Haiku kukai 2
Global Haiku • Millikin University • Spring 2019
February |
boss lady |
old sparrows Kevin Miller (6) As I mentioned in class, I pictured three older men sitting at a bar remembering and retelling the stories of their crazy youth. I imagined it was an old bar not many people were in and staying past the closing time with only the light above them on. I picture each one telling a story while the others nod their heads agreeing with the story teller and just laughing until they started coughing. It made me feel happy to see that a group of men had the opportunity to relive those moments and saying, "what were we thinking". Overall, it was a happy feeling mixed with the site of three men retelling how life was and what it is now. Describing how simple those times were to what they are now. Evan Chastain, Spring 2019 |
needles Julia Peterson (6) |
boat sways Kevin Miller (7) |
Starbucks |
bass bellows |
housewives Julia Peterson (3) |
dropped phone Julia Peterson (6) The above haiku was one of my favorites from our second Kukai. As we discussed in class, it has become obvious that the poems that are most popular or most often chosen, are those that are relatable such as this one. This was the initial reason I was so attracted to the poem but after further thinking, enjoyed the mystery even more. After instantly thinking of when I have dropped my phone in a parking lot during winter and cracked it, I also thought of the reason behind the shattering. The poem is pretty straight forward, a very direct tone of voice and a predictable outcome, or ending line, but the mystery lies within the causing action. Was the person who dropped the phone, perhaps, shattered? Maybe they had just found out some troubling news about a family member’s health. There is a possibility that they are so broken, inferred from the dark and gloominess of winter months, that they didn’t even flinch when their phone shattered as it now match their feelings inside? I loved this simple yet possibly complex, aspect of the haiku. Breana Bagley, Spring 2019 |
superbowl sunday Mason Bruce (5) |
running on empty Mason Bruce (8) I really enjoyed this haiku, and I thought the word choice was interesting. After reading, “where am I” the words “empty” and “distance” stick out to me much more in a symbolic way. In class, some individuals discussed how they imagined the line “where am I” as a more physical question like “where am I located,” but I thought of it more internally. I imagined it to say, “where am I mentally.” Especially with the lines “running on empty” as if you are so mentally exhausted you do not know how much more you can endure, and “sunset in the distance” as if you are so far from the sunlight and beautiful colors that you are surrounded by darkness and sadness. I really connected with this haiku in that way because I have been in that place, but you can reach that sunset in the distance. Jake Cihak, Spring 2019 |
a mound of homework Jakob Cihak (6) |
the high hat clicks Jakob Cihak (4) |
a blanket of snow Jakob Cihak (5) |
tacos on Tuesday Mason Bruce (4) |
hesitant smiles Mikaela Vuglar (5) This one confused me a bit at first. Why are the smiles hesitant of they are laughing? The third line kind of cleared it up a bit. That makes me think that maybe they are new teachers or student teachers getting ready for their first day. While you want to come in with confidence, there are certainly a lot of nerves that come with the first day. Ben Woodcock, Spring 2019 |
birch trees |
happy puppy Ariya Hawkins (6) |
clear quartz wrapped in copper wire; Ariya Hawkins (3) |
parking lot puddles Whitley Sapp (3) |
afternoon nap Whitley Sapp This one reminds me of freshman year. My roommate would always play League of Legends at night, which involved a lot of constant clicking. I would occasionally wake up and I’d be annoyed every time. The first time I read this, I interpreted it as the keyboard clicking putting the author back to sleep, but it could also mean that the author wants to be asleep once more. I side more towards the second interpretation, or else the author might have used “putting” instead of “put.” Ben Woodcock, Spring 2019 |
friday night |
class is cancelled Rene Sanchez (9) |
goodnight call . . . Daryann Birt (4) |
messy lumps |
ice crunches |
stuffy nose Rene Sanchez (5) This was my second favorite because I also love chicken noodle soup, or any kind of soup when I am sick. It doesn't matter what type of sick I am, I want soup. When I was younger my mom would always make me just noodle soup when I was sick and I eventually developed a love for soupier dinner all the time. It puts me back to my home and being there with my family. Julia Peterson, Spring 2019 |
late night Breana Bagley (8) |
folk songs Connor Mendenhall (4) |
together Breana Bagley (3) |
stage lights Connor Mendenhall (7) |
King Jeffery Breana Bagley (3) |
the blue |
broken windows Whitley Sapp (5) |
muddy puddles |
