Global Haiku • Fall 2019
Dr. Randy Brooks

Struck by Love

by
Michael Hoelting

I have always had someone in my life I have loved with my whole heart. These people have created the most significant memories throughout my life. These memories helped shape the way I write haiku.

The title of my haiku collection is "struck by love". I choose this as my title because of the feeling you get when you fall in love with someone. These feelings are in all aspects of the relationship and you see that person everywhere you go. Love is something that takes over you and makes you do things that you never thought you could do or never thought you would do. Love is like a shock and can sometimes come from nowhere and take you off your feet.

I chose a lot of these poems because they tie back to a central theme of love there is love in these poems that need to be found. Sometimes love is lacking either in friendships, people you don’t know, or even your significant other doesn’t feel that love. These poems find the love that I specifically do not show all the time but are things that I do actually think about in my daily life. These poems stem from new and old memories that I have written about throughout the semester that turned out the best.

I hope from reading these poems you take a journey into yourself & find ways to show love where you have not before.

About the Author

Michael Hoelting is from Edwardsville, Illinois. He loves playing and watching soccer and I hopes to be able to watch a St. Louis MLS team play one day. He is seeking a degree in Mathematics and Engineering and is extremely grateful he chose to be a part of this class. He says, “This is some of the most fun I have ever had in a class in college and I am thankful for the classmates that made it even better.”

thunderstorm
shaking
the plane

early sun
father son. bond over
morning fixtures

dark trolley
stories of the past
haunt the present

sun gazing on
the stadium
empty at halftime

motionless
the doll's eye
reflect the lonely moon

date night
all I hear is
dogs barking

whistling wind
you carry
my secrets

at this party
all I think about is
my Olivia Newton

in the dark
I feel her touch
no reply

enveloped by sadness . . .
I unfold the letter
to hear your voice

thinking of you
I remember
chemistry

computer losing signal
I see her
begin to cry