Published poets continue to roam the halls of Judah.
Two years ago, senior Catie Henry published her poem, a haiku, in the CU Poetry section of Champaign County’s News-Gazette. Last school year, Judah saw two more haiku poets — juniors Keira Aardsma and Brelyn Riesberg — publish their poems in the CU Poetry section of the News-Gazette. Now, five more Judah students have become published poets.
In fall 2023, sophomores Ali McGuffin, Amelia Kerlin, Ada Osaji, Sara Ingersoll, and Gloriana Bell all saw their poems published in the News-Gazette. Here are their poems, each one a haiku.
Ali’s poem, published September 24, elegantly expresses the shifting seasons of the year and subtly wonders if birds change their tunes to match the season:
the birds are singing
as the world changes colors
from green to gold to brown
Amelia’s poem, published October 1, plays with words to paint a from-the-ground-up picture of spring unsprung, of life freed from the bonds of winter:
unsprung from the ground
nature paints a bright picture
petals, free, unfold
Ada’s poem, published October 8, captures a from-the-trees-down moment at the end of spring and might suggest the end of other life seasons too:
petals in the wind
blown gracefully off the trees
this season is done
Sara’s poem, published October 22, illustrates the different things that bring the fall season to life and draws our attention to their shape and size as well as their color:
bright orange pumpkins
crimson and yellow trees
fall shapes and sizes
Gloriana’s poem, published October 29, tells a subtle story of the rush of Halloween, with excited trick or treaters sprinting toward (or away from) something:
fresh pinecone smells float
the bright jack-o'-lanterns smile
trick or treaters sprint
More and more Judah students are exercising their creativity and becoming published poets. They are looking sensitively at the world around them and making meaning out of what they see. Senior Talon Fazio even remarked that, at this point, “we have a small army of poets.”
Look out for more haiku soldiers from Judah marching toward publication once again.
—Grant Ipsen, class of ’24