sunny day |
empty sidewalks Grace Ruddell (3) |
even when you are not here Emily Reeves (8) I felt an automatic response with this haiku simply because I have a close relationship with my parents and “dad” could be replaced with mom as well. College is hard, and going out of state for college is maybe even harder. But, even when we cannot be in the same place, they are always a phone call away. The sad turn to this is that one day this haiku will have a completely different meaning to me. I think that is what makes this haiku special—that it applies to almost every human being, but in their own personal way. Connor Mendenhall, Spring 2019 |
nervousness vanishing Emily Reeves (6) |
one step at a time Grace Ruddell (3 |
flowing brown locks |
wind blowing |
kiss me one last time |
I loved you then Grace Ruddell (9) |
your hand in mine |
cold toes Mikaela Vuglar (5) |
bread and milk Grace Ruddell (3) |
freezing cold Evan Chastain (3) |
fresh highlights |
rusty pocket knife Evan Chastain (9) |
cancer smoke |
driving home Evan Chastain (4) |
tall and proud Mikaela Vuglar (3) |
Tagalongs and Samosa |
peppermint Ariya Hawkins (10) This haiku does an excellent job of bringing out sense memory. The word, peppermint, immediately gives me the image of that Klondike bar commercial when there is this shock of cold air. The same can be said for the second line, “a cool inhale.” Both of these lines give this air of freshness and the sense of being chill. Having it end with “a first date” makes the haiku relatable to almost all audiences. I can imagine that the person going on the first date could be 13 and going on their first date ever or someone of the age of 55 going on their first date with someone after their spouse passed away or divorced. Connor Mendenhall, Spring 2019 I imagined that taste and feeling of peppermint gum. I could practically taste it when I thought about it. I pictured a nervous teenager at a girl's house waiting for the door to open. I just could relate to that nervousness and it made the image more real and relatable. That nervousness of "I hope she likes me" feeling, and having your mind run a thousand miles a minute trying to make sense of the whole thing. The teenager also had a line of sweat running down the side of his face as he awaited the response from the girl behind the door. I like to imagine she was just as nervous as he was. Maybe even peering through the glass on the side of the door to see if he was there and growing nervous on what to say. I just connected it to the typical first date of a young couple. Just a moment of nervousness, unknown outcomes, and hoping it all goes as planned. Evan Chastain, Spring 2019 |
2 in the morning Benjamin Woodcock (8) |
first coat |
late January |
home alone Ariya Hawkins (4) |
flat tire Benjamin Woodcock (6) |
car window down Benjamin Woodcock (5) When reading this I picture the summer days where you have nothing to do and its beautiful out and you go pick up your best friend and you just go for a drive. And I am from a small town out in the country so I see us driving through the country with all the corn fields around us blasting our music with our hair and windows down just living in the moment of life. Daryann Birt, Spring 2019 I really liked this haiku. This haiku reminded me of how I spend summer with my friends. Sometimes we would take long car rides. We would just get in the car and go, just go where we wanted to. We never had a destination in mind, but we would normally end up getting food somewhere. We would drive on country roads, have the windows rolled down and music blaring. I spend a lot of time with my friends over the summer because my friends mean a lot to me. This haiku reminded me of the good times that I had with my friends over summers. I miss them a lot and the summers are not longer the same because of being in college and going our separate ways. When I read this haiku I will be reminded of the random things that we would do together. It really did not matter what we did, when we did things together it was always a fun time. Emily Reeves, Spring 2019 |
Fairview park Benjamin Woodcock (7) This haiku actually made me laugh out loud. I have never personally been in this situation, but it is one I have seen and heard about from many of my peers. I also am quite close with a police officer so I have had the humorous joy of hearing many stories like this haiku dictates. This poem is also simple and to the point like the above haiku but it does take more inferencing than above. You must know the reference of “head in the clouds,” in order to understand why the third line is so funny. Another aspect I enjoyed was that the poem got smaller per say, as each line read. The most important line is capitalized, Fairview park. As we get to the second line we start to understand that this is probably an action taking place that you don’t want others to know is taking place, more so a “secret” line. The last line is the funniest because it is one of the shortest, uncapitalized, and the author also feels the smallest – he’s caught. I truly enjoyed the careful formatting and tone of voice this haiku provoked of the reader. Breana Bagley, Spring 2019
