Haiku Kukai 01 Favorites
Global Haiku • Millikin University • January 2021
1 golden child Ashley Galloway ••••• • I really liked this haiku because It felt very relatable to me. I am no golden child, but no one would be able to understand the struggles I go through just by looking at me. So being a ‘golden child’ and the ‘broken home’ part really speaks to me. Response: This being my favorite haiku, really had me in my feelings. The placement of the phrase broken home has so much effect on this haiku because the meaning of the haiku could change solely based upon its placement. I can feel this sense of relation toward this haiku because of the strength it carries. The golden child touches the stars, they conquered everything that got in their way, they didn’t let anything get a hold of them. That’s what the golden child wants people to think, but in reality they face many conflicts at their families home. That if they aren’t out there doing the best they can as their sense of therapy, then they will be laying in the dark with heads full of dark thoughts that will eat them. Nick Sablan, January 2021 |
2 my reflection
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3 leaves suspended in time
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4 the bicycle Parag Sachdeva ••• I like the turn in this haiku. At first “overlooked” made me think the bike had been forgotten about, but in the third line, I see it was happily used often. I imagined the old bike hadn’t been pulled out from the garage in several years. It’s a little rusted with dingy colors. Someone lays their eyes on the bike that they’d forgotten about and remembers how much fun they used to have with it. Jenny Tullis, January 2021 |
5 full moon Parag Sachdeva •• |
6 fine china Sam Thornburg ••• This haiku is strong for me in the sounds evoked. The sound of new china being clanked together is very unique. Crisp slow clanks. The way the sound echoes through the room and sets a scene for a more refined evening. I also imagine all of the beautiful patterns on such cups, teapots and plates. I think of a rosy pink and gold and a brazen green. There is also the fresh manufactured smell of something nice that is new out of the box. Harrison Atkins, January 2021 |
7 the darkness comes earlier Ron Bond •• |
8 park is empty Sam Thornburg • This haiku caught my eye because of the strong image I formed in my head after I read it. I imagined someone who’s a bit too old to be playing at the park upon seeing it empty, took the chance to live out a bit of his youth again. Now that he’s older he swings higher than he ever has and with more momentum. But with this gained strength he loses control, falling off the swing like an apple off a branch and instead of being embarrassed he’s thankful the park is empty. Mira Burens, January 2021 |
9 stuffed animal Mira Burens •••• This haiku made me think about my childhood. Sometimes as a kid I would feel bad for toys I had if I played with other ones more, as if they had feelings. As I got older and stopped playing with toys or donated them, the sympathy for my toys happened again. I like that the apologies in this haiku are said to be sincere. I truly did feel for those toys when I apologize them. Children also do feel very deeply and are often overly expressive with their emotions, so it fits. Jenny Tullis, January 2021 When I read this haiku, it takes me back to my childhood. Ever since I was little, I have always had loads of stuffed animals, and even though I don’t play with my stuffed animals now as I did as a little girl, they still mean a lot to me. Stuffed animals to me mean memories. When I was little, stuffed animals did not really mean memories to me, they were just things I had. I was attached to them, and always felt bad when I threw one on the floor or hit one, that I would take it and give it a gigantic hug. So when I read this haiku, I completely relate to the line ‘sincere apologies’. Now, stuffed animals mean more about memories to me. I bought a stuffed animal when I went to a German Christmas market in Chicago for my German class my senior year of high school, or I have another stuffed animal for when I went to the zoo with my best friend over the summer. I know that if I were to get rid of any of these stuffed animals, I would feel the need to apologize to the toy for even thinking of getting rid of them, and the memories they hold. Allie Bonk, January 2021 |
10 feet kicked up Nick Sablan • |
11 record snowfall |
12 early bedtime Ron Bond • |
13 the moon rises Allie Bonk ••• This haiku evokes for me a sense of relief and relaxation. I imagine closing my laptop after sending my final email for the night and being free to enjoy what a like. I picture taking a long exhale and watching some tv with my girlfriend or starting up a video game. And the relaxation is much better after feeling I have done the work I need for the night. A balance of growth and rest. Harrison Atkins, January 2021 |
