Haiku Kukai 03 favorites
Global Haiku • Millikin University • January 2022
1 early morning Jessica Sheeler I decided to do a response for both haiku one and two. They’re both very similar as they are referring to a cup of coffee. Right away, these two jumped out to me. I’m a huge coffee drinker. Every morning before I start my day, I make a cup of coffee and grab a comic book or two and read with a little bit of breakfast. I find it as a good way to prepare for what’s to come by fulfilling my appetite and getting my brain ready for the day. The first haiku I read was number one and it brought a sense of relaxation to me. I’ve always been a morning person. By getting up early, showering, making breakfast and coffee, and reading, I’ve always thought it as a good way to get ready for the day. I find it quite relaxing actually. Also, I drink my coffee black which is why I love haiku two so much. Every time I mention to someone I drink black coffee, they always squirm. Whenever I have my coffee when I’m home, my brother always says, “why I can’t I be cool like you and drink black coffee?” This second haiku made me think of that. I’ve had black coffee every morning for the past three or four years. It’s become almost routine at this point. I love coffee and I love these two haiku. Cole Daniel, January 2022 |
2 dark roast Jessica Sheeler |
3 if she wears baggy clothes Jessica Sheeler I loved this haiku because of the depth within the meaning. I feel like you can take this haiku in many different ways, and I took it as seeing the beauty past your first look. After looking at a girl in baggy clothes, at first one may assume that she doesn’t care about her appearance or maybe she is trying to hide something behind her clothes, but these clothes do not define her. Behind these baggy clothes she could have a beautiful body, a beautiful soul, a laugh like no other, or even a baby under there! I feel like this can connect to so many other things in life like an abandoned house that could have once helped raise a royal family and so on. No one should judge the way someone or something looks and have their impression of them be made up, because behind that layer there is beauty hiding. Christina Wasserstrom, January 2022 |
4 we laugh at Holly Bender I really like this haiku because it was very playful. I often see people feed seagulls at beaches or city towns. When fed, the seagulls will flock or swoop down to steal food from the people’s meals. The birds will go to great feats to get the food. The haiku shows perfect imagery of how seagulls act and the humans' reaction to the interactions. Morgan Rockwell, January 2022 I liked this haiku because it reminded me of my first class trip to the bean in Chicago. I think we went to some type of museum beforehand and had some left-over time to see the bean while we ate lunch. We were required to pack our lunch this day, so I had brought a single peanut butter a jelly sandwich. I definitely did not plan ahead very well. However, when it came to lunch, we all sat down on the steps and started eating. I had taken out my sandwich and set it down on the side of me to look for my water when it happened. A seagull came up and stole my whole sandwich. I was so upset especially since that was the only thing in my lunch box, the other kids however thought it was the funniest thing in the world. I also liked this haiku because how it used the word stealing. I thought that this was clever because it is very in line with how seagulls are about food. Jessica Sheeler, January 2022 |
5 You kiss my forehead |
6 trying to run Holly Bender |
7 marble statues Cole Daniel |
8 cold winter morning |
9 blue police box |
10 lights flicker |
11 corner of my eye Morgan Rockwell I liked this haiku a lot because I do believe in ghosts. I know a lot of people don’t believe in ghosts but coming from someone that lived in a haunted house I don’t see how they couldn’t. I have had many experiences where I was absolutely sure that I had seen a ghost, but the craziest time was when my stepdad saw it too. We were moving out of our house, and I was in the basement packing and out of the corner of my eye I saw something move. I was terrified of course so I calmly turned around to go upstairs and saw a black shadow. I froze and it disappeared. I ended up freaking out and crying mostly because no one believed me but later that day they did. My stepdad was bringing up the last of the stuff and through the stairs he swear he saw a ghost staring back at him. And that was the last time we were ever in that house. I also liked this haiku because of how they end it with a question. I thought that this was a good way to end because in these situations you definitely do question yourself. Jessica Sheeler, January 2022 |
12 bounding and leaping |
13 just like that Christina Wasserstrom |
14 as I see |
15 walking into the classroom Christina Wasserstrom |
16 I like my socks Cameron Richardson |
17 la vie en rose Cameron Richardson |
18 blank mind Cameron Richardson I liked this haiku because I feel like I can relate to it personally. It has started to become tradition for me and my friends to go get a polar pop after a couple hours of studying. So, I can definitely relate to my mind feeling blank while drinking one. I also thought that the end of the haiku was interesting. I thought that this was interesting because at first it doesn’t really go with the first two lines but if you read it a couple more times, I feel like it does. I think that it is referring to the coldness outside rather than the polar pop. I think this because you don’t expect a polar pop to be warm and how the weather has been in Illinois lately, I know exactly what they mean. Jessica Sheeler, January 2022 |
19 frostbite |
20 the stacks of CD’s Alex Stefanik |
21 at least Alex Stefanik I really like this haiku because it's very concise and hits a very deep subject. The haiku shows that the only thing you have control in your life is yourself, not others. Anything can happen to your loved ones, or they can do any actions that they want to as well. You can control only how you react to the events and things that happen to you. Morgan Rockwell, January 2022 |
22 slipknot |
23 tried so hard Tito Graff I like this haiku because I feel like it's something that everyone can relate to. I can imagine a person who is trying very hard at making expectations in school, sports and several different things.They don’t have time to work on themselves or put in time to take care of themselves. Morgan Rockwell, January 2022 |
