Kukai 5 - spring break favorites
Global Haiku • Millikin University • Spring 2013
spring break Therese O'Shaughnessy (4) |
creaky door Emily D'Ambrose (9) |
cooking together |
evening heart-to-heart Sarah E. Kisly (4) |
singing in the car |
3 am |
she steps off the plane Emily D'Ambrose (2) |
sitting at the tiki bar |
the familiar sensation |
crab Emily D'Ambrose (5) |
reminiscing Randi Mehrmann (4) |
she takes off her shoes Emily D'Ambrose (7) I absolutely love this haiku based on the sudden change of tone from the first two lines to the last line. A great example of comic relief in haiku, this poem creates a mysteriously sexual mood only to slap the reader into a new world of airport security. For reading purposes the ellipsis used is also a great choice, as the pause between the second and third line allows the imagination to explore what might happen next before the “punch line”. Therese |
new car smell Randi Mehrmann (12) |
dinner with my grandparents Emily Crutchfield (8) |
tea and scones Sarah E. Kisly (5) |
cable car Emily D'Ambrose (7) |
first vacation with his family Emily Crutchfield (8) |
you look so old! Molly McCullough (4) |
home alone Molly McCullough (11) I love this haiku because this happens to me all the time. Every time I am home alone and I hear the slightest bit of noise, I think someone is in my house. Every little noise freaks me out. I saw the movie “The Call” over spring break. It was a very scary movie about kidnapping. That night when I went home I was so scared. I was so paranoid that someone was following me because of that movie. I even made my brother sleep in my room that night because I was so scared. I can get scared pretty easily, so I love that this haiku shows me that I am not the only one. I also love how this haiku is set up. I love how the dash is placed after “branch breaks.” It provides suspense; we don’t know yet what happens after the branch breaks. I love how the author used the word “obviously.” That word provides humor in the third line when the reader realizes that this person is just overthinking the noise they heard. Amanda |
sleep Randi Mehrmann I really enjoyed this haiku, because I always have this mind set no matter if it is a normal week or spring break. The main reason I think I always have this mind set is because I never actually do sleep when it is appropriate to. Spring Break is a time when you would assume that you can catch up on some sleep at least, however I can tell you from experience that I sleep less during break. Jon |
a walk to clear the mind Sarah E. Kisly (15) This haiku really killed me because of how relatable and vast it is. Most people would connect with the idea of taking a walk to try to mull things over. However, when one tries to think about something that he or she doesn’t want to think about, they often end up distracting themselves without noticing it. This is the first idea that comes to mind when reading this haiku. Upon further reflection, I had a different view: perhaps while trying to sort out some thoughts the subject ends up piling on even more stressful thoughts. The use of the word “collecting” really triggered this. Collecting trash is a common phrase, but one doesn’t really “collect” trash. Pick up or clean, but not really collect. However, it’s fairly easy to collect unpleasant thoughts or memories without meaning to. Charlie I enjoy this haiku, as discussed in class, because of the metaphor for the trash being mental baggage. Even though Sarah specified that the haiku was inspired from the literal act of picking up trash while on a walk, the experience of picking up trash while on a walk could relate to something going on in someone’s life at the current time, and act as a reminder, or bring out emotions from the past. I was pondering this earlier, but the simplest event or interaction can cause such a strong emotional reaction, both positive and negative. Matt |
Sunday night Alex Buchko (7) |
17 Darien M. Sloat I really like the use of the word pamper in this haiku. When you think of something being pampered you think of a princess, or in this case, a little prince. It also makes me think of the brand of diapers Pampers, and that goes along perfectly with a bother trying to baby or take care of her son for one last time before he moves away. It also reminds me of my family and how they did that for me and how they are now doing it for my seventeen year old cousin. Emily C |
old friends Heidi A. Zapp (6) |
pitter patter on the roof Therese O'Shaughnessy (9) This haiku was definitely my favorite out of all of the options. To begin with, I really enjoyed the imagery that was presented by the poem. I could easily see the girls in their princess gowns. A little too old to be playing dress up, but still excited to wear the dresses and act younger than they are. The scrabble makes it clear that they are old enough to understand what they are doing, and therefore the whimsicality of the princess dresses in relation to the seriousness of the scrabble is very interesting to me. I also really enjoyed the word choice in the first line. The use of “pitter patter” really helped to give me a feeling and sense of the space that this haiku is in. I can hear the rain on the rooftop and I feel as if I am with these people. Overall, this haiku really helped me to put myself in the position of the writer. Molly |