14 slams car door |
15 all bundled up |
16 paper snowflakes |
17 winter fruit Mira Burens ••• |
18 the sun going down Eli Hartsfield • |
19 an unwarranted k i s s
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20 my childhood friends Allie Bonk ••••• I think about all the friends who have died over time. There were those that died at the hands of others that trouble me the most. I grew up in a ruff neighborhood and I lost a lot of people to violence. I find it hard to understand how people fell that it is ok to play God. I also think about those who have gone on to their reward from natural causes. I miss talking to all of them. They were important to my life and I feel a loss without them. Ron Bond, January 2021 |
21 blue morning |
22 bases loaded |
23 a keyboard clicking Sarah Obert ••• I see myself writing an email to my boss after he has created an issue between us. He has no idea how angry he has made me, but I feel the need to have him understand my frustration. When I am typing the email, I can almost spell the smoke coming from the keyboard as I write it. I try to control my emotions, but I find it hard not to let them enter my thoughts. Ron Bond, January 2021 Response: This haiku was very unique to me, but I really loved it. I have this image of a boy that is in his zone. Nobody is going to stop him as you can hear the perfectly patterned taps of that 1 milli-second response time mechanical keyboard fire off. The smell of something burning just gives you that sense of seeing the rapid fire fingers of this boy obliterating not only the keys, but also the opponents behind the screen. Nick Sablan, January 2021 |
24 clocking out Ashley Galloway ••
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25 coffee poured slow Sarah Obert • |
26 a soothing fire Eli Hartsfield • |
27 their picture Sarah Obert •••• I noticed something I really liked about this haiku the fourth time I read it. I had been reading it in a sort of third person perspective. Now I see it a little more dramatic. I imagined a situation of someone living alone, their significant other lives far away or has left for some time. In a state of loneliness or unhappiness, this brings home someone else for a one-night-stand. While this person is over, they turn around the picture of their significant other, so they don’t think about them. Jenny Tullis, January 2021 |
28 mom spreads her arms Sarah Obert ••••• I love this haiku. It has so much sentiment and saddest. Some many times you hear of people not getting to say goodbye and today with COVID people are not able to say goodbye all the time. I go to a place where someone is losing their mother and getting the chance to have that final embrace. Ashley Galloway, January 2021 This haiku just spoke to me in explicable ways. The word mom is an emotion in itself. I could totally visualize my mother with her arms wide open for all her children. This haiku is very special to me since I have not been able to feel my mother’s warmth and presence for the last three consecutive years. Being away from both my mother as well as my motherland, especially during current pandemic times, elicited all kinds of sad and longing emotions. Although I get to see her every day over video call, nothing can replace the warmth of that one final hug that she blessed me with three years ago when I returned to the US. As her only son, I know how much we miss each other’s presence – she, nonetheless, makes sure to not let it look conspicuous since she wants me to stay strong on my path to success on this far away land of opportunity. In the end, I will make sure that all her sacrifices and embraces never go in vain. Parag Sachdeva, January 2021 |
29 sunrise Ashley Galloway •• |
30 I bring grandma home Jenny Tullis ••••• • This haiku is precious. I lost my grandmother about 7 years ago and that is a day I will never forget. My grandfather passed when I was 5 but we were very close. This takes me to the day when I could bring a photo of grandma home and place it next to the photo of grandpa and know they were together again. Ashley Galloway, January 2021 I thought this haiku was really good, specifically because of how surprising it is. I thought that this was another sweet grandparent reunion until the last line. I thought the quick turn in tone is my favorite part of this haiku. In it, I am able to see a peaceful suburban home in the afternoon. The person is carrying a beautifully decorated urn that they will place next to the one of their grandfather’s. I thought the conclusion of it was nice despite its sad undertones. I think it is nice that they get to be reunited on this shelf and in