Global Haiku • July 2021
Dr. Randy Brooks

Hide Beneath the Pines

by
Brandon Lockhart

The haiku I have included in this collection represent my unique approach to writing haiku. When creating haiku I try to add a clever twist for the reader, often taking a 90 degree angle with the third line or framing the words in a way that makes the reader ponder and arrive at a destination they didn’t anticipate. There is a fine line between clever and vague and I have done my best as a novice to walk it. I also enjoy writing simple haiku that create a very specific image or feeling other can relate to or feel. I try to pull from personal experiences in my life to inspire creativity, like the haiku in which this collection is named, Hide Beneath the Pines. Please enjoy!

public pool
sandwich lunch
eyes red and burning

nature walk
through the trees
mosquitos on the hunt

was the life of the party
now my best friend
is porcelain

jab and a hook
duck and a dip
eight, nine, ten

valentine card
made just
for who

here comes
the bride
crying

rainbow above
I walk
the cemetery

awaken . . .
fresh morning dew
on the trampoline

oh, holy father
forgive me
I have lived

comb my hair
brush my teeth
make someone proud

touching
ballet fingers
encore

running
the wet mud
invites me

in the woods
binoculars find
squatting man

she giggles
wiping muddy hand
on her pretty dress

hide beneath the pine
with sticky hands
and cigarettes