School Daze

Haiku by Boryana Boteva, Vaishnavi Ramaswamy, Melanie Alberts, Nicoletta Ignatti, and Ann Sullivan

end of school
more questions
than answers

Boryana Boteva
Sofia, Bulgaria

last bell –
a pile of school bags
under the tamarind tree

Vaishnavi Ramaswamy
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

unopened envelopes
and a stormless season—
first school day awaits

Melanie Alberts
Austin, Texas, USA

back to school
a seashell in the pocket—
the sea with me

Nicoletta Ignatti
Castellana Grotte, Italy

sand
in her sneakers
first day of school

Ann Sullivan
Arlington, Massachusetts, USA

Editor Bio: Jennifer Gurney lives in Colorado where she teaches, paints, writes and hikes. Her poetry is widely published, two of her poems have won international contests, one was turned into a choral piece and one has ridden on a bus in Racine, Wisconsin. Jennifer has 15 books of poetry and over 3,300 published poems. Jennifer’s favorite poems are the ones written on the back of an envelope at a red light.

Tip Jar

Haiku Girl Summer will always be a free publication. If you want to make a financial contribution, please visit Allyson Whipple’s Buy Me a Coffee page. Mention Haiku Girl Summer in the comment box and your donation will go into a pool that will be divided among the guest editors at the end of the 2026 editorial run.

Merch

If you want to even more ways to share the summer love, you can check out the Haiku Girl Summer merch shop. We have T-shirts and tank tops along with hats, mugs, buttons, and a spiral notebook. Email me if there are other items you’d like to see!