Global Haiku • Fall 2020
Dr. Randy Brooks

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MaggieKusar
Maggie Kusar

Cup of Tea Haiku
Project

Essay on

Firefly Haiku

 

 

 

sentence memories

by
Maggie Kusar

One of the first lessons we learned in Global Haiku Traditions was that a haiku encompasses the beginning, middle, or end of a moment. I took that to heart when I wrote my haiku. Throughout these pages are moments of silence and moments of noise, moments of loneliness and moments spent with others. These are moments that have had an impact on my life, moments that were turning points for better or for worse. These are the moments that I remember and cherish.

Another first lesson taught me that a haiku isn’t born until someone else connects to it and finds meaning in it. I took that to heart as well. I hope that you can join me in these moments and share fragments of my life with me, and I hope that you are also able to find pieces of your own life in my words even if they aren’t the same as the moments I wrote them for.

The title of my compilation is sentence memories. It encompasses both the structure of a haiku—as short as one sentence—as well as the aesthetic of my haiku—bits and pieces of memories throughout my life that have meant something to me. Haiku preserve my precious moments and let me share them with you, and I hope they inspire you to create some of your own.


concrete steps
the porch light
replaces the sun


honey lamp
the porch aglow
with fireflies


walking empty halls
the only voice
is mine


tufts of fur
the house is silent
without a dog


wiggling caterpillar
still
in her hands


wicker basket holds
paper stories
origami


scraped hands
we jump
onto the roof


lightning storm
we push the bed
together


chapstick tissues
just a little
            glitter


high ceiling
the swift breeze
moves with the dancers


curly hair
I realize
like a sister


dappled path
we talk about
dogs


blanket fort
stay until
fully charged


alleyway thoughts
and
then
I

fall

again


my heart is out
(always yours)
claddaugh ring


powdered sugar smile—
all I want is
you


toy jail
the plush cat hidden
under my thighs


porch swing
my sister
sits with her book


© 2020, Randy Brooks • Millikin University
All rights returned to authors upon publication.