Millikin Haiku Homecoming Kukai Favorites
Global Haiku • Millikin University • September 28, 2019
screened-in front porch Laura Podeschi, Spring 2005 (11) |
alpine wildflowers Amanda Young, Spring 2001 (16) When I first read this haiku, it created a beautiful image of being at the base of a large mountain that was surrounded by wildflowers. I could smell the crisp cool air and it brought a sense of serenity. Then rereading it I imagined somebody leaving their love-one and looking back and admiring how beautiful they were and comparing them to the scene I had created in my mind. It is almost like that person is their paradise and escape from the world and they bring them joy and peace. Jessi Kreder, Fall 2019 |
scanning the fridge Whitley Sapp, Spring 2019 (19) |
small silver necklace Maddie Curtin (15) The idea of handing someone the moon is so romantic and has been since It’s A Wonderful Life was released and George told Mary he’d lasso the moon. I remember when mom gave me a locket in Chicago and put it around my neck and how magical that moment was. A meaningful necklace can be such a powerful gift and this haiku really captured that. Lizzie Napier, Fall 2019 |
dressed in white Victoria Stuart (13) This is such a great Haiku. I love how easily this one conveys the emotion we are meant to feel. It is such a raw experience and I love it. The usage of so few words is really phenomenal. It really hits home this feeling of dread that I love. I also love how the structure is set up in a way that each line of the haiku gets progressively shorter as it goes on. It really is great. I also think the usage of ellipses is really great in this haiku. I would not be surprised if this haiku is an alumni’s because this is just really good. John DeAngelo, Fall 2019 |
snow sticks Alexander Bergland |
sizzling curry Nawaj KC I really enjoy this haiku because my sense of taste and smell are abundant in this poem. Its nice being able to cook something that reminds you of home or something you really enjoyed during your childhood years. I appreciate this poem because I do cook for myself and when I do it just reminds me of my parents and how amazing they are at making food. I always want to be able to cook like them and have such an amazing talent to be able to turn anything into something delicious. Michael Hoelting, Fall 2019 |
we always find our way Aundrea Marsh, Fall 2015 (17) |
a text or call away Cassandra Reed (16) |
campus walk Elizabeth Napier (14) |
I catch Rebecca Jaffe (10) Stranger is the perfect word to use before butterfly. It can mean stranger like the butterfly/person is unknown, or stranger as in weird. In either case, it works well and adds to the meaning. To find some rare, unique butterfly and catch their attention is exciting and new. After reading this a few times I also started to think of butterfly referring to butterflies in the stomach, which is also very fitting the feeling of the haiku. Alex Bergland, Fall 2019 I enjoyed this haiku as it painted a clear picture in my head. This haiku sends a message to me saying the author made eye contact with someone, and this someone seemed to be unique and beautiful, like a butterfly. Overall, I enjoyed the comparison of a stranger to a butterfly, as butterflies seem unique and beautiful and rare sometimes too. I also like the butterfly statement, because often when young lovers make eye contact or touch the person they have a crush on, they will get “butterflies” from being nervous. Tori Stuart, Fall 2019 |
watching the monarch Laura Podeschi, Spring 2005 (5) |
computer losing signal Michael Hoelting (16) This one makes me think. I wonder who the author is talking to? Is it their girlfriend, mother or friend? If it's the girlfriend, what happened that made her cry? Did they get in a fight? So many questions from me!! This haiku is making me think, and I love it. Meghan Hayes, Fall 2019
|
I can still taste your lips Aundrea Marsh, Fall 2015 This poem makes me think of how sad I am going to be at the end of this weekend when my girlfriend must go back to school. This is the first time we will see each other in person in five weeks and with our busy schedule we do not know the next time we will see each other. This poem makes me feel how sad it is with that last kiss that we get to have with each other and then not see each other again. On the bright side she is coming tonight so I will get to see her for four days which is always exciting and calming to me. Michael Hoelting, Fall 2019 I cannot stop reaching back for another kiss from my boyfriend whenever he drops me off. I'll kiss him, gather my things, kiss him again, open the door, kiss him again. I really can never get enough, and I still feel giddy and happy from my time with him for a while after we say goodbye. Maddie Curtin, Fall 2019 This haiku really stood out to me. I've always found using the word taste with kisses very odd, but I enjoy it in this haiku. I can put myself in this haiku, which is one of the things I look for in a good haiku. It also just makes me feel warm which is the most important thing when I look at haiku. Meghan Hayes, Fall 2019 |
eye contact Jessi Kreder (15) This haiku provided similar emotions to me when compared the first haiku I wrote about. I think they both discuss the power of eye contact with a potential romantic partner. This haiku caused me to specifically imagine some sort of school setting, when two young lovers make eye contact and receive a rush of emotion. I also liked the way this haiku looks on paper, with similar length of lines. Tori Stuart, Fall 2019 |
grocery cart Whitley Sapp, Spring 2019 (5) |
at the football game Randy Brooks (15) I love this haiku because it reminds me of who I was as a child. We get to see this image of a small boy who doesn’t fully understand the world around him, but he is just happy to be participating in something in life anyway. I love the idea of asking a child what they're thinking at a game (especially from the perspective of a grandparent) and getting the bewildering answer that they just can’t stop thinking about how they love the moon. Morgan Bode, Fall 2019
