Haiku Kukai 2 Favorites

Global Haiku • Millikin University • Spring 2018

15% battery
on my phone
or my energy?

Katherine Goethals (10)

 
This is another one of my favorite kukais also because it is so relatable. College is mentally and physically exhausting. It is hard to find time to charge your phone or you forget to because you have so many things going on. It is also hard to find time to sleep because you have so many tests and assignments. This was a joking, yet real kukai, and I, as well as my peers, can relate to this. Lexi

binge watching
"Are you there?"
yes

Katherine Goethals (8)

I enjoy this Haiku because I can relate to it. I don't watch Netflix often, but when I do I normally binge watch. There is a setting on Netflix, to where if you don't use the controller within a certain amount of time, it'll ask you If you're still there. I imagine a lazy day where my hair is a mess and I'm in miss-matching pajamas. Also, I feel a little bit of annoyance because when Netflix asks if I'm still there – the remote is normally across the room. Kaitlyn

walking through Target
I need nothing
but buy everything

Katherine Goethals (5)

I really liked this haiku because I related to it really well. I also think that most young adults, women in particular, relate to this haiku. I usually try to steer clear of target simply because I know I am capable of spending all of my money in one trip. Regardless of if I might need one or two items, I will leave the store with twenty things I do not need. On one hand, Target is a trap, but on the other, Target is an amazing stress reliever. Ally

"sing me a song"
the blind woman asks
the little girl

nervous fingers
stumble over
the zipper of his jeans

Nicole Wells (5)

I enjoy this haiku due to the awkwardness of the situation. Expectations greet nerves where two people on the verge of potentially enduring one another sexually have to filter through the uncomfortable nature of the setting. This is obviously their first time together, and the girl must have a million thoughts as to what/why/how/if things are going right. Her worries engage her actions as she stumbles over his zipper. Rory

statue on my desk
human skeleton dressed
as a frog

pale as a vampire
missing the sun
and the way I glistened in it

rolling over in bed
your smile
makes everything worthwhile . . .

Alyssa Rodriguez

I enjoy this haiku. When I read it when we were doing kukai I started to think that I had made it because my haiku that week were also about love. I could relate to the poem though because when you roll over in bed next to your loved one, there is a sense of comfort. I imagine when I wake up and my girlfriends not next to me it isn’t as good of a day, but when she is, the day is grand. Travis

spilling beer
as we solud
the new year

Alyssa Rodriguez (4)

I like this haiku because it paints a picture of friends having a good time together as they reign in the new year. I see them holding their glasses of beer in the air and cheering as they wrap their arms around one another, happy to be together. I imagine a lot of gold colors, from both the beer and from New Year's decorations. Morgan

wine-stained white shirt
mumbling
that I love her

Rory Arnold (8)

I like this haiku because it’s sweet and messy. It shows that even when this person is drunk enough to spill wine all over themselves, their love for the other person is still so important that they speak it aloud. I picture a sober girlfriend helping her intoxicated boyfriend out of his wine-stained shirt, and him thanking her by saying he loves her over and over. This haiku creates a really sweet scene in my head of young love. Rachel

The juxtaposition between the stark white shirt and the, what I imagine to be, a red wine stain on their shirt, is similar to the difference between the mumbling and the weight of the statement “I love you.” I love you is something that people hold off on saying to people for months, sometimes years, when beginning a relationship. This is something so emotionally intimate and the idea of mumbling it to someone shows either a sense of uncertainty or a fear of the reaction of the other person. Elizabeth

the boy
with the beautiful blond hair
her test reads positive

anxiety
over what she might say . . .
I take another drink

Rory Arnold (7)

another cup
stronger coffee everytime
what time is it?

his shirt
two sizes too big
on her

Allyson Isenhower (10)

I like that this haiku because it is short and simple. It also has almost a sense of innocent but intimacy to it. I like that it is almost messy. I can visually see myself wearing my boyfriends shirt, and it is way too big. When thinking of this one I also visualize a girl with messy hair and slippers. A very lazy day at home. Katie

When reading this Haiku it's very visual. I imagine a couple: a tall or large male with a small petite female. This is an intimate Haiku, the girl is probably wearing his shirt because it is comfortable and because she cares about him. Opposed to wearing his shirt for style. I really enjoyed this Haiku because it's simple, yet special or intimate. Kaitlyn

ring ring
a freshman boy
needs help with laundry

Allyson Isenhower (4)

red and blue lights
scatter students
party over

Ryan McDonald (4)

monday morning, empty class
front row student
with raised hand

work, track practice,
homework . . . a spider crawls
across the ceiling

house trashed
after another get together
tornado warning

Deion Corley (7)

always remember
friends can get you through
that last sip

Deion Corley (10)

