Haibun 3 Kukai Favorites
Global Haiku • Millikin University • Spring 2018
In Line I stand bundled, head to toe. I gaze up, to only see mountains reach into the clouds. The mountains covered in white blankets that are in the ultimate condition for the downhill slide. Ski lift jolts, as we ascend into the clouds. We peak through the mist and see the top. Cold air breeze bites my nose. The sun reflects of the peak making a flicker as a diamond would. We reach the top, instant thoughts being don’t look down. We reach the launch zone, gazing into the white unknown. We strap our feet into the foot holds of the board. One last look into my buddies eyes as I say “here goes nothing.” I look back to the eye piercing white. I lower my goggles over my eyes. I push off into the slope. Heading towards the bottom.
Ryan McDonald The first haibun “In Line” is my favorite. I can picture this person being bundled up almost as round as they are tall. I love the mountains and seeing nothing but snow and mountains is a beautiful sight. Talking about the mountains being covered with white blankets is a very good way to describe it. When I went skiing, the scariest part was getting on and off the ski lift because if you didn't do it at the right time you could get thrown off or run over. It was so unbearably cold we had hand warmers and feet warmers everywhere so I can almost feel the cold breeze. The end of the haibun describes the moments until the descent very well because it is basically like “here goes nothing” because you have no choice but to go down the hill now. Lexi I really enjoyed reading this haibun because it reminded me of a memory I had with ski lifts. My high school used to take students on ski trips once a year. I finally got to go one year and fell completely in love with it. Just like the author mentions waiting for the lift, looking up at the clouds. It is all so beautiful. Then, we are finally on the lift. I am terrified of heights, so I would try my hardest to not look down. So, instead I look up, and it really does feel like you're flying. An adrenaline builds as I can see it is almost time to jump off and ski down the hill. Alyssa |
Early Morning Catch Sun rises, surfs up. We wade out into the water, chilled, but starting to warm up. The bubbles form all around us. The sea foam begins to grip my hair, making me know we're almost to where the waves will form. Not far away, a wave ripples and curls over itself. Next, mine comes. I catch it too soon and stand up. I feel like I could do this for the rest of my life. Then I'm back in the water, waiting for the next one to come.
Morgan Bettner I can smell the foam of the sea and hear the waves crashing against the beach. An early morning with a slight chill. Sitting on your board you just paddled out and are waiting for that first perfect wave. Josh
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Heartbeat The board outside the door creaks, and the door opens. He walks in. You knew he was coming, but your heart still skips a beat even though you’re in the middle of a fight. Suddenly the room seems ten times bigger than it is and the silence is overwhelming. You think maybe this is the end of things. It hasn’t been good lately, and you’re so lost in your thoughts that you barely realize he starts talking. Tears begin to gather in your eyes as you pour your heart out to him. You wonder what you could’ve done to stop this. Silence once again fills the room. Cold air creeps around you, and you tuck your feet under the heated blanket. The warmth makes you feel even more lonely. You’re lonely yet there is a person not five feet from you. The music from downstairs begins. It is not enough to drown out the silence.
Allyson Isenhower When reading this Haiku it made me think of an abusive relationship or just a relationship that's going downhill and is too far gone to be fixed. I've been in a relationship like that, so I can relate to the way that this person was feeling. The fact that she is standing in the bathroom and the air is filled with the scent of burnt hair and alcohol makes me think of a girl who is about to go out with her friends, due to the fact that her relationship is failing. Anything to get him off of her mind for just a little while. Kaitlyn I truly got a little teary reading this. We have all broken up with someone or been broken up with at one point or another and we know that feeling that comes with that. When the author says “You knew he was coming, but your heart still skips a beat even though you are in the middle of a fight.” They of course didn’t want this break up to happen because they say “even though.” That’s what makes the end of it even more heart breaking because the absence of that person is so deafening that the party happening in their home can’t even fill the void. The smell of alcohol and burnt hair is a very specific smell that permeates bathrooms specifically before parties. Elizabeth |
Suburban Settlers We shut the door slowly, attempting not to wake his parents. It’s dark and the summer humidity has gone for the evening where a cool breeze has taken its place. The sky is speckled with stars, shining in our direction, twinkling every once in a while if we glance up at the right time. We find two chairs out in the yard, our bare feet glazing over the dew-soaked grasses as we approach, and take a seat. Out of his breast pocket he slips two cigars, plastic-sealed and uncut. As he prepares them, I look around the square yard, outlined by short white pickets where the neighbors like to stand and say hello. But for now, the fence stands as a guard for no one, sealing us in together, a quiet pair in the height of night. He wipes tobacco clippings from his hands then gives me mine. Flicking a zippo, he sparks a flame which brightens the distance between us like a warming memory of our childhood past. As I swirl my cigar in the flame, puffs of smoke leave its edge.
