Kukai 4- Love Haiku Favorites
Global Haiku • Millikin University • Spring 2008
under the moon light Brett Coffman (6) it would seem to me that I have suddenly got on a “Romeo and Juliet” kick, because this haiku again reminds me of Romeo and Julie. However, this time instead of being reminded solely of Juliet, rather I am taken to the night that the two lovers first meet. I imagine that is a warm summer night and the stars are shinning along with the moon. The lighting that the stars and moon create leave a hint of romance and adventure in the air. When Romeo spots Juliet, and she returns his glance, they begin tumbling down, falling in “love” with one another. The fascination overtakes them and they are drawn towards each others, unaware of the devastation that will occur because of their meeting. The night that they spend together, although forbidden, is full of pure bliss and unrestricted uninhibited love. They don’t think of anything else but one another. Kersten This haiku immediately made me picture the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet, where the two Shakespearean characters profess their love for each other and plan to be married. The balcony scene takes place at night, with the moon shining bright. Their families are rivals so they know that their love is forbidden, but that does not stop them from falling in love. Romeo and Juliet are often called “star-crossed lovers” and the last line reminds me of that. Jessica My first picture from this haiku was of a couple, two guys, kissing under the full moon. Their love is forbidden because of their parents, they haven’t come out back home yet. But for that one special moment in time they are free to express their love before the countless stars who are not disapproving.
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raging rain Aubrie Cox (4) I liked this one because you can both imagine the rain hitting the ground and how the ground feels in unison with the kiss on the cheek. It creates a sort of synesthesia that leads to personification for me. Both the earth is alive and you’re alive, but you receive most likely the more pleasant of the two kisses. Gordon |
laced fingers Aubrie Cox When I think of this haiku I think of the song save tonight by eagle eye cherry. The main lyrics go save tonight, fight the break of dawn, come tomorrow, tomorrow I’ll be gone. It just gives a feeling of love and affection. The feeling that you can like someone so much that you try and make time stop or stop the dawn from appearing after an amazing night. Pat
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pebbles on my window Nicole Zabrinas (6) I liked this one because, well I look too far into things most of the time, and I felt that initial reaction of trying to find what was causing the noise first at your window, but then you would commence to search on the ground. I imagined looking for the cause of the noise in the rocks, as if there was a miniature person inside them. As I said, I generally look too far into things. Gordon With this haiku, I imagined a college dorm. There is a girl and a boy and they have crushes on each other, but they’re not quite dating yet. One day, the girl comes back to her dorm room later than she had expected to because she had some sort of meeting and she notices that there are pebbles sitting on her windowsill. She wonders if he had been looking for her earlier. She knows that the pebbles weren’t there before she left for classes that day. At that moment, he comes into her view carrying a bouquet of red roses. Erin |
rat-a-tat-tat Kersten Haile (5) |
flowers blossoming… |
When Harry Met Sally, Alyssa Thompson (4) This one brings me back to memories of one of my best friends from back home. She broke up with her boyfriend shortly after the start of the new year and so she and I spent the last half of the break shopping and talking and I remember her talking about how much Ben and Jerry’s ice cream she ate while watching sappy movies and crying. When I read this I imagined someone who had recently experienced the end of a relationship and is depressed and lonely so she is watching sappy movies and eating ice cream to make up for the lack of a relationship in her life. Nick I like this one because I REALLY like Ben and Jerry's late at night while watching anime or a movie. And while it doesn't lull me to sleep, I enjoy spending the time relaxing with few good friends and not thinking or doing homework, my jobs, or any other chores I have on a daily basis. |
a cross is made |
hot soup Andy Jones (9) This reminds me of eating chicken noodle soup with cold wind and snow outside. But then I also think of spilling hot soup on my pj's and that makes me laugh. Michelle |
new butterfly |
solar eclipse |
