Global Haiku • January 2021
Dr. Randy Brooks

Keeping Secrets

by
Jenny Tullis

Haiku are my diary. They let me work through all of my emotions. The briefness of haiku allows me to write about specific and significant moments. Haiku has this incredible power to turn everyday experiences into something beautiful.

For years, I thought haiku were 5-7-5 syllable poems that were supposed to be vague and mysterious, but I was wrong. Japanese haiku is traditionally a 17 syllable micro-poem with juxtaposition, but this did not translate well to the English language. What I have learned is that haiku is about freedom. It’s about expression, emotions, creativity, and so much more. Most importantly, it’s about the reader. The reader is who gives the haiku meaning. They are who make a whole story out of these few words and bring them to life.

What are my haiku about? They are about life. My life. Your life. Their life. Our life. I wanted to make a collection that ran in several different directions. Life is full of ups and downs, and so are my haiku. My haiku are a mix of my imagination and my own personal experiences. If I were to tell you exactly what inspired me or caused me to write each haiku, the magic is gone. And so, I will be keeping those secrets.

blowing the dust
off the piano
Clair de Lune

dangling earrings
swing
when you call her name

your girlfriend’s friend
perhaps—
that will be on my grave

people I’ve hurt
the list outweighs
Jacob Marley’s chains

the meaning of life
found
over a Taco Bell dinner

youth pastor arrested
for child grooming
we search my brother’s phone

home from college
Grandpa hands me
a beer

new Facebook post
old lab partner
engaged

I fight
myself
for the last slice of pie

we compare
book fair stickers
scratch ‘n sniff

foot to the floor
we crank up
Taylor Swift

grocery store trip
my ears burn
at our song

bridesmaid invitation
brown
is not my color

on top
of the jungle gym
king of the world

smencils
on the playground
elementary entrepreneurs

thirteen
sucks in her stomach
the mirror applauds

yellow boots
long legs
bouncing while she talks

walk in the park
we learn
each other’s fears

pots and pans
towels and soap
adult Christmas

her tight hug
reminds me
I am enough

I bring Grandma home
she looks beautiful
on the shelf beside Grandpa

summer breeze
soccer ball
flies into the net

living out of my suitcase
on a twin-size bed
goodbye again

heels click
down the hallway
we straighten our posture

I queue
a love song
he skips it

family dinner
adult talk
I bite my tongue

in the dark
angels hold hands
secret song

first date
I text my friend
I’m in love

metronome clicks
professor says
to start again

swirling party
you grabbed my hand
I only saw you

lingering feelings
I hate knowing
your favorite color

Friday night
mall claw machine
stands no chance

the ball bounces
out of the square
you’re out!

running from the past
she looks
like me