Rory Arnold I enjoy this response for several reasons. One it makes me imagine everything that he/she wants us to imagine or see. In my opinion it is a memory or a flashback at the times before they were in college and they were brought back by the things in memory. This whole haibun in my opinion is about remembering the action of whoever it is taking a cigar out and smoke it. This is a real live situation for me and I can’t not see it from my childhood when reading it. It’s usually an in touch with nature situation when you are with someone smoking cigars and this situation is no different. Travis I like the Suburban Settlers haibun. The imagery is so realistic in it, and then the haiku goes along so well with it and makes perfect sense. Even though the author doesn't talk about the cigar scent, I found myself almost smelling the tobacco smoke as I read the story. I also really liked how they focused on the emptiness of the land, with the fence and the stars specifically. Morgan I liked this Haibun because it gave me a comfortable feeling among the summer. I like to smoke cigars with a long-lost buddy on a back porch or near a fire. I feel it gives me a sense of relaxation and I like the visuals from this haibun. I feel the haiku could be riddled with words among conversation but silence also can work well for this situation. Ryan |
No Rest Yet She is having a hard time balancing out this new chapter in her life. She is entering a whole different world; one that she was never really prepared for. Everything has been moving fast all her life. It has always been one thing after another; set a goal and knock it out. A fast pace routine. One minute she envisioning what it is going to be like next year; putting together her vision board of goals and how she is going to get there. Then, the next minute she is accomplishing every single one of her goals. You can say she is used to getting what she wants. However, once she tries to take a break or stop, she can’t. She doesn’t know how.
Alyssa Rodriguez You really get the snowball effect in this haiku and I enjoy it because imagery is one of the things you’re supposed to sometime embrace in haikus. The struggle is spoken upon in this haiku and it makes me think that the struggle is what this person want’s you to see that they are faced with and that they are doing everything in their power to effect the changes positively. I feel like she’s trying not to hit rock bottom but whatever people try to do in their lives, you cannot avoid hitting rock bottom and this is because if you have a higher standard set for what you want then what another person wants it can still be your lowest low, however you don’t let your bottom get to the place where some people bottoms are. I feel like she is trying to not let her bottom get there. Travis I liked this haibun because the haiku that went with it was not as literal as I expected it to me. The rolling down the hill a steep hill is not about a person literally rolling down a hill but rather a metaphor for the person constantly moving down the hill of life, picking up speed, unable to slow down and appreciate the things they are seeing around them. Andrew |
Contrails Sitting in a field is always nice. Laying back and staring at the clouds. Watching a dragon fly around the sky while there are jets zooming around. You see a man doing yoga and a cloud that looks similar to your high school crush. Then an actual plane flys through them and disperses them for another set of images.
Joshua Mysliwjec I love this haibun because of the imagery and it reminds me of being a child without a care in the world. It brings me back to sitting in the front yard and staring at the clouds as they move. My brother and I would argue about what each cloud looked like and ask our grandparents who was right. There were so many different scenes in the sky as we were years apart in age. He always want it to be about something more like war and fighting while I always said it was something weak like flowers. It was such a relaxing time being about to just sit and waste the day away while we were lying in the yard. Katie |
Not Singing Walking in the rain has never been a pleasant thing. I feel every individual raindrop hit my head and splatter around me. I curse my inability to prepare properly and continue trudging along wishing I had an umbrella or even a coat. Cold and wet I stumble into the house and promise myself that I will always look at the weather from now before I leave.