heat rising Matt Chmiel This haiku made me picture a small group of friends around a campfire on a cool summer night. It is getting quite late and the air is getting chilly as the group of friends roast marshmallows and laugh long into the night. There is one boy, however, that is not laughing and joking along with the others, yet his sad silence goes unnoticed. This boy cannot take his eyes off of the boy and girl across from him, cuddling together against the chill, with their hands clasped lovingly together. The quiet boy has been secretly enamored with that girl ever since they first built a sandcastle together in the sandbox in first grade. They had been best friends almost their whole lives, and though he wanted more, he could never tell her for fear or rejection and losing their friendship. So, he would sit back and suffer silently with each of her new romances, hoping they would not last long—hoping that she would one day realize her true love was standing in front of her all along. As he watches the other boy crack jokes and make her smile that beautiful smile, the silent boy can’t help but resent the other boy. “What does he have that I don’t have?” he asks himself. As he yearns for her, the heat from the campfire flames redden his cheeks and warm his hands. Not only is the heat rising from the fire, but it is rising between the young lovers. The silent boy wishes he had more than the campfire flames to keep him warm. Alyssa |
slush |
red lace Jason Chmiel (6) |
intense brown eyes |
Valentine’s Day Jessica Villarreal (8) I love this haiku because it starts leading you in one way but then you are directed in a completely opposite direction at the end. However, rather than being a “woe is me” Valentines day this girl in the poem is perfectly content and happy with the current love of her life—her cat. To this girl, there is no better way to spend Valentine’s day. The soft white fur of he cat warms her face, as she lays her head on the cat’s side. They lay there snuggling, and as time passes the sounds of purring begins to resonate in the girl’s ear and throughout the room. There is a feeling of serenity and complete comfort that this haiku evokes, and it sheds light on other types of love… I like it! :) Kersten In this one I see someone who doesn’t have a human companion cuddled up on the couch with her cat in her arms. He is the only one who loves her unconditionally and on this day celebrating love she is celebrating him. They have a strong bond and are very emotionally attached to each other. This image strongly reminds me of my cat and me. There have been many valentines days when I spend the night locked in my room with her cuddled up watching movies. On this valentine’s day I know I’m going to miss her a lot and I plan on having my mom send me a picture of her so I can have a bit of her with me all day. Nick When I read this I get a mental image of an old widow sitting by her window watching it snow on valentines day. She lives in town right by the grade school, so she can see all the kids driving by fussing with their valentines in the backseat of their minivans and SUV’s. Sitting on her couch, the old widow is with those that she loves, and she feels like she understands what the day is about more than those kids ever could. Matthew
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they spin and twirl Amanda Aukerman (3) |
a pile of petals Jessica Villarreal (9) I imagine a young woman standing in a garden with a daisy in her hand. She is plucking the petals to see if he loves her or not. As she plucks away, she comes to the conclusion that he loves her not. She gets a sad and hopeless face, because she thinks that she will never find her love. Elise Since this is my first Valentine’s Day in about four years without a boyfriend, I pay more attention to the sad haiku. For me, this haiku is probably one of my favorites that anyone has written in this course. I picture a girl about 15 or 16, who likes a boy but is unsure of his feelings towards her. She is spending Valentine’s Day at home by herself, so she decides to take her mother’s Valentine’s flowers (from her father) and play “he loves me, he loves me not”. As the last petal ends with “he loves me not”, I can hear her deeply sighing, wondering what she can do to get his attention. She spends the vast majority of the night thinking of him and ways she can get his attention. One thing I really love about this haiku is the pile of petals at the girl’s feet. I think it conveys such a sense of hopelessness that is completed with “he loves me not”. While this haiku is depressing, I still think the author did a great job of capturing a lonely moment for a teenage girl. Lindsay This one, a drastic change from the other, is very powerful and emotional. I like how it's in the moment, but it's after the fact that something rather big has happened/hit her. The final line definitely has a punch. I get the image of almost like a stage (even though it's reality) and the girl is all by