this haiku. Caitlin Marshall, January 2021 At first, I picture someone bringing their grandmother home from the hospital, or transporting their grandmother to her own home because she no longer can safely transport herself in her older age. “She looks beautiful” might be limiting in a different context, but in the context of a grandmother, it adds a layer of sentimentality. The whole Haiku flips me around on my face by the third line, when I realize that grandma is really in an urn, and both grandparents have met each other in the ‘afterlife’, so-to-speak. I’ve only lost one grandparent in my lifetime, but I can still feel that loss vividly. There are memories that swarm from spending time with my own grandmother. I remember seeing my grandma in her casket, beautiful- but not in the lively form I want to remember her in. It’s beautiful to honor someone in our life that has passed, but still painful to know they aren’t with you in the same ways. Sarah Obert, January 2021 |
31 my MacBook hums Jenny Tullis • I enjoy this Haiku a lot because it really reminds of my first semester in college. Coming into college I was excited and eager for my lectures and for the complete different social environment, but now with almost everything being in zoom things have transferred aspects. I really wake up 5 minutes before a class to the humming of my alarm and will rub my eyes and join my zoom class. I was just able to really relate to this poem and my first semester here at Millikin. Jakob Henderson, January 2021 |
32 a bright classroom awaits Caitlin Marshall ••• |
33 warm coffee in hand Caitlin Marshall •• This haiku was my favorite to visualize in my head. I love getting to sit alone in coffee shops. It is a very peaceful place for me, so that is what I feel as I read this. I feel the warmth of the coffee in my hand in a disposable paper cup. I can imagine the small table in front of me, followed by a chair underneath the table that I am resting my feet in. This haiku transports me to a place where I can relax or feel productive. Caitlin Marshall, January 2021 |
34 living out of my suitcase Jenny Tullis ••••• •• I like this haiku particularly because it relates to my last eight years of experience of living on my own - except for the fact that I did not own a suitcase for the former 4 years of that experience (chuckle). I have been living out of a backpack, and now suitcase, so consistently that I am almost addicted to the surprises that come with continuously moving to new places. For the first 4 years of leaving my village at the age of 16, I didn’t quite have the luxury of a twin-size bed. However, what I did have was an excessive amount of independence that none of my high school friends at the time did. |
35 nightly prayers Sarah Obert •••• This one is quite vivid in my mind. There’s a few separate people around a high cut bed, kneeling and arms clasped, praying for the one missing. Perhaps they have passed away recently or have gone away on a trip of some sort. Yet, there was some large shock to prompt the individuals into doing this. Certainly before, there were nightly prayers, but not of the same fervor or intensity. What then, would cause such a sort of increase? Only the one who is missing… I think of when my brother passed away, how I would go to my mother’s room every night before bedtime and talk to her. On occasion, we would pray about him. When he was found at his passing, he was kneeled over next to his bed. I think that he too was engaging in prayer. Quite amazing how just a short few words can evoke such strong memories. Sam Thornburg, January 2021 |
36 finished basement Sarah Obert ••• This haiku reminded me of the giant clear tub of legos that used to reside in my basement. More specifically how me and my brother would leave them out to finish our projects later. My mom would step on them, get mad and then throw them back into the box. Reading this brought me back. Mira Burens, January 2021 |
37 snow pants on Sarah Obert •••• I love this. I imagined like so many people, being finally layer and bundled up only to realize you need to pee. I also imagine the innocence of a child that just pees down their leg having so much fun they don’t want to get undressed again and wishing I was that innocent. I needed this today. It made me laugh after a long, stressful day. Ashley Galloway, January 2021 Response: This haiku stood out to me personally. I always feel this way when I head back to school. Living out of my suitcase makes me imagine that beautiful struggle that comes with trying to provide for yourself. I would be up late laying there on that twin-sized bed as my stomach growled for food. The benefit of this struggle was that I needed to lose weight anyways. Another benefit was that the amazing people you meet while taking upon great opportunities such as going to college, and that right there can never be traded for anything. Nick Sablan, January 2021 |
