniger (6)

Sunday morning service
the gossips gather
at the sanctuary doors

Kylie Cochran (10)

dad's wedding
everyone loves her...
but me.

everyone drinks
and I
babysit.

promises to keep
the woods
fill with snow

Aubrie Cox (6)

The haiku is well written for multiple interpretations to be made. I imagine the promises are being made by mother nature. As fall is fading into winter, snow is not only expected but promised. These implications make me question how many we as humans can make that hold as true as mother nature. Tyler

in his room,
she searches for
her mother's ring

Grant Dartman (5)

moonlight filters
through the branches
rabbit tracks

mountaintop
my little cabin
tilting on the side

Kylie Cochran (7)

indian summer
steam rises
off the pond

friend draws
guanine for me . . .
I write to ignore him

bedroom doorway
he swings his lanyard
smiling at me

Tara Goheen (5)

tattered sketchpad
her many pages
of happiness

Tyler Lamensky (6)

I love the connection I feel to the woman/girl in this haiku. The sketchbook is used often by her as sort of a diary, and at the same time it is most likely a main way of expression for her. Like a book and its pages, people have many layers as well as many stories. The amount of information and joy in this seemingly insignificant book is such a sentimental object to the woman. Colton

on the porch
mailman bends down
for the black and white cat

Friday
Iron Man stares
from my wristband

coffee shop line
the crooked politician
straightens his tie

Jade Anderson (13)

oblivious
she digs for
the last chocolate

poet painting
pea pods on the bamboo
blames the brush

saturated with stars:
in the country air
the sky comes alive

stars fly
keeping company with fire
he lights a pipe

stumbling home
he fiddles with the lock:
wrong house

Hollie Logsdon (9)

having a drink
on the porch
with his dog

the eyes behind the glare
she’s so sexy with
that flower in her ear

Alex Kitchens (7)

crowding the hallway
bouquets and cards address
the miscarriage

from miles away
her distant call
slowly breaking up

Tyler Lamensky

poetry reading
a creaking door shuts
between poems

dream house and weddings
playing Barbies with
the orphan

Susie Wirthlin (5)

a checked box—
our break-up now
Facebook official

Kylie Cochran (7)

grocery store
a young mother with two hands
and three kids

Kylie Cochran (12)

date night
under the table
texting

not interested!
he still
keeps trying

First Crush,
she smiles
at a rock

Grant Dartman

I love the giddy,infatuation feel to it. It reminds me of your first love, the person who stole your heart every time they crossed your mind. The person who made you do chores with a smile, take out the trash with a skip; or smile at a rock. It also shows the weakness of love. It (love) wears our heart on our sleeve, exposing it to both grace and corruption. After time, the rock is no longer lovely… Joseph

he runs in to the side
more than once—
little orange fish

Becky Smith (8)

duck pond
cold wind ruffles
my down coat

oh, humble ocean
allowing its shore
to touch my toes

Jade Anderson (8)

a baby screams
on the bus
his mother apologizes

grade school carnival
at dusk her daddy climbs
the ladder of the dunk tank

Carmella Braniger

This haiku is so, so, so sweet. I’m a daddy’s girl, and I know my dad would do just about anything I asked of him, and a lot of stuff I wouldn’t. I picture this dad not so enthusiastic at the chance of getting soaking wet, but very enthusiastic at getting his daughter to smile. The girl is still at the age when everything daddy does means the world; she’s still hanging on his every word, and she still loves him wholeheartedly, without any of the rebellion that will come later. I think the dad appreciates that fact, so the act of climbing the ladder of the dunk tank is bittersweet. She won’t always be this easy to please. Ky

history museum
windows reflecting
the clouds

like ants,
the trees watch
humans walk

Grant Dartman (5)

This haiku made me think about the different perspectives in the world. Not to be weird, but sometimes I wonder what it’s like to be a tree, or an ant, or an animal, or another person, and what the world looks like through their eyes. This haiku was a reminder that the world is bigger than oneself; you are not the sole focus experiencing life. We as humans are not the center, but simply inhabitants, living our lives among nature, a tiny part of the cycle of life. Susie

Finally!
a tree to
shade my picnic

the magnified ant
at the mercy
of son and sun

Tyler Lamensky (7)

prariedog heads—
watching people
watch people

Jordan Pennington (5)

standing up
to the red wood tree:
I am humbled.

a fly
buzzing and pestering
the train’s riders