Global Haiku • Fall 2018
Dr. Randy Brooks

See Alissa's essay on

Bob Boldman's Haiku
of Simplicity

A New Place

by
Alissa Kanturek

for Thomas

This collection, A New Place, is a compilation of haiku I have written in my Fall 2018 Global Haiku honors seminar. My work is inspired by many different sources, but I find that drawing from my own life experiences creates the most organic result. Haiku, to me, are snapshots of life, captured with as few of words as possible. The best haiku travel straight to your heart, and make you say, “I know this.” With each new haiku I write or read, I grow, and I hope the same for haiku readers across the world.

syllabus day
flip past Sexual Misconduct
to grades & assessments

with each cat call
her armor
thickens

scrolling through Instagram
searching tirelessly
for the pretty parts of me

snapchat from you
i kiss the phone screen
for good measure

welcome home
his hugs are warmer
than I remember

rock bottom
I turn to the moon
for advice

early morning walk
holding hands
through the neighborhood

under the blanket
searching
for a footsie partner

forehead kiss
melting into you
like milk chocolate

forehead wrinkle
I found a new place
to give a kiss

midnight still
an agnostic prayer
into the pillow case

learning Braille
by tracing goose bumps
your bare back

my head on your chest
glowing
you tell me I’m the one

let’s put on
a movie
we won’t watch

stale orange leaf
         I step on the sidewalk crack
                   and think of mom

fairytale ending
even Cinderella
didn’t have it this good