Kukai 2 - Haiku
Global Haiku • Millikin University • Spring 2008
cherry tree Jesssica Villarreal (13) I like this haiku so much, because it goes back to when romance was true. For example, I can picture this haiku fitting into a 1920-50s film perfectly, because of how gentlemanly guys were back then. I am unsure if anyone would do this in today’s age, but for the times it does happen, that moment is made that much more special. Jason I first imagined the stereotypical anime sequence where the couple is standing underneath the huge cherry trees with the pink blossoms raining around them like snow. They stop amidst the petals and he brushes her hair off her cheek. They then kiss a slow and gentle kiss. Andy |
sleep in my eyes |
morning sun |
broken car heater Aubrie Cox This reminded me of driving to school every single day in the winter last year. At the time it sucked but it’s kind of a fond memory for me now. Daniel |
the reptile house— |
my visible breath… |
rain on the window Lindsay Scully (4) It is a warm spring morning and the thunderstorms of the night before have brought a young girl, probably age 6, into her parent’s bedroom where she finally found rest, after hours and hours of pounding thunder. I can hear the thunder that she experienced prior to the moment in this Haiku—it rumbled deep into her chest and resonated throughout her entire body cavity. Now the storm has passed and soft showers of rain patter on the outside window. She curls up between her mother and father, smiling because she knows the storm has passed. I also see the morning sun I this haiku as it comes through the wet windows into the bedroom, giving the room a slight glow of morning. Kersten |
moonlit bedroom Aubrie Cox This haiku reminds me of the sleepovers that I used to have with my friend Rebekah when we were in elementary school. Usually I would go over to her house. I remember how we would always play with her toy horses and give each other crazy makeovers. We also loved to make believe. Sometimes we were princesses, sometimes we were mermaids, and sometimes we were spies with top-secret missions. No matter what, though, every night her mom would make us popcorn and we would watch the musical Grease. It was our favorite. Afterwards we would snuggle up in our sleeping bags and turn of all the lights and we would just talk. Often our talks consisted of our current crushes, and this usually led to a lot of giggling and such. Sometimes we’d get too loud and her mom would come downstairs and yell at us, but no matter what we always had so much fun. Jessica |
thunderstorm Andy Jones (6) I imagine a little child laying in their bed waiting for the thunder, Then she realizes that her dad can snore a lot louder than the thunder is. She still goes in to wake her dad up to tell him she is scared, but really she is waking him up to stop his snoring. Elise This haiku made me think of trying to sleep in my hotel room before I moved into school. The night before move in day my parents and me drove down early. My mom and I were watching a movie on my portable DVD player. My dad fell asleep early, and he was snoring. My mom and I had headphones on and we could still hear my dad snoring really loud, even with the headphones on. Patrick When I read this haiku I pictured myself with my family. We’re out of town for one of my brother’s hockey tournaments and we’re cramped together in this tiny hotel room for the night. It’s late, but I can’t sleep. There’s a loud thunderstorm outside, but somehow my dad (who is a light sleeper) is managing to sleep through it. When he sleeps he snores pretty loudly. It makes it really hard for me to fall asleep because it’s so annoying! So there I am, trying to block my ears by cramming a pillow on top of my head while simultaneously trying to steal back some covers from my sister, who is sharing the bed with me. I am unsuccessful with both attempts. It feels like I’ve been trying to fall asleep for hours, even though it has probably been only thirty minutes. It’s a very frustrating night. I can’t wait to get back to my bedroom at home. Jessica |
crystal wind chime Nick Chivers (7) This one actually makes me think of an event that has happened to me recently. Just this past Thursday my Grandma had to undergo open-heart surgery due to a heart attack. One of the things that she loves and always has in her house are the wind chimes. Luckily so far her surgery has gone well and she is recovering well. However, this still made me think of the hospital room with her in the bed. My wishing that I could go see her but knowing that she is too far away. I can still here the twinkle of the wind chimes even though I know they aren’t moving. In a way they are a form of comfort, they are something that you can see everyday but still evoke precious memories. Amanda |
little hands Amanda Aukerman (3) |
