Haiku Kukai 2 Favorites

Global Haiku • Millikin University • July 2016

 

the old barn
paint chipping
still Lou's home

warm sun
the marching band plays
a familiar tune

Jennifer Tohill (4)

mid-day lunch
the food court fills
with friendly conversation

the smell of honeysuckle
near the sandbox
the children play

chocolate chip cookies
so soft warm and gooey
where's the milk?

Bill Fields (4)

coffee at dawn
one page into a book
the children awake

Bill Fields (7)

the weight of the world
she tells herself
just keep swimming

Bethany Wetherholt (10)

I really like this Haiku because it has to meanings to me. One being the funny one from finding nemo and the second meaning I see it as being more inspirational. Because life is full of obstacles and storms but you have to remember that the storm does not last forever. That you can get through anything if you remember to just keep pushing and striving for greatness. Which is where I get the just keep swimming part. Shaya

It's been a long day, a long month, and a long year! Life hasn't been easy since her divorce and it got even worse after she lost her job and couldn't pay rent. A single mom who is now on welfare until she lands another job. Job hunting has been her full time workload these past two months and with every rejection she feels more beat down. As she walks into a local church to visit the food pantry she reads on the wall, "Giving up is not an option". Instead of tears, she breaks into a smile grabs food for her children and walks out the church with a new found confidence. Tomorrow, she will find work because she will just keep swimming. Sonja

I really enjoyed this particular haiku due to the season of the Olympics. It ties in to an Olympic swimmer as they have literally the weight of the world watching her perform and she is just pushing hersxelf so hard to win that gold medal and be considered the greatest in the world. They do it for themselves and their country and all while doing it they just mentally and physically push themselves to their uppermost limits and then some. Zach

new home
over the fireplace
momma's civil rights painting

Sonja Chargois (3)

the star tonight
welcome
charcoal trees

early in the morning
she counts her blessings
in the garden

Bethany Wetherholt (8)

blowing the cartridge
the game finally works
Nintendo

Bill Fields (5)

the smell of exhaust
the old car takes
me home

before the game
turned toward the flag
ol' red white and blue

a little tap—
a little glue—
just like new

Jennifer Tohill (9)

torn canvas
the covered wagon
sits on the shelf

Cristine Lourash (2)

little red caboose
clinking down the track
I wake to a new day

Darla Laymon (4)

Friday night
me you and son
Mickey Mouse again

      at the lake
            fishing
father's favorite place

Zacahery Cronister (3)

grandma's quilt
from her mother
to mine

Michelle Hosapple (7)

mom's wedding diamond
given to my sister
now with my daughter

Cristine Lourash (4)

Knock Knock
who's . . .
It's Banana!

Michelle Hosapple (4)

chipped and warm
I sip my coffee
from grandpa's mug

Jennifer Tohill (5)

Sunday morning
coffee cup
chipped off paint

grandma's dishes
all unpacked
sitting atop my cabinets

across the river
city smoke stacks
fill the skyline

sitting on the balcony
overlooking the river
lazy morning

Cristine Lourash (5)

his footsteps I hear
the whisper of his words
oh how I miss him

the wind—
a reminder that this too
shall pass

Jennifer Tohill (9)

This haiku is so true, that is why I enjoy it so much. It is such a big message in just three little lines. So many of us get caught up in a moment, bad or good, and do not realize that that is just what it is one moment of the big picture of our lives. Unfortunately, I have had too many people take their lives due to this thinking. I try to encourage my friends and family to keep a blessing jar or journal so that in the mist of these bad times they are able to look back and remember that it is bigger than them. That where they are now will not be where they end up. Where they were a year ago was so different just like what the future holds. There are people and paths that they need to become a part of. This haiku is a reminder of those paths. Michelle

my heart beating fast
butterflies in my stomach
we meet again

no one home
she sings out loud
dances in the kitchen

Cristine Lourash (7)

This is a happy Haiku. I see myself in the kitchen on a Saturday morning cooking breakfast and cleaning dishes. I turn the radio up loud and sing away along with the music as I do my morning routine. The boys are home, but they sleep like a rock so it seems I am all alone. Mandy

I really enjoyed this haiku. Reminds me of my wife. Only difference is that she has no shame to dance and sing in the kitchen when we are at home, too. Love that about her. Bill

This haiku makes me laugh because I can completely relate. All I can see is a mom with a messy house in her robe. She gets up in the morning on the kids' first day of school and she is making coffee and breakfast. She is making sure the kids are dressed, and their book bags are ready. The minute the bus picks up the kids and drives away she feels free! She turns on her I tunes and dances all the through kitchen singing at the top of her lungs. I can relate, not on the first day of school, but on the feeling of being alone. Being alone does bother me but there have been times to where the kids are gone and I turn up the music and enjoy the freedom of an empty house. The funny part is though, I've dance around with my headphones and my music turned all the way up for my kids to walk in and just be looking at me like I'm crazy. Jennifer

on the stoop
talking all night
porch light comes on

Sonja Chargois (6)

pop     pop     pop pop
pop pop poppoppoppoppop
pop pop    pop    pop    DING!

