Open Thread Highlights, Vol. 2: Crushing These Lunes

This goes out to anyone who remembers their first playground romance: time out, nervous tag, and kissing on woodchips. Here, a handful of lunes (short haiku-esque poems with a 5–3–5 syllable structure) about young love. They’re taken from Human Parts’ second open thread: write a lune about your first crush.

Your eye tooth had come
loose, but still
you taught me to bite.
— Roblin

Your note said “tu es
mi amor.”
Tough act to follow.
— Veronica

Field trip to Phantom
In fourth row
Pinky fingers touch.
— Elle

Jealousy is like
A sunset,
With the mosquitoes.
— Abby K.

My affection was
bottled by
his bright, blue, neon hair.
— Nicole

Cathy was my world
complete, til
I would kiss a boy.
— alto

Under the roof, I
Looked at him.
He looked at the rain.
— jing ru

Don’t judge I was like,
ten years old;
Young Ronald Reagan.
— Abby N.

A low, old-soul voice,
blonde hair and
Montessori smarts
— Alison

Shortcut past her house —
my heart leaps.
I go the long way.
— Alex

Four years old then, I
didn’t know he’d
father our children.
— Shannon M.

As a young black boy,
I thought she
was untouchable.
— annoying dreamer

I was always it.
She was quick,
and just out of reach.
— Nick

it started in french
and ended
in social studies
— Alexandria

She said she’d marry me.
Yes! Alas,
In third grade I moved.
— Shawn

I forgot that love
Never came
As simply to you
— Shannon

A kiss through the fence —
we were six.
I haven’t aged since.
— Ryan

Like what you just read? Please hit the ‘recommend’ button and check out the Human Parts bookstore for long-form writing from our contributors.