careful tip-toe Kersten Haile (6) This one made me imagine going down the hallway at night and trying to be as quiet as possible. So it is dark and you are trying to feel your way down the hallway and at the same time be as quiet as you possible can be. You don’t want to wake anyone; however, since the floor in wooden it seems as though no matter where you step you are just as likely to cause the floor to squeak as if you were to step anywhere else. My sister and I actually got to the point of knowing where to step in our hallway so as to not cause the floor to squeak. So from reading this I remember how we would try to stay along a certain path taking small steps and at times extremely large steps, over the bad spots, all in an attempt to remain completely quiet. However, no matter how hard we would try we almost always caused at least one squeak to be sounded. Amanda |
clear night sky |
summer night Erin Knott Everyone ran around and caught fireflies as a child. I remember trying to hold them and watching them glow from in between my fingers. They always tickled my palm and so I would always let them go. This haiku reminded me of the smell that the fireflies leave on your hands. Even though it was slightly unpleasant, it would never stop me from catching fireflies. Nicole |
warpaint Aubrie Cox (6) This haiku immediately brings back memories of me, my sister, and my cousin playing with fireflies. I can remember the warm summer nights when we would run around outside, barefoot, and try to catch fireflies in jars our parents had given us. The jars had holes in the top so they could breath. The word “warpaint”, however, brings up a particular night, in which I learned that even after fireflies were crushed, they’d still glow. When I was little I liked shoes that would glow and such, and I thought that this could be an effective method of making my shoes like that. I could remember how I was stalking around the yard, like I was hunting, trying to capture as many fireflies as I could. In the end, I smashed about two of them on my shoes, and I was sad when I realized that they were not going to glow the way I had envisioned. After that disappointment, I decided to let the rest free. Brett As soon as I read this haiku I said “EW!” out loud. Then I realized how vivid of an image this had for me. I can picture a boy of about 8 or 9 years old. He caught a firefly just to squish it and used the “firefly juice” as war paint. Then, he would probably go chase his sister around the yard. Erin |
finished with a carrot nose Nicole Zabrinas (7) This haiku gives off a very happy and warm vibe. I picture a group of neighborhood friends making the world’s greatest snowman on a snow day. They have all day to work on it, so they take their time. Since it is a sudden snow day, the snow is still powder white and hasn’t turned to slush yet. After finishing the snowman, the kids all have bright red noses and cheeks and go their separate ways. One of them has his mom make him hot chocolate and he instantly feels warmer. Since this hot chocolate is serving as warm nourishment, it also has tons of puffy marshmallows in it! The hot chocolate serves to end a fantastic, sunny winter day! Lindsay I love this haiku because it captures so much without saying any of it. The carrot nose directly draws my mind to the days that I used to play for hours upon hours on the snow days. My brother and I would each have a friend over and we would immediately begin a royal rumpus outside in the snow. “a carrot nose” this is a beautiful way of showing rather than saying—from that simply phrase I can see an entire snow man. The snow man is a bit lumpy because we got over zealous and tried to make him too big, but he has a delightful quality to hi, smiling with a rock smile, button eyes, and a carrot nose. After the day was spent in the snow we’d go inside, soaked to the bone with moisture our sox have to be peeled off our feet. My mother tells us to leave all of our snow clothes in the back room so it can dry, and then invites us upstairs with the alluring smell of hot chocolate. Kersten This haiku brings back two distinct memories. The first memory is of the “Frosty the snowman” cartoon I used to watch when I was younger. I remember it would always play around Christmas time, and I’d always ask my mom to make me some hot cocoa while I watched it. The other memory it brings up involves sledding. I loved to sled and, with the rest of the family, would do it for hours. I remember I’d finally get numbingly cold and my mom would give me some hot cocoa that she had brought with her. That would always warm me up and I’d go back to sledding. Brett |
two couches |
fixing the red bow in my hair |
children play Kersten Haile (7) This haiku makes me see a bus full of wild and excited children, but one sits in the front seat all alone and just stares out the window. Even though she pretends not to care that she isn’t part of the group, deep down she wishes that she was laughing along with them. Nicole |
father and daughter dance |
on hand and knees |
cold afternoon Amanda Aukerman |
books surround me Erin Knott (4) |
the chameleon Jason Chmiel (7) This haiku was just really visual for me. It was really specific and really easy to visualize for me. I just saw this chameleon who was sunning himself on a rock and then saw a hawk chilling out scanning the surroundings for prey. The chameleon immediately blends into his surroundings and hides. Patrick |