Andrew Cliatt I really love this haibun haiku because, as this person doesn't like the rain, I am also the same. It's not that I hate the rain, but certainly I hate it when the rain ruins your plans. I do check the weather every day, in fact every few hours. Also, Decatur weather just sucks because whatever they have in the forecast, sometimes it just doesn't turn out to be that way. And my umbrella sucks. They have never been a useful thing for me because the strong wind either flips my umbrella inside out or carries it away. So definitely I can feel how this person hates the rain. Jesal |
All Stars The sun is scorching hotter than ever on this perfect Sunday. Excitement is in the air as the seniors line up to be announced for which high school they are representing. So much talent present, so much bliss. We get the balls and begin playing matches. Everyone wants to win, but we all care more about having a good time . . . we've deserved it after all. We have nothing to prove today: we were all selected to be named to this Senior All Star team—everyone already knows we're good. Balls pound the court and shoes squeal and slide across the court. A very nice sunburn later, and the matches are all finished. The North wins, but just barely.
Allyson Isenhower I like the sports ones from time to time because the adrenaline rush that is usually supposed to be displayed in these type of responses is always interesting. It always seems dry and in your face at the same time. Usually athletes are not in theater so they are not the first ones to get dramatic about things. They love to talk about the intensity that comes out in their playing of whichever sport(s) it is they are playing. The sun scorching. Sounds like first week of football practice when it is still real how and people are throwing up from the intense practice. Even though in the response they say they have nothing to prove, the ego of an athlete always comes out when player A score on player B. Player B’s objective for the rest of the game is to score on player A, and that’s why I like this response. Travis |
Too Quiet She is grown now. In her mid twenties, living her life, hardly ever around anymore. It’s kind of like once she graduated college she moved on as quickly as possible; without even looking back. She was passionate about what she wanted to do, in spite of what her mother would have preferred for her to pursue. However, she did not care. She never let what others said or felt stop her from moving forward and succeeding in her career. She felt she needed to prove something. She moved on to her next adventure faster than her last; She loves her life and wouldn’t trade it for the world, but once it gets too quiet in her apartment, she looks back into the past; back to when she was a little girl with no worries and picks up the phone. She talks to her cousin for hours about everything that is going on. Then, begins to talk about how much better things were when they were little girls; when there was nothing to worry about, but who can have the first turn at playing hopscotch or riding a bike. When life was more simple.
Alyssa Rodriguez This was my favorite haibun because it related to the subject of the story. I am guilty of moving on as quickly as possible after graduating but for me it was high school. I was ready to get out my brother’s shadow and not be the principal’s daughter anymore. I knew what I wanted to do, and nothing was going to get in my way. In being so focused and determined I have missed several things and realized how quickly life moves. When I am alone, I do like to think about the simpler times when nothing piled up and my only care in the world was what doll to play with at that time. Ally This haibun was my favorite because of the nostalgic undertones that this writer uses to complement their overall picture. It is a very coming-of-age type haiku, carefully reflecting on the past while in a state of uncertainty with what the realities of the future offer. In a moment that is filled with longing as well as intrinsic consideration that complement each other to provide elements that are more simply spoken within the accompanying haiku. “Three little girls” could mean she interacts with memories of childhood, when she was just a little girl and times were simpler—or she could ponder the present, wondering how things came to be where they presently are. Overall it grants the reader a moment where they can think of the slides, the jungle gyms, the chalk-drawn pavement of elementary schools, and see that things often change, and it is never certain whether they are better, worse, or just more difficult. Rory |
Out of the Blue Under your toes, you feel the weightless of the clouds. You can hear the birds chirping as the fly by you. An airplane rumbles to your left. Your skin feels warm, from the sun. Reaching out, the clouds disappear in your palm. The smell of fresh rainfall is in your face. You can see for mile and miles in front of you. Nothing but clouds.