herself, front and center, with a single spotline looking down on her as the petals are on her feet and across the floor. In her hand is the stem and head of the flower, without any of the petals. Aubrie I like this haiku because even though picking petals off a flower can’t determine whether someone loves you or not, you always hope that the last one is “he loves me.” Even though you know it doesn’t mean anything if it ended on “it loves me not” you are convinced that it is true. In this haiku, it sounds like the person is pulling flower petals in hope that someone will change his or her mind. Nicole This haiku reminds me of young love. I see a little girl, who has bought a flower for her crush. However, she has not bought this flower to give to her crush, but to play the love me, love me not game in order to determine if its worth actually getting him a real valentine. It makes me chuckle as I recall instances in my own life where I psyched myself out of asking a girl out or giving her a card just because I didn’t think she liked me. Now that I am older, my behavior feels like it matches the girls little game. Matthew This one I also loved because you can just imagine a young girl sitting on the edge of a porch or in the grass holding a petal-less flower. Then on the ground in front of her are all of the petals and she is extremely disappointed because it ended up being a he loves her not instead of he loves her. Also who has never done this before or imagined doing this. In that sense it is just so easy to relate to that I absolutely love this one. Amanda |
lovers flutter |
the sparkle |
he paces outside Lindsay Scully (6) This haiku really captures the nervousness of a first date. I think it is really cute when a boy is nervous about a date. Just thinking about him pacing back and forth on the doorstep and thinking about having to meet the parents is a funny thing to imagine. Nicole This is a cute haiku. I can see a shy, timid teenager who is about to go on a date with a girl he really likes. He’s very nervous to ring the doorbell so he paces back and forth on her porch trying to work up his courage. In the end he finally does work up the courage. He gives her the roses and they have a great time. Jessica |
ahh! Elise Wildman (4) |
the petals fall |
under the table Jason Chmiel (5) This haiku brought a smile to my face as I reminisced about my own first childhood romance. I remember the note he wrote me during 3rd grade science class--“Do you want to be my girlfrend? Circle YES, NO, or MAYBE.” I can still feel my cheeks reddening as I passed the note back with a heart-circle around “YES.” I will never forget that first lunch hour of our three-week romance. We shyly left our usual spots at our respective lunch tables and sat together, letting the world, or at least the entire 3rd grade know of our newfound love for one another. We sat chewing our turkey sandwiches in an awkward silence, until the moment arrived when he finally reached for my hand and squeezed it tightly with his sweaty palms. He then shyly asked me if I wanted to share his Twinkie. It was the sweetest thing I had ever heard. Alyssa |
alone on the path Jessica Villarreal (6) I really liked this one because you can just imagine the atmosphere. It is right after a rainstorm and so of course there are lots of puddles everywhere, and then there is that pleasing scent of fresh rain in the air. Then there is the image of someone jumping in the puddles and the water spraying up to hit their legs. Of course this person is just laughing and having the time of their life because how can you not jump in puddles and enjoy it. Amanda |
spaghetti dinner Kersten Haile I like this one so much because it reminds me of Lady and the Tramp, where the dogs are eating this spaghetti dinner in the slums, enjoying themselves immensely, and finding romance by finishing the last strand of spaghetti together. This goes to show how innocent love can be, and how awesome its power of finding anyone is. It doesn’t matter if one’s bank account is $1,000,000 or $1,000 dollars, there will always be love for every human in life. Jason I see a couple at a ritzy Italian restaurant. The woman is eating her spaghetti and the man is gazing at her beautiful, delicate, red lips. I imagine he loves seeing her eat the spaghetti, because he loves her lips. The man does not care if there is anyone else in the restaurant; he is just fixated on her. Elise |
evening service |
trekking… Lindsay Scully (4) When I think of this poem I can see a guy walking through an insanely thick mist that is both figurative and reality. The guy is walking through the fog unsure of anything other than the fact that he needs to get to his girl. Or that hes thinking that everything else in life may be unclear except the fact that he likes this girl a lot. Pat |
holding my breath Matt Chmiel (7) |