|
my chin on her forehead Laura Podeschi, Spring 2005 (13) This reminds me of the rocking chair in my room. Whenever my anxiety would get really bad I would grab a blanket and curl up in it, and the rocking would calm me down. This poem makes me feel like the rocking chair is speaking from its point of view, trying to comfort me, marking the time I'm not thinking about while I cry in its arms. Maddie Curtin, Fall 2019 I loved this haiku because of the comfort it washed over me each time I read it. Physical touch makes me feel at peace. Sitting in a rocking chair is another symbol of peace. The phrase marking time makes me think that there is a consistency to the speed of the rocking, which means that this feeling, this moment, is a stable force. I find comfort in stability. Often times, I am drawn towards haiku that cut deep into my heart and cause me to feel things deeply, but I am drawn to this serene one. Madeline Wilson, Fall 2019 |
waning sun Amanda Young, Spring 2001 |
lonely lunch Morgan Bode (22) I love this. The haiku uses such calm language, even forlorn almost, and then there’s that one word “kamikazes.” I don’t think I’ve ever seen it used to describe something. I just picture someone sitting alone, not really enjoying their lunch when a bird just annoyingly decides to commit a startling suicide. Like the speaker is already not having a great time, then this dumb bird comes along and smashes its face in. Charlize Pate, Fall 2019 The first time I read this haiku, it made me chuckle because I can distinctly picture a bird flying headfirst into a window. Then I read it again and it has more layers to it which is what really made me like this poem. I like the phrase “lonely lunch” because it implies someone eating alone and they are so alone eating that they take notice in this incident with the bird. I wondered if the kamikaze sparrow was a metaphor for this person’s life in the poem, like they feel like they are just flying into a window. I like the word kamikaze because it is a word that is not used a lot but is a word people know. I just very much enjoyed this poem because of the imagery and the deeper meaning of it. Joel Ochoa, Fall 2019 |
a subtle breath Aundrea Marsh, Fall 2015 (22) |
warm glow Mikaela Vuglar, Spring 2019 |
that nice girl Amanda Bivens, Spring 2019 (17) |
the pause between Amanda Bivens, Spring 2019 (8) For my entire freshman year of college, my grandfather’s life went in and out of focus. He fell very ill during Family Weekend, and it never got much better. Every time the phone rang, I was expecting bad news regarding his health. Every three weeks, I was inches away from getting in my car and coming to say my last goodbyes. This lasted from September until his eventual passing late May after my freshman year. I remember each time I spoke to him that year I was unsure if it would be the last time I spoke to him. We never knew when his breath would be his last. We lived in that pause between for nine months. The death rattle became a piece of me. I would hear it wherever I went and in the background through it all. I am intimately attached to the story behind this haiku, and it is an experience I will never forget. Madeline Wilson, Fall 2019 |
a fire roars John DeAngelo I interpreted this wonderfully written haiku to be representative of a person’s overall happiness and joy, symbolized by a fire. In order to get a decent campfire started, one would need smaller pieces of wood that will catch fire quickly and then ignite the larger pieces of wood within the fire. I think this a story about two lovers, and one of the lovers is describing the other as the reason for their joy in life. Their relationship could then be interpreted as a good one as the fire is burning strong. That being said, this haiku is great because a person could just as easily interpret this haiku to mean the exact opposite; it all depends how one interprets the function of fire within the haiku. Fire can be interpreted as the passion within a person or more as a destructive force of anger. If the latter is the case, then the women in this haiku would be the initial cause of hardships in this person’s life. Ben Kuxmann, Fall 2019 |
wrinkly Led Zeppelin shirt Madeline Wilson (12) |
a smile Whitley Sapp, Spring 2019 I’m not sure exactly why, but I love this. It just feels so comforting and easy. When you find someone who loves the little things about you and it means an entire song to the other person. It is just so sweet, and the haiku does a great job of expressing that. Alex Bergland, Fall 2019 My boyfriend and my favorite thing to do is drive around, exploring places we’ve never seen and listening to music. This haiku puts me back in the car with him driving around without a worry in the world listening to our favorite songs. I always put on songs that he likes, so when he hears what I’ve played he will turn and smile at me and start to sing. This haiku just brings me happy feelings and shows how much music can impact a person’s mood. I also thought that it had an innocent feel to it because of the way the smile is seen out of the corner of the eye. I feel like that adds a little cute touch to it that you wouldn’t get without that imagery. Jessi Kreder, Fall 2019 I really liked the simplicity of this haiku. It made me warm inside to think about my girlfriend’s favorite band. She loves all country music and is especially fond of Dan + Shay. Whenever I hear one of their songs without her, I am always more happy than I was before. We went to their concert this summer in Springfield and it was a ton of fun and this haiku brought back memories of that night and her in general. Jon Kuebler, Fall 2019 |
a 20 minute phone call Meghan Hayes (12) |
baking cookies Gillian Genardo (7) |