I liked this Haiku because it really throws me for a curveball but in a good way. At one moment Im thinking that friends really do get you through anything with their help but then it says last sip and all the memories of me and my buddies getting boozed up and doing all the shenanigans college students do. In all times friends are there to encourage you in anyway. Ryan

I work in a craft brewery
super bowl Sunday
Natural Light?

peach wingback chair
crackling fire
grandpa’s stories

a useless shirt
flaps on the clothesline
it used to be his

Rory Arnold (3)

her hand reaches for mine
I panic
a pack of cigarettes

new apartment new job
old life
still sneaking around

Travis Voorhees (8)

I like the way this haiku is worded, especially the word "sneaking". I imagine a woman trying to move on with her life in a new city, but old problems continue to pop up. Such as an ex stalking her, her stolen credit card bills, etc. Morgan

always a different color
pink, blue, red
fingernails

Travis Voorhees (3)

you’re my favorite
even in the fights
JR.

cleaning up
dishes that aren’t yours
I am not a maid

Allyson Isenhower (8)

people shouting
over the band
overtime

Allyson Isenhower (4)

popcorn popping
previews playing
kids giddy in their seats

Allyson Isenhower (4)

sentenced
until 2020
never-ending assignments

Morgan Bettner (8)

wanting to be social
wanting to get good grades
forever wanting sleep

Morgan Bettner (9)

I relate so much to this haiku that it is insane. I personally work two jobs and attend school full time, so I have no time for anything. It is usually a debate almost every weekend between wanting to be social and wanting to sleep. Normally, I try to find a good in between. I tend to stay up late to do homework during the weekday and sacrifice my sleep then, so sleeping on the weekends is my salvation. I really like how relatable this haiku is. Katie

This was my favorite Kukai because it definitely describes the last two years of my college life. I have had so many jobs since my junior year and my workload just kept getting more and more hectic as the semesters have passed. I enjoyed myself every now and then, but I was constantly either working on homework or working. It has become really hard to have energy for things other than school or work. All I ever really enjoy doing whenever I have free time is relaxing, or sleeping. My friends will ask me to go here or there with them and I will honestly want nothing more than to just stay home and unwind from a crazy week. Alyssa

Ever since I was little, I have been adamant about getting good grades. That carried me all the way through high school where I graduated as valedictorian. Even in college, I have managed to only get one B over the course of two and a half years. As much as I love school and good grades, I also love my friends and meeting new people. Going out on weekends and casual hang outs with my friends are both activities that I enjoy doing. However, sometimes my coursework gets in the way of my social life. Above all, I cherish spending as much time in my bed as I possibly can with my busy schedule. My favorite place to be is most definitely my bed. Ally

dozing off in class
not enough
coffee

Morgan Bettner (6)

This was another one of my favorite Kukai because I have felt this way plenty of times. I am a very busy person and when I don't have my coffee, or not enough coffee I feel like I can't function. It's almost like my fuel to get through the day. Whenever I'm running low on coffee, I feel myself slowly losing energy. When I read this haiku I think of myself really trying hard to fight my sleep, but losing because I need more coffee to get through the day. Alyssa

LSB
after a long week
therapy

Alyssa Rodriguez (8)

slowly moving
through the halls
for a last time

Alyssa Rodriguez (6)

tick tock, tick tock
trying to finish an exam
watching the clock

screaming fans
gleaming sunset
kickoff

i am a three
not a
lay up

Kaitlyn Foster (9)

I had a good chuckle the first time I read this poem. It tricks readers with its seemingly harsh opening line—we think the speaker is rating themselves out of 10—instead they proclaim that they are something wonderful. The metaphor represents that the person is confident in their own greatness, and perhaps they seem their own self as a little more difficult to achieve than a simple layup. Rory

swerve to miss a pothole
boom hit another
no escape

Lexi Doss (4)

feathered hats
dirt track
the sound of hooves pounding

Morgan Bettner (4)

steamy windows
and closed doors
the coffee simmers

foreign symbols
Greek alphabet
oh wait it's just math

Morgan Bettner (4)

buttery fingers
sticky cushioned chairs
world traveler

Rachel Humphrey (2)

the steady rhythm of her doc martens
against the floor at the party
let loose

the glow of streetlamps
through your blinds
mimics the sun

Rachel Humphrey (5)

