Global Haiku • Fall 2017
Dr. Randy Brooks

renku:

Tuesday Starting

by
Lane Casper
Maya Dougherty
& friends

more petals fall

by
Lane Casper

Throughout this semester of writing haiku, I have discovered that my source of inspiration is heavily influenced by the concept of family. While I was putting together my favorite haiku for this collection, it was impossible for me to ignore that most of them were about my family—directly and indirectly. My family is my entire world. I would do anything for them, and these strong emotions manifest themselves in my haiku. My peers have always gravitated towards my haiku that are inspired by my experiences with my family, and I think that is because they are my most passionate haiku. This haiku collection acts as a sort of time capsule for me, beginning with haiku that are inspired by some of my earliest memories, and continuing onward to describe some of the most important and impactful moments in my life. I titled my collection “more petals fall” because I felt that the phrase encapsulates the passage of time that I describe in my haiku.

muggy summer night
chubby toddler hands close
around a firefly

I sit in the backseat
two raindrops
race each other

they lean over the railing,
as the sun burns their necks
spitting contest

persistent boys
play baseball in the heat
worried mother calls the game

my sister uses a burrito
as a microphone
family dinner

restless night
I come downstairs
my father makes fried eggs

stargazing
putting our heads together
to see the same star

summer rain
instead of going inside,
we dance

playing hooky
we laugh together
on the fire escape

shower running
the creak creak
of the floorboards

standing in the kitchen
a mother tries to explain
the divorce

petting the old cat
three tumors
in her belly

the thin, crisp air—
seeing you
in the mountain sun

the family calls her
his fiancé
at his funeral

staring at your empty seat
I pass myself
the peas

lunch with friends
no one mentions
the one who’s missing

crystal vase of flowers
on the table—
each day, more petals fall