Boo that we couldn’t treat all the readers participating in the third annual Kaiser Health News Halloween Haiku Contest to their moment of gory glory. Your entries — like our health care system — ranged from frighteningly complex to haunting. And, based on a review by our panel of never-say-die judges, here’s the winner and a sampling of finalists.
WINNER
The Motel sign blinks
‘Vacancy For The Unvaxxed’
Norman Bates walks in
— Carrie Moores (@carrielmoores)
Inspiration: In Maine, Vaccine Mandate for EMTs Stresses Small-Town Ambulance Crews
FINALISTS
Silence from the graves
Marks the vaccine resistance;
Public Health horror.
— Jean Gearing
Inspiration: Study: If More Adults Had Shots, 90,000 People Wouldn’t Have Died Since June
Candy,
popcorn balls,
and a quick jab in the arm,
this year’s treats for kids.
— Bradley Steffens (@SteffensBradley)
Inspiration: Starting This Week, States Can Place Covid Shot Orders For Kids Ages 5 To 11
Billing code for a
telehealth exorcism?
Asking for a friend
— Joseph Reblando (@ReblandoPR)
Ghosts, globulins, rats!
Lipoproteins and black cats!
Skeletons, trans fats!
— Timothy Kelley
Social media
Making monsters of us all;
Frankenstein lives on!
— Mark Fotheringham
Inspiration: US Politicians, Social Media Are Main Source For Misinfo, Americans Think
Once the bill arrived
For my short hospital stay
Death seemed much cheaper
— Amanda
