Aubrie Cox's Haiku for Readers
by Eve Greenwell
Aubrie Cox, a Millikin University alum, took this very class not too long ago and since has fallen in love with haiku and made it part of her life. In her first collection of haiku, tea's aftertaste, she reveals that she loves haiku because of the writer-reader relationship created by the ambiguity of haiku (Cox 11). Haiku force readers to think about what they have read and reflect on it, what it means, what the ending is. The reader has to put together the puzzle pieces the writer gave them in the way they see best fit in order to understand the meaning. Cox loves this aspect of haiku; it is what interests her in the art.
In her first work, tea's aftertaste, Cox has a few trends in her haiku. She focuses on relationships and interactions mostly, but also has quite a few about the moon and space. She also writes about her journey through life and through writing haiku. The haiku she writes seem to be things about things she has seen an experienced first-hand. Of course many of them overlap these topics, but they all maintain the same openness she loves so much. Once upon a time Cox was in the very same place as the rest of us in this class, but she done excellent things with her haiku.
The main topic of Aubrie Cox's haiku is relationships. These relationships could be with a significant other, a stranger, a parent, an animal, or the world around her. Although she does have a few haiku about relationships she observes, which she is not a part of, most of the relationship haiku are between her and someone or something else.
endless conversation
the river runs
through my fingers
Cox, TA, 29
This haiku shows Cox's love for the ambiguous. It is entirely up to the reader to decide who this conversation is with and what it is about. Personally, I feel that the conversation is with her father whom she has written about in other haiku, but then again it could be anyone. This haiku really captures her feeling in this moment. When reading it I feel like the conversation was getting too long and probably too deep to stay focused on the other person. I feel like she could no longer look them in the eye and instead let herself get distracted by the river flowing next to them. It seems that this was an important, private conversation since they are seated by a river. They likely went somewhere peaceful where they could talk and be alone.
country highway
I brake
for a field mouse
Cox, TA, 25
This haiku shows another type of relationship, one that is not quite as serious. Although it is true that it is a reflex to brake when something is in the road, I think this haiku reveals something more about Cox's character. Considering this interaction was worthy of having a haiku written about it, it must have struck a cord and meant something to Cox. It makes me believe that she values life, and not just her own, and values all types of relationships and interactions.
A few of the haiku in this collection are about relationships and people she observes.
the old lady dies
everyone comes
to the estate sale
Cox, TA, 30
This haiku is one I really enjoyed. It seems that no one really cared about the old lady and her death, but only about getting her stuff. The reader expects the last line to be "to her funeral" but instead "to the estate sale" shocks the reader. I think this haiku says a lot about the materialist world we live in and about relationships today. Many relationships today are more about what you can get from the other person than about enjoying another person's company.
From these haiku on relationships we, as writers, can learn quite a bit. Cox seemed to write about things she valued, like the little mouse, and others valued, like possessions. By writing about things others valued she was able to make a statement about the human condition, which can make for some very interesting haiku. Also, she was able to capture a lot of feelings, especially in the first of these three, which is very important for great haiku.
Another common topic in this collection is the moon and space. Cox seems to be infatuated with the moon and Heavenly bodies. In my opinion it is because of the mystery of space. Cox enjoys haiku because the reader can never fully understand what the author is saying, in the same way I do not think we will ever understand everything about space. Just as the readings on a haiku are endless, so is the universe. In my opinion that is what draws her attention to space so much throughout her haiku.
One of her haiku from her Millikin days reads:
class on the quad
my eyes drift
to the afternoon moon
Cox, TA, 20
This haiku is interesting because we don't usually think of the moon shining in the afternoon, but it is there and sometimes can be seen very clearly. The reader can feel the sense of wonder and her mind floats away from her classwork and wanders through different thoughts.
distant galaxies
all the things
I could have been
Cox, TA, 21
This haiku was another of my favorites as I read through the collection. It sounds like the galaxies, portrayed in a beautiful senryu, represent her dreams, with each bright star being another dream. This haiku is interesting to me because it could be taken in a positive or negative light. At first I thought it was more negative, that all her dreams are out of reach and she was unable to attain them. Then after thinking about it I thought it meant she could have been anything. I thought of a child being told they could be anything they want, that they could shine brightly like a star. I got a sense of pride upon reading it again, the feeling that she could have been anything she wanted, achieved a dream farther than the most distant galaxy, but whatever dream she followed she is satisfied with. Now looking back at the other dreams she left behind, it does not fill her with regret, but instead those dreams are a bright memory and a reminder of how happy she is with the path she chose.
These two haiku not only are similar because they are about space, but they also both have a sense of pondering and reflecting. Her mind seems to be wandering in both. Writing haiku about reflection can bring life to some great haiku. Also she again captured her feelings, which is of upmost importance.
Some of her haiku are about change:
helicopter seeds
my life spiraling
out of control
Cox, TA, 22
Although this haiku is not directly about change; that is what I believe is causing the spiral. In general, change is what throws people most. I like the imagery of the helicopter seed falling. Helicopter seeds fall so lightly in the breeze, which makes me believe the change going on must not be causing too much of a struggle in her life, but if it read "tornado blowing" or "toilet flushing" that would seem much worse. Perhaps she is feeling blown around a little by life, a little overwhelmed, but just keeps going on for the ride.
autumn leaves
new neighbors
take down the treehouse
Cox, TA, 32
This haiku brings out the feelings of a lost childhood. It makes the child inside me sad to hear of a treehouse being torn down. This haiku is full of change beyond just new neighbors. This haiku shows a change out of childhood, also likely the loss of a friend. I like the word "leaves" in the opening line. Obviously there are leaves in the tree, but I feel like it is talking about more than the tree. The old neighbor, likely a friend, left, childhood left, the fun of the treehouse left. "Leaves" seems to have a double meaning. This isn't the only haiku with double meaning:
no phone call
the weight
of dawn
Cox, TA, 16
In this haiku, one of hers on relationships and interactions, "weight" seems to also mean "wait." All night they have been up staring at their phone waiting for a phone call and as the sun starts coming up they realize there is no hope the phone is going to ring. This haiku holds the same ambiguity and mystery Cox is so fond of. It makes the reader wander why they are waiting for a call, why they did not give up at a reasonable hour rather than waiting until dawn. That sense of mystery forces readers to pause and really think about the haiku.
These three haiku emphasize the importance of word choice. Haiku are very short, obviously, but one word could be the difference between a good haiku and a great haiku. It is clear that Cox carefully considered every word, its meaning, and how it would impact her haiku. Each word is a piece of the puzzle, a little part to help in solving the mystery of the meaning. It is critical to choose each word carefully.
From these haiku a writer can learn a lot about how to make their haiku better: capturing emotion, careful word choice, reflecting. Plus they get to enjoy some great haiku. Haiku is an art that anyone can enjoy. Cox seems to write mostly about her own experiences and everyone has experiences they too can write about. Haiku does not take an imaginative mind that can come up with long stories; it just takes a creative mind that can take a snapshot of everyday life experiences. Going from good haiku to great haiku may take practice, but through looking at these haiku from Cox I feel I have unwrapped her biggest tip: keep it ambiguous and open to interpretation.
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Works Cited
Cox, Aubrie. tea's aftertaste. Decatur: Bronze Man Books, 2011. Print.
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