PACE Global Haiku • PACE November 2014
Dr. Randy Brooks

Seasons of Life: A Haiku Collection

by
Shannon Lucas

To the person that thinks they can't, yes, you can.
It's never too late to start anew.

Author’s Introduction:

Seasons of Life: A Haiku Collection is a rookie attempt at connecting to certain memories and phases of my personal experiences through the lens of haiku. From triumphs and tragedies to the mundane and magnificent, everyone is moving toward the same destiny: the finish line. I’ve learned you can’t grow unless you’re planted in some dirt. I blossomed from the free flow of ideas and exchanges between classmates during class. It was just as charming as it was challenging.

Since embracing the haiku experience, my creative palette has expanded in a positive direction. My approach to constructing haiku is simple. I find common, everyday, relatable experiences that are personally appealing to write about. Once I’ve settled on a particular scenario, the goal is to capture the essence of the situation. Perhaps it’s a feeling or a facial expression. Then, I try to choose the best words that build the framework of that situation in hopes that the reader will connect with the impression and be encouraged to add their own insight.

About Global Haiku class:

My ability to be creative is minimal at best. I’ve often stated that I have “moments of brilliance” but, like shooting stars, don’t blink because you might miss it. Wanting to challenge myself, I chose to enroll in Dr. Brooks’ Global Haiku Traditions course.  Due to the accelerated nature of the PACE Program, I felt as if I had been immersed in a large pool of cherry blossoms by the end of the first class. I had been pushed and stretched and invited to take a look at the world from a different perspective.

Almost immediately I realized that haiku can be born out of the most mundane or triumphant situations. From watching iridescent soap bubbles burst while doing dishes to completing a triathlon to achieving what you thought would be impossible; there is a place for haiku. From my perspective, it’s about taking a single moment and enlarging it enough to provide clear framework to the audience while allowing the reader to insert their own experience of interpretation.

Throughout that class I began to sense a shifting within myself and my peers. I think we gave ourselves permission to be vulnerable and candid about the haiku we created. It was refreshing to be creative without the boundaries of criticism or condemnation. We read and discussed varying topics within a safe, comfortable, and respected environment. I believe the transparency that was shared became the necessary fuel to ignite within each of us the passion to bring forth our best work.

quietly nursing heavy eyes
mother lifts the morning fog

first day gospel
prosperous black-eyed peas

cold coffee scorched shirt
o'dark thirty
snow flurries

happymerrysolstacegivingthanksmashanukwanzakkah

ripped here—patched there
fits just right
I don’t care

senior prom tux
makes a comeback
25 year reunion

wind chimes sing
a stormy affair
she looks away

front porch podium
momma yells
street lights blaze

sweet sixteen party
carefully chosen playlist
no one dances