Global Haiku • Spring 2016
Dr. Randy Brooks

Spring Cleaning

by
Erica Forbes

Over the course of this spring semester, haiku has found a special place in my heart. Not only does it force me to examine my thoughts and feelings, but helps me put my emotions into words. I named this collection "Spring Cleaning" because these haiku tell the story of my spring semester at Millikin University, 2016. These haiku are arranged in chronological order, from the beginning of writing haiku to present. I like to think of writing haiku as a way to clean your head and express your emotions, making the title appropriate. These haiku are a piece of me and my life. I hope you cherish them as much as I do.

About the Author

My name is Erica Forbes and I am a sophomore Biology Pre-Medicine major. I am an active member of Delta Delta Delta, Alpha Lambda Delta, Beta Beta Beta, and the treasurer of Sigma Zeta. I work as a Supplemental Instructor for General Chemistry and have been a lab assistant and tutor. In my free time I like to watch movies about the 19th century and read books about science. I also have a strange obsession with Star Wars and Lollapalooza.

the last time
holding hands
they no longer fit

beams of sun
sparking morning dew
today will be better

my drunk friend skips
outside naked
careless of frostbite

little fingers cling to
hot chocolate
the snow day is over

everything made her smile—
once he left
she could hardly feel

splashing us left and right
his floaties kept his
smile above the water

winter air bites—
cold Valentine's day
just like the last

hands stuck to legs
tucked in for the night
like a mummy

laying down in snowy silence
thump                 giggles
a snowball to her window

she played her favorite
song on repeat . . .
lonely tears

always the one to
fall behind in step
                 ohana

Alice in Wonderland
she cries through the
                          mirror

tending to her son's
chipped knees
Mrs. Potts

sun tingling my skin
your soft touch
even warmer

perfectly laid out blanket
the ant conquers
each small mountain

creating foreign figures
out of midnight stars—
they paint the sky

rose petals fall
revealing scars
nobody else could see

hop scotch boxes
connecting driveways
summer's eve

movie night . . .
gently skimming my skin
like the night before

cloud of smoke—
the boy in the trashcan
asks to dance

oncoming headlights
I found                       you
in blinding confusion

a single warm hand
pulls me back up . . .
whiskey rock bottom

faint pink turns to
tomato red
she cries for aloe

sun rays warming
pale winter skin
I never want to leave

silent stethoscope
he pulls the plug
for the first time