passing the orange grove Therese O'Shaughnessy I especially like this haiku due to the mention of the orange grove. Additionally, the speaker engages in personification, acting as if the grove has feelings of its own. From this haiku I picture a teenage girl leaving a warm, sunny paradise—perhaps somewhere in California—in which she was fortunate enough to spend her summer vacation. Her time there was an adventure, and she had more fun than she had ever expected. She had seen new sights and had many new experiences, simply because she was in a part of the country unfamiliar to her. She remembers driving past the orange grove upon arriving for the first time, and taking walks there in the evenings. The grove holds a special place in her heart, because it stood sentry both at the start and close of her journey. Now, a car bears her back home and away from summer, and as she passes the grove, she cannot help but roll down the window and breathe in the fresh, slightly citrus scent of the air. She whispers goodbye and snaps a mental picture of the fruit-laden trees, thinking the oranges will be harvested soon. It is morning, and mist still covers the land, as the sun has not yet risen completely. The cool tones of the mist and earth mingle delicately with the pale orange of the fruit and the glint of sunlight coming over distant hills. Sarah |
10 minutes in the mirror Amanda Lee (8) |
family road trip: Darien M. Sloat (10) |
time is money |
godzilla Courtney Burress (5) |
break never lasts Kenneth Albin (4) |
he lassos one more |
Chinese take-out Sarah E. Kisly (10) |
a spring break Courtney Burress (7) |
afternoon sunlight Sarah E. Kisly (5) |
whisper the words Courtney Burress (2) |
Mom's car Alex Buchko (7) I like this haiku, because although my mother isn’t the one who drives me to and from school, she’s always the hardest goodbye. Throughout my whole life my mom has been my best friend. It’s been so weird not having her here. I mean I love college and the freedom of not having parents around, but I miss my mom a lot. Kelsey |
night sky |
strip to my swimsuit |
second day of break |
two fish Amanda Lee (10) I like this haiku because it sounds cute. It makes me think of the saying, “plenty of fish in the sea,” that you tell someone after they have had a rough time in the dating field. This sounds like these two ‘fish’ have found each other and know that they will be together forever. Randi |
groom in a vintage suit Therese O'Shaughnessy (5) |
reaching for hair Jordan Caulk (4) |
maybe the city will name |
one more episode? Heidi A. Zapp (8) |
back from break |
whoosh of cars Darien M. Sloat (8) |
home again, home again Charlie Decker (7) |
living vicariously Heidi A. Zapp (6) I liked this haiku because at least for me, it applies not only to spring break but to normal school days as well. I have friends going to school all across the country, and no matter what exciting things are happening here, it always seems like they’re having a better time than me or are doing things more exciting than what I’m doing. I also like the thought/tonal shift in this haiku from reading friends’ statuses, tweets, or blog posts on technology and then the speaker having a change of heart about his or her own reality. I think we all do this rather often. Alex |
a phoenix risen Jordan Caulk (7) |
metal prodding Courtney Burress (9) I enjoy this haiku’s precise wording and its relatable nature. The first line, “metal prodding,” is difficult to say, due to its high constant to vowel ratio, specifically the “l” directly before a “p.” The difficulty and resistance there appears to be when saying that first line is a nice auditory connection to the discomfort and painstaking time one spends in a dentist’s office. I enjoy the last line’s bluntness, it says precisely what everyone thinks when they go to the dentist, “is this really a good time for conversation: while your hands are in my mouth?” Darien |
Heidi A. Zapp (6)
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driving back |
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sand and sunshine |
side by side |
the pier at night |
my week complete Kenneth Albin (8) |
exploring the neighborhood Sarah E. Kisly I like this poem because it reminds me of my dog. I can explore the neighborhood with him, but I can play with him. I usually take a squeaky ball and just run with it, then throw it when my dog catches me. My dog has a kind of skip, bunny hop run he does, so the skipping reminded me of his run. I have tried to run with him on a leash before so we could go into the neighborhood, but he trips me, so I left him at home. Kenneth |
back from Spring Break |
windows down |
Courtney Burress (7)
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© 2013, Randy Brooks • Millikin University
All rights returned to authors upon publication.