I liked this haiku because it drew me back to my freshman year of college. In mills I lived with my window facing south and there was a very bright light that stood right outside my window. So some nights I'd wake up and I thought the sun was up because that light was so bright. I literally one time got up and turned the light on and my roommate got upset because it was 3:30am and I thought the sun was up. I also enjoy the “your blinds” aspect. Like you're in a foreign bed and your awake looking at the window thinking. Maybe that mimicked sun is your que to get up and leave after maybe a one night stand or something. Ryan

life after homework
what will I
do

Kaitlyn Foster (4)

one more minute
with you
I’d do anything

Kaitlyn Foster (6)

last
first
day of school

Kaitlyn Foster (2)

memories from my childhood
captured in stitches
the t-shirt quilt

Lexi Doss (6)

the light shines upon
The American Flag
a dark windy night

chinese buffet
sleep all day
yikes, homework

Lexi Doss (5)

tear-swelled eyes
rework her makeup
a clown frowns

Rory Arnold (4)

an open fridge
glows through the dark
a broken promise

Rory Arnold (9)

This haiku was a favorite because this haiku relates to me in a way. I usually live with my mom and younger brother, but sometimes when I have a lot of assignments and class projects, I usually stayover at my best friend's dorm room. And as she is my best friend, she loves to insult me in front of everyone, play around with me and break my promises. All the time, whenever I open the fridge to grab my cupcake, a slice of pizza or any special delight I have kept for myself, she'll gobble it all up herself. My friend always tells me, “I promise I won't even touch your special food.” But she instead ends up eating it on purpose. However, she makes it up for me. She'll bring treats for me and I just love that about her. Even though I get angry for a second because she ate my food, but we end up laughing then. Jesal

This is my favorite kukai because it is so relatable. When I read this kukai I thought of an open fridge in the middle of the night and a broken promise to myself. I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't go eat everything in sight in the middle of the night and I broke it. I think anyone who is trying to lose weight or become healthier can relate to this kukai because it is hard to stick to it. Lexi

shoulder to shoulder
in the strobe-lit basement
spreading the flu

Rory Arnold (11)

giggles
pizza on paper plates
typical Friday night

Rachel Humphrey (4)

broke day after day
always manage to scramble up
beer money & eggs

Deion Corley (11)

Sounds like college. It makes you think about a day or week when you had partied to much. You probably spent too much money on recreational activities and decided well at least I have some cheese eggs to make in the morning. Another image I got was finals weekend, you’re stressed and you don’t want to have to do anything productive for the rest of your life, so you aren’t productive. Just time to drink until you go to sleep and if I have time when I wake up, I’ll make some eggs. Travis

practice and homework
homework and practice
When do I sleep?

late night reading
chapters 1, 2, and 3
. . . what did I read?

Katherine Goethals (6)

I like this haiku because it sounds so sure at the beginning. Then, the ellipsis happens and the speaker realizes that time and the reading have gone by and they can’t remember any of what they have read due to their unavoidable sleepiness. This haiku is relatable, and I remember many times, especially freshman year, when I would put off my reading to the last minute, and struggled to stay up and comprehend everything. Rachel

slow evening
work dragging on
is it time to go home?

jogging student
a paper slips from his bag
drifts off with the breeze

everyday single day
we carry ourselves
books

Jesal Sheth (2)

two braids
two ribbons
glasses

the mouse
rain across
Beethoven

sticky heat
hard plastic train station bench
i'd wait all day for you

I lean in
to meet her lips
her slap leaves a print

Rory Arnold (9)

To me this haiku feels like he is leaning in, putting himself out there to talk to this woman. Putting himself out there in a very vulnerable way because he leans in to “meet her lips” which is a very intimate thing to do. She then leaves the print of her slap, or the sting of her rejection. This slap is a swift sharp blow, almost as though she didn't think twice about the blow she was delivering to him. Elizabeth

I like this one, I see the typical college party setting, some drunk guy who was just blabbering for the past 15 minutes to a girl who wasn't even paying attention leans in for a kiss thinking he woo'd her over. But in reality, he spent 15 minutes talking about his favorite movie. Josh

sharpie signature
on a hat
made my whole damn year

xxxxx

Made my whole damn year
I like this one because getting a signature from a famous athlete is always such a memorable and great feeling to have. Especially in this case which I feel as though its his idol. Josh

Fortnite
or chem
the ultimate debate

frogs spawning
working the bait
*whomp*

11:30
deadline at 12
time for a taco bell run

Joshua Mysliwjec (7)

This was my first favorite haiku because this haiku relates to me in a way. Being a commuter at college, I live near Taco Bell in Forsyth, Illinois. And since Taco Bell being close to me and my favorite fast food eating spot, I usually go there all the time after submitting my assignment to grab a midnight chalupa and 7-layer taco snack. Also, I tend to submit assignments few hours before the deadline in some cases so I can enjoy my midnight tacos. So, I can pretty much relate to this haiku most of the time. Jesal

© 2018, Randy Brooks • Millikin University
All rights returned to authors upon publication.