38 growing up together Mira Burens ••••• ••••• This haiku specifically spoke to me because of how relatable it is. I have sat and thought many times about past friendships of mine and pondered why they ended. I also often wonder where they are or what they are doing now. Since we have social media it makes it very easy to see their lives without having any involvement with them. I also think it is weird how you can be so close with someone in your childhood and then your relationship ends for any reason and you never speak again. I thought this was a very real and relatable haiku. Caitlin Marshall, January 2021 I was born in a well-to-do suburb north of Chicago to a great family. The school system is one of the best in the entire country, the people were very kind and supportive... I had the world at my fingertips. I look back fondly on the innumerable days of my early youth, when I had brothers, friends, and a reasonable chance for a future. Even though I don't live there anymore, I've spent a lot of time within the last year and a half revisiting the areas I grew up in over and over, as if to try and feel a certain feeling or closure, but it never seems to prick the feeling I imagine some nights when I'm falling asleep. Sometimes I look at my youthful peers, who all had equally of a great chance as I to perform, do well, and achieve, but they all seem to be in the same boat as me. I don't really understand what happened to all of us. By nearly all measures, we were some of the best off, well prepared, well adjusted kids in the entire country. Nature was everywhere, industry/training was just around the corner, top notch education was a quick walk to the train station... The puzzle pieces are all around me and I've been piecing them together as I progress through my education, but I still don't really understand. It's not even related to what people consider to be traditional predictors: The area was (and still is) extremely diverse, with people from all walks of life and all forms of belief living and managing to peacefully coexist with one another in the towns. The CEO of CDW lives right across the street (Butterfield Road) from where I grew up, which was also adjacent to the lower income area of town. It didn't seem like anyone was truly struggling or terribly unhappy, even with not a lot of income. Why did we all turn out so different, and so many for the worst? Sam Thornburg, January 2021 People grow apart. It’s the sad part of the ebb and flow of life. We fall together, and if we’re lucky, stay together. If you’re lucky, you’ll have people that stay by your side through the formative years of your childhood. I was lucky to have different people I grew up next to. I’m lucky to still be in contact with some of those childhood friends, but many I have lost touch with. How could those people know you so well, and suddenly be strangers? This Haiku feels like a beautiful reminder to appreciate each relationship you have the pleasure to be in. I look back on the beauty and joy these childhood friendships brought me - day in and day out. There is joy that they happened, and perhaps looking back is bittersweet. Isn’t it wonderful that they could happen at all? How lucky we are to know each other in this life. Sarah Obert, January 2021 This Haiku touched me on an emotional level. This poem makes me think of all the friends I made as a kid and wonder what ever happened to those relationships and why were so different today. I met a lot of old friends who just fell off the radar and I would always wonder what happened, how did we disconnect. Overtime people grow over one another and you find out who you want really to want in your life. It’s a messy situation, but the outcomes are where you want to look. Jakob Henderson, January 2021 |
39 passing notes Mira Burens •• This was my absolute favorite. I love the last line of a highway of hands. The repeating h sound and similar structure ends the haiku on a fantastic note. I am reminded of the uncontrollable giggling and joy in the socializing of school. Moments that seemed like just distractions at the time to the big education system actually being some of the most important. I remember blue plastic chairs and the shiny metal legs. The crinkling of notebook paper. Harrison Atkins, January 2021 |
40 socks on the carpet |
41 pots and pans Jenny Tullis •••• |
42 discovered scissors Jenny Tullis ••• I absolutely adored this haiku. It gives such a light playful energy. I could instantly imagine a mother’s panic as she realized her child gave themselves bangs in the minute she wasn’t looking. Fortunately, I am lucky enough to never have given myself a haircut. But I do know a few people who have, and while it was a big deal at the time, it is looked back on as a fond funny memory. Mira Burens, January 2021 |