one man dares Michelle Dixson I personally have no idea what this haiku literally implies. However, it gives me the feeling that someone is fighting for his or her love. Also it gives the feeling of a “commoner” trying to win the love of “royalty”. I get this image because it’s not a prince giving the raspberry to the princess, it’s just an ordinary man. The fact that the author used the word “dares” also seems to support the fact that he’s trying to establish a relationship that society, or maybe just the parents, don’t agree with. I also get the feeling that the raspberry represents something like a wedding ring, and represents the pureness in their relationship. Brett |
snow covered lane |
the sweet smell |
picking my nose, Matt Chmiel (6) I like this one so much because, aside from the obvious embarrassment this image can bring to the one who the haiku is true for, it reminds me of how vulnerable humans are. We all have our weak moments no matter how strong we appear on the outside, and there will always be people there to experience that weakness with us. Now, that experience can be good or bad. In the case of this haiku, the person can either laugh and ride it off or tell everyone. Another vision I get (more literal) is how someone may be picking their nose and worrying so much they won’t get caught, then in the act they catch someone else doing it as well. Bitter sweet irony! Jason This is the dreaded realization nearly everyone encounters in some form or another at one pint in his or her life. I picture someone huddled over, picking at their nose (finger in two-joints deep) then suddenly realizes that there's someone right behind. And the nose-picker has this sudden sense of doom. Very simple, but hilarious. I'm not sure what else to say about this except that I laughed out loud when I first read it. I recall one of my friends writing something very similiar back in high school in a fake journal. Each day she wrote about picking her nose, eating boogers, got away with being seen. Then one day she finally didn't get away with it. Aubrie This haiku reminds me of times I got caught doing embarrassing things. Even though I haven’t picked my nose since I was a small child, I have done other things that I consider to be embarrassing. One of the major things is when I was new to DDR (dance dance revolution) I would only play when I was only, because frankly, I was horrible. I can remember a few times when my sister or one of my parents watched me when I was playing it when I thought I was alone. I’d get really embarrassed and immediately stop playing, and try to act like I hadn’t really been playing it at all. I don’t care anymore, but back then it used to bother me a lot. Brett
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fingers interlock |
eyes meet… Nick Chivers (7) The main reason that I really like this haiku is because I imagine such a pleasant scenario. I particularly love the idea of a new romance in the snow, because snow is so delicate. I can see two people on a walk at night together through Millikin’s campus. The snow has been gently falling for several hours, so covers everything in a sparkly white blanket. Everything is silent and there are no cars on the street. This walk is the first time the two people are alone, and they are too shy to hold hands or make any bodily contact. At the same time they both stop walking to look into each others’ eyes, and realize that they are falling for each other. Their first kiss can wait, because the look that is being exchanged is full of spark and chemistry. Lindsay I pictured a girl. She’s walking along and the snow is falling heavily in those huge pom-pom sized flakes. She walks along with her eyes downcast until she looks up and sees him. Their gazes meet. She passes him with a coy smile on her face. As soon as he’s gone, she falls into the snow with the epitome of a dreamy look on her face. |
on the porch Brett Coffman I really like this haiku because to me it is somewhat ambiguous. The obvious thought that could be had is that there is snow on the ground and the person who made it is saying goodbye to the snowman as it melts. However, I thought of it a different way. My best friend moved to the Philippines this summer and I don’t really know when I’ll be able to see her again. I can remember when I went to visit her the day before she left. I went over to her house and she gave me a present, which was basically some of the stuff she couldn’t bring with her and knew I would like. I remember when it was time for me, she walked me out to the porch and I felt like I was melting inside. It’s incredibly hard to say goodbye to such a close friend, so that was what I remembered with this haiku. Erin |
frigid february night Alyssa Thompson (4) |
the peel’s fragrance |
school bus friend— |
© 2008, Randy Brooks • Millikin University
All rights returned to authors upon publication.