Katherine Goethals |
Neutral Cruising through the trail on my red Honda 100 dirt bike. Beautiful multi-colored trees surround me on both sides. The dusty, red, clay-like, Missourian soil makes up the trail beneath me. The sun beams shine through the trees, I feel the breeze through my helmet and clothes, I smell the scent of nature and the soil. Out of nowhere I come to a downward hill and I'm terrified. Large, grey and white rocks protrude from the soil like an obstacle course. The steep slope stares at me with it's rut digging through the middle. There's no turning back now, this is the final part of the trail. I have to pick a side of the canyon to descend. I choose the left side and slowly release my brakes. I keep my foot close to the foot break and get a little too brake-happy which causes my tires to slide out. Suddenly I find myself traveling down the hill in the middle of the rut feeling all the rocks beneath my tires. I hold on for dear life and take the beating from the hill. I see the bottom of the hill, it's so close yet so far. Halfway down the hill, my bike shifts into neutral and I find myself going way faster than I want to be. I lose total control of the bike and hit a large boulder which ejects me off the bike onto the dusty sand. I made it to the end, but not how I planned . . . I lie there motionless.
Lexi Doss |
Together My alarm goes off in the early morning. The sunlight streams into my bedroom, shining on the edge of my bed. I roll over and pick up my phone and squint at it with my still sleepy eyes: 8 AM. My feelings are mixed somewhere between excitement and dread at the idea of having to get out of bed. However, last night I had agreed to go run errands with my mom. To some it may seem like a less desirable activity, but to me it is one of my favorite ways to spend time with my mom in the summertime. I sit up in bed, stretching my aching back and neck. I get out of bed, placing my bare feet onto the somehow-cold carpet, and begin getting ready for the day. In the car, the air conditioning is cold but refreshing, compared to the summer heat and humidity. As we drive to the main part of town, I see the world through the purple-red lenses of my sunglasses. I hear the rrr-ing of the engine, my mom talking through all that is on her list to be done for the day, and my music that gets gradually quieter as my mom keeps turning it down to talk. My mom and I agree to start our day with coffee, pulling up to the Starbucks drive-thru. Soon enough, iced coffee slides smoothly down my throat, seeming to light up my mood and body from the inside. When we walk into the first store, goosebumps begin to cover my short and tank-top clad body. Smooth tile lines the floor and rows and rows of items are everywhere. But my mind can hardly focus because of the cold air-conditioning. Shopping becomes almost meditative for me except for the cold; it is quiet and my mom and I only chat to get opinions on items. Hours later, we walk out of the store, plastic bags clasped in hand. The heat outside wraps around me like a blanket and I am reminded of how much I love summer. We make our way across the rocky parking lot to our car. The heat inside the car is overwhelming and I am back to fighting a battle of finding a perfect temperature. The metal seatbelt pricks my finger with heat, and I squeak in response, quickly laughing afterwards. There is a sense of comfort and happiness today. My mom and I drive off to our next shopping destination.
Rachel Humphrey |
Speedometer Life upside down is not very fun. A moment that turned from bad to worse, on the first day of the year. From having a great time with out stainless steel container that held 15 gallons of fun, to being covered in glass. It was nobody's fault, just the fucking gravel road that forced the tires out from under us. In a moment's time we were head over heels. The first moments out were in fits of rage that this happened, then the nervous laughter, then the scolding. Man, we rolled into the new year.
Deion Corley |
Deadline The sirens shut off! No that’s just my moral compass and it is being overtaken by adrenaline. 11:15. There is nothing to lose anymore. No time to check the time, because at this point not only is time money, but time in a necessity. Who knows when I’ll run out, who knows when I’ll be ran out for the last time?! Raids have been a commonality in life for me where I’ve come from. I was told this was going to be the one to end all. I never thought of the end all being me. Any how they’re getting closer. 11:16. Damn I am running out of gas, to bad I didn’t fill up before we went to the last house. I can’t remember everything, sometimes you have to remember what’s most important and put it in order after that. I feel no order in life anymore . . . I feel no moral codes being broken . . . I feel no life. 11:17, my last minute.
Travis Voorhees |
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© 2018, Randy Brooks • Millikin University
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