Haiku Kukai 02 Favorites
Global Haiku • Millikin University • January 2021
1 jump rope contest Mira Burens •••• This one is funny to me. It reminds me of my elementary school years where we had those field days. The thought of doing a contest and getting hurt is funny and brings a smile to my face. Eli Hartsfield, January 2021 So many juvenile memories swarm- from the outdoor recesses to the somber days spent in the nurse’s office. I think of the competitive nature of children trying to one-up each other, but also the innocence of youth. We never intend to get hurt by having fun, but somehow, it just happens. This Haiku gives me that sense of spontaneity that comes from childlike joy. It’s simple, but the Haiku does a wonderful job of setting the stage, and then providing a deeper layer. I can feel the ankle rolling; the momentary slip-up that is so unexpected, but alters the flow of life. Sarah Obert, January 2021 |
2 indoor recess Mira Burens •••• This haiku brought a smile to my face. People were always so creative during indoor recess coming up with ways to pass the time and have fun. You were 10x more popular if you kne how to make the paper fortune toy. Some sides had very light predictions on them, but others had powerful ones about great fate. As a kid, these sorts of predictions felt so “end-all be-all,” whether they were light or deep. The first line of this haiku really set the tone for the rest of it. I immediately began to think of elementary school, and had me predicting the rest of the haiku. Jenny Tullis, January 2021 This brings back elementary school memories, when I would ride on the bus and the girls would create magic fortune tellers out of notebook paper. There would be random numbers on all of the corners, and they would stick their fingers in and mess it about, until fate decided what the future held. I could never figure out how to make one for myself: to this day, I feel as though they’re still magic. They truly are a testament to how smart children are. In my days of youth, the fortunes might not have been this cruel, but they did offer glimpses into the mind of its creator. Especially considering that this was before every child was glued to the internet, and tutorials for such were probably hard to come by. Phrases like “you will suffer in 5 years” or “you will never have a girlfriend” touted out by 9-year old girls showed how dark the minds of our youth could get, as also evidenced by certain proclivities towards war in young boys. The gateway to humanity lies in the mind of a child, truly... Sam Thornburg, January 2021 |
3 my stomach grumbles Sarah Obert •• |
4 spitting sunflower seeds |
5 two roads diverged |
6 the shooting Sarah Obert •••• I liked this haiku because I felt that at the present time, it seems very relatable. Our world is very chaotic right now because of COVID-19, issues in the white house, and general racism/sexism issues going on. I feel that this haiku sums up the chaos in today’s society. |
7 i put on Allie Bonk •••• I liked this haiku because I was quickly able to interpret it in two different ways after reading it a few times. The first being that, today, everyone is wearing a mask and you are not able to see people’s expressions anymore. Everyone’s smiles are covered up, along with all the other subtleties that become lost when you wear a mask. The second interpretation is a bit different and it can be read that this person’s smiling face is the mask instead. Caitlin Marshall, January 2021 This haiku speaks to the times we live in. I am usually a very happy person and before the pandemic I would smile at people and most time they would smile back in return. Now with the need for masks you can’t see if they are returning that smile. The mask gives people the ability to show their true feelings because if they are happy like me you can see it in their eyes. We were wearing masks on our faces before the need of them now. ’m sure most people smiled in return to me out of curtesy and not from happiness within. Ron Bond, January 2021 |
8 snowshoe prints Sam Thornburg ••• Something about the cold and gray imagery I received from the snowshoe prints on a frozen lake made me take this Haiku into a dark corner. I picture a quiet and desolate scene, where life seems to be completely frozen over. I imagine a scenario where someone decided to walk the frozen lake, but falls through at a certain point. The “three missed” calls that follow the scene made it seem that this person has fallen through, and is trying to be reached by a love one… to no avail. I cringe as I write, but unfortunately, this is where my mind went. Sarah Obert, January 2021 |
9 the horse gallops |
10 turn around Sam Thornburg •• |
11 building a snowman Allie Bonk •• I liked this haiku because it reminded me of my own childhood. Me and my brother would stay out all day playing in the snow and building snowmen. Eventually like most siblings do we would get into some kind of fight and start throwing snowballs. This was all well and good until one of us hit the other in the face. This was usually the last straw and we would run inside, still fighting. I almost forgot how much that hurt until this haiku reminded me. This haiku really captures the essence of how quickly things go from peaceful to fighting with siblings. Mira Burens, January 2021 |
12 summer breeze |