24 sun setting into darkness Morgan Rockwell I also loved this haiku because of the beautiful imagery I had when reading and its relatability to many people. After reading this haiku, I picture a beautiful sunset turning into a very dark gray sky. As the sunset fades into darkness, I connect this to the relationship that is now ending between this girl and boy, and as the boy walks away, the girl continues to go over in her mind something she could say to save her relationship. I connected the leaving of the sunset to darkness to the relationship because as the light faded, so did the love in her relationship and the girl wanted to say something to save this, but knew it was too late because the boy was already gone. Overall, I just loved this haiku because of how well I connected these two ideas as one and the overall feeling I got after reading it. Christina Wasserstrom, January 2022 |
25 barking fills the air Emily Mitchell What I love about this haiku is it feels like I am reading the dog's thoughts. My family always makes voices and speaks for our dog and that's what this haiku felt like to me. The family and home fill this little haiku with such a sense of love and happiness. The barking is like an exclamation of excitement. This makes me so happy. Holly Bender, January 2022 This haiku made me think of my home right away. If I haven’t mentioned previously, I have three amazing and loving dogs: Bailey, Oliver, and Lacey. Our oldest, Bailey, is a Black Lab German Shepard mix. Despite her age, she’s extremely agile, playful, and loving towards my family and our dogs. Coming in second is Oliver who is a miniature schnauzer. Even though he can have a very annoying bark, he can be the absolute sweetest. Lastly, is our yellow lab, Lacey. She is the most rambunctious of the whole bunch. At the age of four, she love to play with anybody no matter who it is. Also, she just loves to cuddle. Since I’ve been home, I’ve been finding her on my bed every morning and it warms my heart every time. Whenever my family and I go anymore outside without them, they hate it. There’s nonstop barking when they know we’re getting ready to go somewhere. Even if we try to be subtle about it, they know. When we get home, they are ecstatic. We can see them rushing to the windows while Lacey who’s tall and strong enough to stand on her two back legs and bark at us from windows on our front door. When headlights approach our driveway they already know one of is home. Even though at times it can be a little frustrating to leave, we do love them, and they love us. I’d be lost without them. Cole Daniel, January 2022 |
26 intense competition Emily Mitchell |
27 Eeyore tags along with Holly Bender I am Eeyore. I have my sad and down days. Even through all of that, my friends still love me regardless. Emily Mitchell, January 2022 |
28 dinner with old friends Jessica Sheeler I absolutely loved this haiku. After reading it, I immediately thought about my sorority house. Living in a sorority is one of the best memories I will cherish throughout college and never forget, and even though I am very close with all my friends I got this feeling. This haiku made me think about times where my friend and I are with our group of girls and sometimes we feel like we have to act a certain way or say certain things in order to fit in. Which is usually something you never feel when you are with true friends, at least for me, with real friends I believe you should never have to impress them because they love you for you. But there have been times in some of my friendships where I have felt the need to watch what I say or look a different way in order to fit in, otherwise I would be judged. Christina Wasserstrom, January 2022 This haiku is everything. I have a group of friends I made through a horrible theater experience. It was super unhealthy, and a very toxic environment and they got me through it and we are still friends to this day. Through that whole theatre experience I felt like I had to try so hard to be someone that everyone else in the cast liked. I felt like such an outcast and excluded when I was with them . . . I never had to think twice. They were comfortable, they felt like home, and I could finally breathe and just be me. All three of us still get together at least once a year and it always feels like no time has passed. I never have to be worried or anxious because we just work. Holly Bender, January 2022 |
29 the last box |
30 I will smile |
31 without the sunlight Cole Daniel |
32 look at calendar Cole Daniel I relate to this one at the moment. I am a cheerleader and I have something every day this week. On top of the normal stuff we do, we have three routines to learn. One of those is to compete at nationals in Daytona in April. It is a very large cheer competition and so we need all the extra practice we can get. Emily Mitchell, January 2022 I love this haiku because it just really connects with me. Growing up I was the busiest kid around and still think I am. I had practice for sports and rehearsals every day all through middle school and high school. Now in college my calendar is still filled with practice for my lessons and scene rehearsals all afternoon. It literally fills my whole life and i love it but i guess i loved this haiku because it made me feel like I wasn't alone. Holly Bender, January 2022 |
33 empty spit valve |
34 he gets laughed at Cameron Richardson I can definitely relate to this haiku. Before college, I’ve always struggled with reading and being able to comprehend what was written. The years between elementary school and middle school were rough. I couldn’t pronounce words correctly, so I had to take a speech class. Also, reading in general was difficult for me. Whenever we would read books aloud in class, I would dread being called on. My hand would always stay down, but of course, someone would pick me, or the teacher would require I read aloud. It was always a challenge for me. High school was a little better, but I had to work extra hard in order to get good grades. When college approached, I took development classes so I could take the actual college courses. It took some extra time and a little bit of extra money, but those development classes are the best things that ever happened to me. Now, I read comics books every single day, write reviews, and discuss them on my very own podcast. Ironically, I love reading now. There’s a lot of hard work and practice that got to me to love reading the way I do, but it is achievable. Cole Daniel, January 2022 This piece makes me very upset. The thought of someone being made fun of because they can’t read, breaks my heart. I used to have a hard time reading out loud when I was younger. I used to figure out which section it was that I was going to have to read and practice reading to myself before I had to read it out loud. Emily Mitchell, January 2022 |
35 I look at the clock Emily Mitchell |
36 headlights in the driveway Cole Daniel
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37 black dress |
38 a stroll down the aisles |
39 broken pair Jessica Sheeler |
40 only two minutes |
41 I turn on the radio |
42 you send me a text Christina Wasserstrom |
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© 2022, Randy Brooks • Millikin University
All rights returned to authors upon publication.