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beautiful sunny day Amanda Bivens (6) I relate to this Haiku. I feel frustrated when I read this haiku because it has happened to me so many times. This always happens to me in the spring semester. As the semester is winding down, it is so beautiful outside that it makes you want to spend all of your time outside. Unfortunately, that is when a lot of papers and final projects are due, on top of having to study for final exams. Last spring semester it was so beautiful outside. I could see a lot of people on my social media accounts enjoying being outside and I was so jealous of them because I was inside with my face in either my laptop or my textbooks. My sister who was in high school did not have homework when she got home and would want me to go outside with her and do stuff like play volleyball and I wasn't able to and I was really mad. I just relate to this haiku a lot and that is why I like it. Emily Reeves, Spring 2019 |
wings on the table |
picture window Amanda Bivens (4) |
open field |
said hello |
people looking down |
glimmering colors Kevin Miller (3) |
water |
porch talk Benjamin Woodcock (7) When I read this haiku, I imagine a married couple sitting on a porch with cups of coffee in hand. After a hard day at work, they are lingering on their falling on hard times, or even their gradual rise from the hard times. It's sunset, and there is a warm summer breeze blowing the sounds of children playing in the neighborhood toward them. The overall feeling that I get from this haiku is warmth and anticipation of something better to come. Perhaps it is a bigger house, a new job, expecting a baby, a promotion at work with a pay raise. The possibilities are endless, but the better days are coming. Amanda Bivens, Spring 2019 |
homework Evan Chastain This haiku makes me smile, and I can definitely relate to it. I imagine myself sitting here with my laptop on a night much like tonight where I have had multiple classes, taken multiple exams, and just got off of work at 10PM after working for over nine hours. I'm so tired that my vision is blurring, but I have assignments due at midnight, and the rest will just have to wait. I always intend to use the weekend to catch up, but I feel like I never really get caught up because there's always another chapter to read, another test to study for, and more haiku to write. I will turn in my haiku assignment, and the rest will have to wait until tomorrow. Amanda Bivens, Spring 2019 |
patiently waiting Mason Bruce (8) When reading this I picture myself when I was in grade school or middle school and it is winter time and its snowing a lot outside and I am just hoping for school to be cancelled the next day. And I sit in front of the tv with my younger sister as we watch all the names scrolling across the screen looking for our schools name. Daryann Birt, Spring 2019 |
snow on the ground |
rescue dog Amanda Bivens (4) |
hairspray thick in the air |
new dog Amanda Bivens (6) |
frosted fingers Mason Bruce (6) |
best friends forever Amanda Bivens (4) |
snow day Mikaela Vuglar (5) |
his smile only fades Kevin Miller (8) I liked this one, because it just made me picture a really happy person who just is always smiling. But even he needs to drink coffee to get his day started and become that happy smiling person. His caffeine might even be the only reason he smiles ever, because he loves coffee. I picture a man sitting in his office in a big corporation. Julia Peterson, Spring 2019 |
the wind Mikaela Vuglar (3) |
red bird Julia Peterson (6) |
unwanted Whitley Sapp (11) I tend to enjoy haiku the most when I connect with it the most, and I think this one is great at that. I think many people can connect with this haiku because everyone has experienced unwanted thought about a person that continue to occupy their thoughts. Personally, I think most about past relationships, but more specifically when past relationships have ended, and when I couldn’t seem to stop the thoughts about the other person. However, I think this could be translated into many other situations where a situation with another person has ended poorly, and your thoughts are clouded with images, arguments, and memories about that person. Other than it’s relatability, I really enjoyed how the author chose to write it and their word choice. Right off the bat, the word “unwanted” sets you on a path. Especially because it is by itself, and it has a negative connotation. The word “linger” in the third line was used perfectly, and it really defines the idea behind the haiku, in my opinion. Jake Cihak, Spring 2019 |
© 2019, Randy Brooks • Millikin University
All rights returned to authors upon publication.