43 the ball bounces Jenny Tullis •• |
44 my mother sick, |
45 endless giggling Caitlin Marshall ••••• • I think of my girls laughing late into the night and me telling them to quiet down. E were a blended family and the sounds of them coming together was warming to my heart. They slept in the same bed for over 4 years and we had a hard time separating them. The mud of their mutual bed was hard to overcome. Ron Bond, January 2021 |
46 snowfall |
47 floating like a cloud Ron Bond •••• I liked this haiku because when I read it, reading books is my floating on a cloud. When I read, I ignore everything else going on around me. Reading to me is like an escape from reality. When I read, it almost is like I am floating on a cloud, I do not care about anything else going on around me except for my book. I could read for hours and hours on end, which truly does seem like time has no relevance. I have accidentally read until three in the morning one time, and it did not feel like I was reading for hours, minutes maybe. Books have lead me to a new meaning of life, especially when I compare it to the hobbies of my siblings. My little brother always makes fun of me because my floating on a cloud is reading, while his version of floating on a cloud is playing video games for hours. I feel like my floating on a cloud is more productive than his, it keeps me entertained, it keeps me happy, I feel like it raises my social and academic skills, and it’s my escape from reality. Allie Bonk, January 2021 |
48 brother and sister Allie Bonk ••• These ten words are so beautifully written that they can sum up my entire childhood altogether. Brother and Sister. Biologically speaking, their DNA’s are 75 percent alike, 25 percent than that of either parent. I love this haiku so much that I just want to thank its writer from the bottom of my heart for expressing such a unique relationship so subliminally. Growing up and even till date, my sisters and I have shared so many secrets that we are almost in an absolute sync with each other’s souls. Sometimes we can even understand each other without having to use any words, really. We still are accomplice to many crimes and pranks that can only be understood and committed by us. Now that we are all grown up and one of my sisters is married, our bond has gotten even stronger because we know we always have each other’s backs regardless of whether others do or not. Parag Sachdeva, January 2021 |
49 morning blurs Nick Sablan •• Everything about the morning feels blurry to me. Maybe there’s a little extra crust in the corners of the eyes, or the general daze of not getting enough sleep. I like the juxtaposition of a blurry morning and the golden rays of the sun. It’s almost as if the blur comes first, but the sun aids in waking up a tired world. The last line of “repeated time” makes me think of the quote “the world’s full of people going nowhere fast”. We all live on such a strict clock, where time informs everything. We live off of schedules, and these schedules really make it hard to appreciate . . . anything. Maybe this is an example of a beautiful morning unnoticed, because the worry and hurry of a day yet to unfold takes up so much space. Sarah Obert, January 2021 I really enjoy this Haiku because of how relatable it Is for me. The older I get the more I notice my mornings becoming more and more difficult to wake up to with the sunlight beaming in my face. Everyday is the same just as a brand-new day. Same schedule for me but creating new experiences within those repetitive mornings. Jakob Henderson, January 2021 |
50 the grunt of morning |
51 a cow with 2 dots Jakob Henderson ••• I really, really enjoy this Haiku. It’s my favorite out of all of them. I think it’s the lightheartedness of it that gets me, alongside the imagery presented of “cow with two dots”. My dog Dixie back home is a medium sized Pitbull-Lab mix and she is colored exactly like a cow. I think of her much and how similar she is to a cow when she is curled and sleeping. She seems to have two large “cow dots”. Another cow-themed image that came to my mind is at the cafeteria at Millikin, where the milk dispensary is colored like a cow. You can pull a lever for milk and immediately next to, there are a variety of cereals. The food and milk come together on the cow, but not with the dots. It also made me think of the juice dispensers, where you press buttons for juice. I guess the fruit “milk” and food come together? Anyways, this haiku made me really think of my dog, and she’s one of the best things to think about! Sam Thornburg, January 2021 |
© 2020, Randy Brooks • Millikin University
All rights returned to authors upon publication.