stomach churning Nicole Zabrinas (7) Just reading this haiku makes me feel nervous, because I absolutely loathe the dentist. I can picture myself sitting in the uncomfortable chairs in the waiting area that always has that “doctor’s office” smell. I would also be flipping through a terribly boring magazine, but not really reading it, trying to distract myself. The sound of elevator music only adds to this nervousness that I am feeling. I also feel my heart stop briefly and my stomach drop when I hear my name being called, just wishing that this will be over soon. I really can’t relate to this at all, but it made me laugh. I picture the dread on my friend’s face about going to the doctor. Daniel |
icy path |
eyes on the drum major Jesssica Villarreal (5) In this haiku I see a drum major getting ready to conduct for a football team at half time. The band is young, and very cold. The songs are bumpy, but somehow manage to find their way out. However, this haiku also reminds me of a memory. When I was in highschool my Junior year, I was a drum major. I had no marching band experience so I was never quite on the same page with agreeing with the band teacher that this position assignment was such a great idea. During the year that I was drum major, I was also on the football team. And when it cam time for the half time show, while still in my football pads and uniform, I would climb up onto the riser and conduct away. It is something that I am glad that I tried, because I will now never have to wonder if I could have been successful as a drum major. Matt When I read this haiku, I saw my high school marching band. I never played an instrument, but I was on the colorguard one year. I remember around state competition time when it would become freezing cold, but you couldn’t wear gloves because it would make you drop your flag, but without gloves your hands would freeze and couldn’t move. It was even worse when you had to do a performance because nervous, cold hands were so difficult to control. Nicole |
searching for beauty Jesssica Villarreal (9) I like this one because it deals with the search for inspiration. You can tell the author, when looking for beauty in nature, is turning toward the typical beauty of flowers, a bit banal by this point. Once she finds the mangled tulip stems, she stumbles upon the rabbits, which you can see in the way she just states “rabbits” with a sort of resolution at the end of the haiku. Gordon |
buttering pancakes |
whipping winds Jesssica Villarreal (5) I really want to say is that I think I know who wrote this, or I can really imagine who it was that wrote this/see him writing something like this. Definitely makes me think of some of my seminar classmates from last semester (and are coincidentally in this one as well). Silly bravado and on a quest/mission and they come back to their dorm triumphant . . . with pizza. It's an amusing haiku that takes on that big journey, on a mission feel for something, in this case pizza. Aubrie I really liked this one because it reminds me of when my boyfriend and I walk to Dominos to get pizza. The freezing cold, the biting wind, the lousy and loud train. And then we get into Dominos and one can hear the wind blowing outside the door and listen to all the people crowded into the small pizzeria talk--some drunk and happy, some cold and huddled up. Well, that's about it for this one... Michelle |
still now… Lindsay Scully The first thing I could think of for this haiku was my dog, Lucky. She is so afraid of storms! If it’s storming outside, I know there will be whining outside of my door in a few seconds. Sometimes I think she can even sense them before they are coming. She shakes and cries until you pick her up and lay with her. Then, slowly she’ll settle down and fall asleep. I can just picture her lying beside of me, finally asleep, as I wait for the storm to come. Erin |
watching mom Nicole Zabrinas |
chopping onions Nicole Zabrinas (5) This makes me think of something I could see happening with some of my relatives (who were convinced I was going to be brainwashed in university . . . and high school . . . and middle school, but anywho), though also reminds me of something a classmate had said last semester when he had been talking to his grandfather and his grandfather asked if he had turned into a commie liberal now (which I'm convinced is an oxymoron). It's another one of those poems that involve small talks during menial tasks. Aubrie |
doing algebra Nicole Zabrinas I enjoyed this haiku because it is about something so simple, that many of us take for granted. It really captures a moment that most of us have experienced in one way or another, back when we had no more than an hour or two of homework a night, and no job to go to or bills to pay. I remember doing my homework every day at the kitchen table as Mom cooked dinner. The smells would be wafting to my nose, making it quite hard to concentrate on my math—my least favorite subject—which I always put off until last. My dad would arrive home from work every day around 5, signaling time for a family dinner and a respite from the grueling task of my homework. I would get so excited when I heard the garage door open as my dad pulled the car into the garage. He would always enter the kitchen in his crisp suit, set his briefcase down, and embrace me in a big bear hug. He was always a welcome distraction from my work, and now I wish I could have those moments back as I’m studying for finals at 2 a.m. in a cold, lonely computer lab. Alyssa |