eighth inning, remote in hand
the game is close
I fall asleep

niece and I
still playing
with my old dolls

heart to heart
side by side
you and I

Marshaya Sangster (5)

the echo of laughter
the walls
he built

Michelle Hosapple (6)

This poem reminds me of my dad. As I said in class my father was a carpenter and he built the home I grew up in. He would give us nails and we were in charge of nailing the floor down. I am sure that he had to go back and fix everything we did. My parents have lived in that house for 40 years. They raised three daughters and now have seven grandchildren and one great grandchild. We all gather on Saturday nights for what we call Margarita night. Over the years the house has changed to keep up with the times. My room is now the storage room, my sister's room is where my grandmother now stays and the other room is what I call her grandma cave. We are lucky enough to have five generations in that house. The love in that house is what makes it a home. It saddens me and makes me cry when I think about the time when the house goes up for sale and we no longer call it home. I can only hope that the next family will take care of it and raise a family like my parents did.Cris

in the attic
my dusty skates
become hers

Sonja Chargois (4)

I imagine a young mother who has a little girl. They are at home one day in the summer and the little girl sees all of her neighborhood friends outside skating by. The mother sees her daughter staring out the window watching them. The little girl tells her mom that she wishes she could skate so she could go play with her friends. Suddenly, the mom remembers that she probably has her old skates in the attic. She too loved skating when she was a little girl. Her dad took her to the roller rink every Sunday. Her dad had since passed and she didn't have the heart to throw them away because of all the memories they held. The mom goes up to the attic and starts digging through boxes of old memorabilia. She finally finds them! They are dark blue with red wheels. They are dusty and smell like moth balls. She sits in the attic for a few minutes holding them, thinking about her dad. She smiles and cries for a moment. She pulls herself together and goes downstairs to clean the roller skates off. She looks at her daughter and tells her to try them on. They should fit. Her daughter is now the same age she was when her dad gave her these skates. Her daughter tries them on. They fit! On the carpet, the little girl wobbles back and forth. The mom holds her hand as her daughter tries to stand, they both laugh. After a few practice rounds, the mom takes her daughter out to the driveway. She watches her, step by step, smiling. I enjoyed this haiku, because it made me feel a mother's love for her daughter and being able to share something with her that she used to love doing as well. Bethany

barge travels
the river
eagle soars

green mossy pond
lily pads afloat
shimmering in the moon light

family night
granny's stew pot
chili

Sonja Chargois (3)

ducking dodging
running laughing—
tag you're it

Marshaya Sangster (7)

toddler whines
close your eyes
pretend you're asleep

Marshaya Sangster (5)

lying in the truck bed
they stare at the night sky
shooting star

alone in the car
suddenly the stereo
is a karaoke machine

Bill Fields (6)

sitting in the car
after the storm
rainbow

hair covered
slobber all over me
a dog lover's paradise

Zacahery Cronister (3)

walking the trail
berries in her bucket
dog at her side

Bethany Wetherholt (5)

footsteps outside
the dog hides
in darkness

old wooden
spoon
best soup to date

coffee breath with
chipped nail polish
math teacher

cozy pajamas
hot chocolate and marshmallows
home movie

Marshaya Sangster (4)

peace and quiet
finally, time
to do homework

canvas cleared
third time
a charm

brushing and flossing
before
a dentist appointment

Sonja Chargois (5)

a library on wheels
books and magazines
my wife's passenger seat

Bill Fields (3)

I really like this haiku because it’s like this person read my husband’s mind. I always have so much stuff in my front seat, from school books, to regular books, sometimes trash. My car is a mess and I every time I clean it out, somehow it becomes right back messy. I really also like how in the first two lines of the Haiku you wouldn’t think they were talking about a wife’s car. They were very unique by adding that last line. Shaya

wake up, go to work,
cook dinner, go to bed
repeat

Marshaya Sangster (6)

an old red barn
a horse
stands in the door

dead oak tree
struggles against the wind
I will never quit

Darla Laymon (7)

branch by branch
a canvas
of trees

boss calls
my heart races
— just a meeting canceled

Zacahery Cronister (3)

hoodies and hot chocolate
he pulls the red wagon
pumpkin patch

Bethany Wetherholt (7)

Every year my daughter and I take her 2 sons to the pumpkin patch. We all put our hoodies on, load up in the car and head to Arthur, Illinois. As we are heading out of town we always stop at the Circle K where we purchase coffee for the grown-ups and hot chocolate for the boys. Tristan, which is the youngest and small for his age, has to be the one pulling the wagon as we go through looking at pumpkins and walking through the store area. Going through all the mazes Tristan wears himself out than one of us women has to pull the wagon, with him in it, along with the pumpkins. Darla

standing at the waterfall
she opens the urn
his ashes

Bethany Wetherholt (3)

a silent classroom
everyone glances at me
after I fart

Zacahery Cronister (8)

© 2016, Randy Brooks • Millikin University
All rights returned to authors upon publication.