13 lingering feelings Jenny Tullis ••••• • I really connected to this haiku. It reminded me an ended relationship where you spend so much time learning and studying the person you are with end then, they are gone. Even if the relationship ending was your idea there are memories that can’t be erased and things that remind us of happier times. When you are hurting after a relationship, there are the small details that fill the empty space in your mind that you just wish you could forget. Ashley Galloway, January 2021 My favorite part of this haiku was the ending. I thought it packed a good punch. Something that is usually jolly and sweet, knowing someone’s favorite color, being turned into this sour lingering rejection. I also like the beginning of this haiku. Just as the feelings linger the line breaks and has the first line linger in our minds wondering what feelings linger. This provides the space to access our own times of unrequited love. The second line is enjoyable to me for a similar reason. Again you are left wondering- what do you hate knowing? Harrison Atkins, January 2021 |
14 dangling earrings Jenny Tullis ••••• • I liked this haiku because I think it creates a great visual. I can just imagine the earrings swaying side to side and it the side of the woman’s face when they turn around. I liked that this haiku could lead down to two different paths: a bright path, where maybe you are calling her name to say hi or greet them. Then there is a darker path, where maybe the two of you were arguing and that person walked away, but the conversation is not finished yet. I thought this haiku was good because of the movement in it. I was able to see a girl swinging her head slightly to look at me and her big earrings swing along with her head. I think focusing on this subtle detail is nice because it is something I do not normally focus on. Caitlin Marshall, January 2021 I loved this haiku because it reminded me of one of my favorite painting, Girl with a Pearl Earring by Vermeer. Many say the painting looks as if someone has just called the subject’s name and captured that moment of recognition in paint. The haiku captured the movement perfectly, by showing it through the earring, not telling us simply that the girl’s head turned. There is also something so mundane and sweet about this haiku, it depicts a moment that only people who care deeply for the girl might even notice. Mira Burens, January 2021 |
15 . . . 1 2 3 Nick Sablan •• |
16 don’t get caught |
17 clothes & jewelry Nick Sablan •• This was definitely a striking one for me. I did not think that a term like “brainwashed” could work well in a poetry medium like haiku (and one of such short length, 6 words), but it evoked a range of emotions within me. I’m sure we’ve all viewed some of our friends or family as brainwashed at times, seemingly blind to what could lie so obviously before our own eyes. I thought of the “Supreme” brand of clothing, which was incredibly popular for a couple years, finding its way into all kinds of apparel and accessories. I saw it on cars, on phones, on hats, on watches, and even on shoes. Yet, it suddenly disappeared from the minds of many; how could such a craze die so fast? Brainwashing doesn’t need to take on a cult-like association to be a good description! Sam Thornburg, |
18 her tight hug Jenny Tullis ••••• •• This haiku hit me hard. I have always sought approval and I think a lot of people do. Whether it is at work, school, or in a relationship feeling like people notice positive things about you is important. Growing up I think that we seek approval and compassion from our mother’s and we need that safe place and to hear that we are enough despite the pressure we place on ourselves. Ashley Galloway, January 2021 I liked this haiku because I feel a lot of people (including myself) can relate to having the feeling of being enough from a hug. I myself can just feel that tight embrace after a long day. I can imagine receiving this tight embrace from many different people though, maybe my parents, or my friends on campus. Unfortunately, some people may not even have one person that reminds them that they are enough. I feel like reading this haiku may be powerful enough for some people to ensure that they are enough, and they do have people who support them. Allie Bonk, January 2021 I really enjoyed this haiku because of its comforting and reassuring nature. It reminded me of how I feel whenever my mom gives me a hug. She has helped me through many things and has had to reassure me more times than I can count. In all these instances, I somehow will always feel better after she hugs me. This poem is probably my favorite in the whole selection from the second kukai. Caitlin Marshall, January 2021 |
19 rainfall |
20 a sidewalk with Caitlin Marshall •• I feel like I am walking down the sidewalk at a funeral. I feel pain from this haiku. The memorial of a passed away friend or a family member. It is a beautiful death walking down that sidewalk like walking down their path of life. Eli Hartsfield, January 2021 I imagine this moment as a roadside memorial. I see them often in my neighborhood. Wooden crosses and pictures are attached to light poles in memory of someone, or to mark a location near where they died, and the recent ones still have so many flowers around them that they spill onto the sidewalk and are carefully arranged by those who care. Whenever I see them, I stop and look to see what was attached to the pole, what items those around the dead considered important enough to display to the world. After a while you get used to them, and notice whenever they’re updated by someone who cares, even all those years later. Mira Burens, January 2021 |
