Global Haiku • Fall 2018
Dr. Randy Brooks

about the author

hello there. my name is Rachel Pevehouse. I am a sophomore theatre major at Millikin University. I am from St. Louis, Missouri. I am the Body Image 3D Coordinator of Delta Delta Delta’s Delta Epsilon chapter. I am also a member of Un Bit Butter, a neo-futurist sketch group. I am a performer and a writer. I love travel, art, and music.

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See Rachel's essay on
"Women's Voices in Haiku"

Garden

by
Rachel Pevehouse

the author’s reflections on writing haiku

it’s a funny thing at first to condense your thoughts into three short lines. as someone used to writing longer form free verse poetry, it seemed impossible at first to limit myself in that way. however, eventually, the short form seemed less like a limitation and more like a new possibility. as I practiced and read more haiku, I started to see & feel things in that compressed way. furthermore, free verse, for me, is a way to express emotions, often through metaphors and descriptive language. haiku, on the other hand, sees the world and does not implant emotions into it. it describes moments of significance and lets the reader insert their own emotion into it. haiku is very intimate in that way. a haiku poet sees the little things in the world, writes them down, and allows for others to let their unique experiences influence the meaning of the poem. haiku is a truly connective and inimitable art form.

a reader’s response by Hannah Haedike

I loved reading Rachel's haiku book Garden. When I got to the end, I wanted more haiku so I could keep reading! I thoroughly enjoyed how she provided three different parts to her book, allowing three different moods for the reader, yet she still maintained an ebb & flow throughout the book. My favorite haiku of hers had to do with gardens -- ironic since the name of the book is Garden. In her first part, my favorite was

I plant myself
in the present
a budding garden

in her second part, my favorite was

you tore out the roots
I'd spent years growing
fallen tree in a storm

& that one was probably my favorite throughout the whole book!

in her third part, my favorite was

a beautiful garden
lies behind
a brick wall

within these three haiku you see a beginning, middle, & end & I found that continuity throughout the whole book. I also enjoyed how her last haiku left her readers wanting more. It's offering room for growth & a new beginning because she's searching for something she can't yet see. 

Through & through I thought it was a well published book & I would without a doubt read more.

part one

vibrant sun shines
on white walls
I turn my page

warm cheeks
you laugh
at my blank stare

Christmas lights
our hushed conversation
illuminated

I plant myself
in the present
a budding garden

freckles across your nose
I search
for constellations

lipstick on a wine bottle
wishing my lips
could wander elsewhere

part two

a sliver of silver
against a golden sunset
out of place

you tore out the roots
i’d spent years growing
fallen tree in a storm

that song from years ago
when you and i
were still friends

keys in one hand
pepper spray in the other
“nice ass”

my pride crushes
the words
“i’m sorry”

you blaze through
my life
meteor shower

harry potter and the goblet of fire
binding held together
by tape

part three

finally together
a conversation
we’ve been procrastinating

tracing my birthmark
just like
he used to

a beautiful garden
lies behind
a brick wall

I numb the pain
with another
tattoo

I search the mirror
for what he saw
in me