homework on the table Nicole Zabrinas (2) |
stifled giggles Jessica Villarreal I can imagine a group of friends watching a movie in a dark room. They’re all crammed into soft, old couches. The movie is boring so they’re chatting and telling jokes. Andy I like this one because I see myself and my best friend from home hanging out and having a sleep over. Over this summer we had a sleep over where we watched Phantom of the Opera. We didn’t make it all the way through it before we decided to go to bed. As we lay there giggling and talking for hours we can’t seem to stop, we’re so tired but no matter how hard we try we can’t fall to sleep. I see in this haiku a very similar situation. A few little girls having a sleep over during the summer. Their parents said to go to bed but they aren’t ready so they chat and giggle but try to stay quite enough to not get caught. Nick |
sleepover Amanda Aukerman |
outside a blizzard… |
back porch |
Dad’s tickle Elise Wildman (8) I chose this haiku because it reminds me of when I was young, and my dad would come to wake me up to go to my babysitter’s house in the morning. I would only wake up for him because he did it so gently. No amount of yelling or shaking could shake me from my reverie, but a simple tickle on the bottom of my feet or on the elbow from Dad would send me squirming out from under the covers. As much as I enjoyed Dad’s tickling, I was upset to be awakened from my happy dreams so soon. Dad helped make the mornings a bit more pleasant, however; and now I wish I still had him to get me out of bed, rather than an annoying alarm clock! I really enjoyed the choice of the word “tickle” and the moment captured in this haiku. Alyssa |
yelp of pain |
lioness napping in her cage |
rain strikes the window Amanda Aukerman (3) |
chatting teeth— |
dewdrop lilies Michelle Dixson This one I enjoyed mainly due to the personification of the reeds. Here you can imagine a vast growth of reeds and dew collecting on them to the point where there dragged down a bit, like people bending back to look at the sky. With so much dew, you’d imagine they’d glitter in the light of the stars, and thus you see a twinkle in their “eyes” that is reminiscent of what eyes look at when they feel a sense of awe and wonder. Gordon |
jiggle the key Elise Wildman This haiku reminds me of the car I currently drive. I drive a grey, 1989 Volvo and I am in love with it. Most people are under the misconception that one needs to name their car after a girl if they truly intend to love it. I disagree with that statement; however, in playing along I have named her Vespa (a Volvo by any other name is still a Volvo). Being old, she does not necessarily start right away all the time, especially in the winter. You have to work hard to turn her on sometimes (maybe that’s where the whole naming it after a girl concept came from). Jokes aside, I often have to sit in my freezing cold car for several minutes and tease the engine before its willing to perform. Never quite realized how much I have had to do that until just now. Matt |
sterile, white room Alyssa Thompson (2) This haiku was one of my personal favorites, because it brings me back to the memories of when I had my tonsils removed. I was in second grade and was worried the doctor was going to screw up, when cutting them out. The worst part was waiting in that gown for the doctor to come in and take me in for surgery, because he was taking forever and the IV was starting to bother me. Eventually we everything started to roll and I was heading to see the people who were going to take my tonsils out! With a few breaths of gas, I was out cold and woke up with a sore throat and a lot of gauze over my mouth. Fortunately, they got the tonsils and nothing else (believe me, I checked). Jason |
bitter cold Nicole Zabrinas (9) In this haiku I see someone, a young boy, walking somewhere. The feeling I get because it is winter is that it is a sad moment in time. He left his gloves at school perhaps and he is on his way home. He had been waiting at school for a parent to come pick him up but they never came so he had to start home on his own. He didn’t realize that his gloves were still at school till the building was already locked and he was left on the outside. Nick |
gorilla hands Kersten Haile (6) |
first day of school |
sandy feet rock Lindsay Scully (4) I imagine a person sitting on a beach house porch swing watching the beautiful sunset. At the horizon, it is a beautiful orange color, then it turns red, then purple. The person just got done walking on the beach, and is now resting and enjoying the sunset. The sunset is a calming factor for the person as night comes. Elise I can remember, when I was eight or nine, being on the beach with my dad and two brothers. We went water tubing and made sand castles and ditches on the beach. And, although there wasn't a swing on the sand, there was one in the park nearby. I loved watching the sun set on the lake with my family--it was so amazing. That is, until the mosquitoes came out; they seem to like me... Michelle |
© 2008, Randy Brooks • Millikin University
All rights returned to authors upon publication.