grace notes Charlize Pate (8) This haiku is beautiful to me but in a way that many other haikus are not, and that is because of the language within the poem. Each word in the haiku is perfect. Readers get a clear understanding of what the poet is talking about while also delivering a great aesthetic experience. In particular, I appreciate the usage of “delicate” because there is not a better word to describe what a grace note in a sound should be. They do not act as this grand beginning to a note, they simply add a level of flavor to the music. That word also describes the overall vibe I get from the poem. Each phrase is read smoothly in the mind of a reader, and anything a person feels form the haiku comes as a soft sensation rather than a grand one. Ben Kuxmann, Fall 2019 This is another haiku that I find just absolutely amazing. It is one that I really love as a musician. The use of grace notes in music is almost always seen as something great and something that only skilled people can do. And yet they don’t matter. They’re called grace notes because you don’t have to use them in your music. If the piece of music is good enough as it is, it doesn’t need the grace notes. And for that reason I think this haiku is great one because it also has a great outlook for life in general. Life is great no matter what, and many of the things we do are just optional. John DeAngelo, Fall 2019 |
a stampede Joel Ochoa (8) I think I was immediately drawn to this haiku because of how prevalent its imagery is in modern American society. Gun violence is an epidemic in this country. Frankly, I think we are too lax on our position on gun control in America. Too many people, who shouldn’t be able to buy or handle gun, can buy and handle any gun they want. Our lack of gun control causes the scene that is being described in this haiku. When I first read this haiku, I immediately thought of the PSA that Sandyhook just released. This video showed children going back to school and explaining to the audience about the cool supplies that their parents bought them. Then the video flips. It turn out that these children are using these school supplies to try and save themselves during a school shooting. It’s an incredibly jarring and upsetting video. But in America, gun violence is our reality. Gillian Genardo, Fall 2019 This haiku is similar to most of my favorite haiku because it starts with a normal event, and then the poem is completely turned on its’ head in the last line. I think this is something that in today’s world every student is afraid of just about every day. It is what we have to deal with to go to school now. Hallways can be very scary sometimes when there are a ton of people you don’t know. I also liked the use of the word stampede. It is a perfect way to describe a ton of people running down a hallway in fear. Jon Kuebler, Fall 2019 |
I pick up Benjamin Kuxmann |
colored pens on the desk Jonathan Kuebler (7) Don’t you just love that we only write in bruise colors? I understand the reasons we generally write in these colors, so it’s easy to read or scan and whatnot, but when we have the choice why don’t we ever write in fun colors? People fall into a socially acceptable routine and then just never break it. Switch it up! Charlize Pate, Fall 2019 |
the uninvited hand Amanda Bivens, Spring 2019 (18) This poem immediately made me feel uncomfortable just reading it at first, which is exactly what I think this poet intended when writing this. I personally and thankfully have never experienced sexual assault, but this haiku does a good job and making me feel like I could understand how someone who has feels. The imagery I see of the hand going on their back and the person having an automatic reaction to moving away is a powerful image. I am so sorry if the poet has experienced this, but I thank them for their vulnerability and their beautiful poem that made me have a physical reaction when reading it. Joel Ochoa, Fall 2019 |
crisp wind blows Mikaela Vuglar, Spring 2019 I really loved the imagery that is being used in this haiku. I immediately saw a beautiful picture when I first read it. I pictured this pretty autumn scene. I saw a person curled up on a couch with a blanket due to the chill in the air. They are next to a big window, and outside, a giant oak tree begins to change colors. Hues of red, orange, and yellow are scattered throughout the top of the tree. Though bad for the eyes, this person is reading by candlelight. She has different autumn scented candles—like pumpkin spice, apple cider, and maybe even a candle that smells like cinnamon and cloves. It’s a really cozy scene. The other thing that I love about this haiku is that it also gives off this spooky vibe. Because it starts off by explaining a chill in the air and ending with an equinox, it almost feels like the candles are ritualistic. This could definitely be a scene out of Hocus Pocus! Gillian Genardo, Fall 2019 |
morning rain . . . Mikaela Vuglar, Spring 2019 (8) This haiku is simple and almost cliche, but that;s what makes it so good. It is happy and gets straight to the point. Being held while it’s raining is a beautiful enough experience and doesn’t necessarily need to be complicated. The warmth of another human being cannot be replaced by anything in the world. When I read this, I can feel my boyfriend's embrace and hear the rain on the window. Lizzie Napier, Fall 2019
|
morning routine Laura Podeschi, Spring 2005 (21) |
headlights shining bright Amanda Bivens, Spring 2019 (6) |
a zombie Randy Brooks (9) I like this haiku because I see cicada shells every day on the ground, or on a trees bark, or up against a fence post, and even after 21 years of cicada knowledge, they still scare me sometimes. Their abandoned bodies are somehow triggering of a very primal instinct in me to be very afraid but also very curious. Still, once I realize that it's just an empty shell left behind I become curious and sad. The use of the words zombie and silent creates this feeling without being too explicit about the subject of the haiku. I love the supernatural feeling of this haiku which parallels my own experiences with seeing cicadas. Morgan Bode, Fall 2019 |
© 2019, Randy Brooks • Millikin University
All rights returned to authors upon publication.