21 as a kid Jakob Henderson ••••• In such few, simple words, this haiku hit me very deeply. I’ve always heard people say that your drive in life should be to make younger you proud. I often find myself wondering what future me will look back and think about where I am right now. Whenever I think about younger me, I think about things I wish I could tell myself. I love how this haiku used “how” instead of “where” in the last line, because it enforces the idea that how you feel in life is more important than where you are and what your successes are. Jenny Tullis, January 2021 |
22 an empty gym Caitlin Marshall • |
23 our tracks in the snow Jakob Henderson • I find I have this thought almost every time I go out in the snow! It’s so simple to see an imprint in the snow, but it also represents the beauty of human interaction. I love how the scene is set with the tracks of two or more people ( I picture 2) playfully tracing through the snow, and then by the third line, involves more people. I also think it’s cute that it rhymes, something I notice isn’t typically a part of Haiku. Sarah Obert, January 2021 |
24 melting snow Ashley Galloway •• |
25 perfect lighting Ashley Galloway ••••• I liked this haiku because of the good juxtaposition used. I thought it was a good pairing to have the idea of a perfect light next to the image of someones hair going grey. A lot of images and feelings for me are stirred considering the decay of age and the purity of light. There are also a lot of ways you can imagine perfect lighting. This could be lighting just focusing on the individual, or it could be a warm sunny day. I enjoyed the ambiguity so that the reader could fill in the blanks here. Lastly I liked the use of glitter in the hair. As you read it further develops that the person is young and innocent. Then as the haiku finishes you are left thinking that, although the person may be growing old, they have not gone sour and lost touch of a more playful side. Harrison Atkins, January 2021 |
26 lights dim Ashley Galloway •••• I very much like the setting that the two lines of this haiku establishes. On its own, lights dim is a broad statement and could be interpreted many ways. I initially consider it like a broadway show beginning to start or a movie. The line helps build an anticipation like the show is about to begin. Then the phrase is given a context that makes it much more rich for me. A big stack of books next to dim lighting evokes a lot of feelings and senses for me. I imagine rustic pages barley captured in the light. The ancient smell of a library. It also can feel dark and overwhelming. The dark tone is sealed with the last line that makes good use of the word stacked. Leaving me at the very end also helps fill the haiku with dread since the me is alone to face the challenge that is set. Harrison Atkins, January 2021 I like this haiku because of the personal connection and the visual factor it entails. I can relate to having a bunch of books stacked against me. I am a nursing student, so a lot of my assignments include reading page after page after page of material. Which, unfortunately, is a huge pain and I hate having a reading assignment. Now, I love reading, but I do not enjoy being forced to read a book. If I am forced to read a book for an assignment, and I find it boring, the information does not stick with me at all. I like this haiku for the personification of the books. Instead of saying “the odds are stacked against me,” the books are stacked. Sometimes in the semester we feel surrounded by those textbooks and overwhelmed with work. This haiku made that sort of situation a little bit funny instead of enduring. Jenny Tullis, January 2021 |
27 brown shoes Harrison Atkins ••• |
28 please Harrison Atkins • I love this one because its something I would love to do. Just sitting by the water with a fishing pole and a beer in my hand. This also brings back memories from me actually doing something like this. Eli Hartsfield, January 2021 |
29 spinning carelessly |
30 your girlfriend’s friend |
31 Christmas eve |
32 searching for perfection |
33 stickers Eli Hartsfield •• |
34 darkness descends |
35 old friends gather Ron Bond •• |
36 trapeze walker Mira Burens •• |
37 doggy footprint |
38 family recipe Sarah Obert •••• I found this haiku humorous, but I cannot relate to this. My parents and I are skilled in the kitchen, so we have never had a kitchen disaster that led to us getting food delivered. I did find this amusing because I can imagine my friends who aren’t as skilled in the kitchen as me having a kitchen-related disaster and ending up going out for food. Allie Bonk, January 2021 |
39 off in the distance |
40 uncontrollable heart rate idle Caitlin Marshall • |
41 fog Jenny Tullis ••• This was a great haiku. I love the mystery that is surrounding the fog. I think the next time I am driving in fog I am going to remember this and ask myself what it’s hiding. It’s the mystery of not knowing what is behind it just like when a person is keeping things inside. Ashley Galloway, January 2021 I am fondly reminded of many cartoons and shows that would portray this kind of event: The nuclear family, headed by clumsy old dad, tries to prepare grandma’s secret casserole masterpiece, only for the kitchen to catch fire and pizza to be ordered. Truly, pizza is the saving grace of many a mother: Perfect for when friends come over, when one is too tired, when dinner goes wrong, when relatives are stressing you out, when the paycheck comes in, and even when dad and the kids go on a camping trip. Though, it doesn’t even need to be delivered anymore: Frozen pizzas of high quality come quite cheap and the oven only needs 20 minutes to deliver Italian goodness! Sam Thornburg, January 2021 |
42 why sleep |
© 2020, Randy Brooks • Millikin University
All rights returned to authors upon publication.