Haiku Attempts 02 Favorites
Global Haiku • Millikin University • Spring 2020
wilted flowers |
daffodil greens Pat-rice Rooney (3) |
Mom definitely just Niki Curatti (7) |
forgot my crescent wrench Pat-rice Rooney (7) |
food on the table Pascaline Muhindagiga I just remember the America culture. On Thanksgiving Day, many families came together, eat, and laugh together on the table. Pascaline Muhindagiga, Spring 2020 |
the plastic pool Niki Curatti (7) I liked this haiku because I found it funny with retrospective flair. Knowing full well the this plastic, blow up pool did not change in size, the author questions why it did. We often associate memories and past experiences with certain objects. This blow up pool was used by the author as a child. And as a child the pool was the appropriate size. Yet, as with many things in life, the author grew out of it the older they got. This haiku then serves as a reflection to their childhood. I can often feel the same when going though old toys or seeing old bikes i used to think were big when I was younger. Michael Santos, Spring 2020 |
the flower vase Niki Curatti (4) This haiku made me sad, it made me think of someone who once got flowers often and now does not. It made me see a woman who was once happy and now is not because of the special sentiments, like flowers, no longer being done for her. Maybe it was due to a death, a divorce, or just a loss of ambition. It makes me curious to know the story of this flower vase and what kind of importance it held to the person. Shaniz Dvorak, Spring 2020 |
hey mirror Pascaline Muhindagiga (8) I love the softness of this haiku. It seems light and amusing to me. The idea of looking at yourself in the mirror but really talking to the mirror itself is very fun. I love the personification of the mirror itself and the writing in of the question—I think it adds an element of surprise to the reader that is interesting and unique. It makes the reader think more before moving on to the third line! Grace Newton, Spring 2020 |
swinging Pascaline Muhindagiga I loved this Haiku because it reminds me of the times I feel sad or nostalgic about growing up, but just like a swing, there are ups and downs. There are times that I wish I could go back and relive parts of my life I didn’t relish enough, and yet, I know there are brighter moments ahead. A wing also implies nature and the outdoors, and perhaps the uncertainty of wide open spaces ahead that have yet to be traversed. This haiku seems to capture that complex emotion perfectly in just three little lines. Grace Newton, Spring 2020 |
extra scraps |
I reach down and Grace Newton (4) My imagined felt response to this haiku was amusement. I instantly imagined myself reaching into my purse or backpack and getting poked by a pen or pencil I forgot to click or put the lead down. This made me laugh because I know when this happens its usually is more dramatic then it needs to be. Sometimes it hurts more than it should, but depending on your mood it could make it worse. Hannah Watts, Spring 2020 |
endless curving Hannah Watts (5) This haiku makes me think of being high up in the mountains of Tennessee and looking out the window at the trees and whatever below. Along the ride, you can take in a lot of scenery. While, at the same time, there is always a pit in my stomach because of how high up I am. Hailey Wimberly, Spring 2020 |
melting |
pieces of sidewalk Hailey Wimberly (6) |
groggy Grace Newton The first thought that came into my head was waking up from a long night of studying. The first thing I grab in the morning is coffee, and I’m usually half asleep. People don’t talk to me in the morning unless I have had a cup of coffee. If I don’t have my coffee first thing in the morning you don't want to be around me. I started drinking coffee at a young age, and now I can’t go without it. This haiku brought back a vivid memory about me spilling coffee grounds. I had just woken up after a long night of studying, which caused me to spill coffee grounds all over the floor. Erika Castanon, Spring 2020 I loved this one because of the images and memories it conjured. When I am living at home, I always make myself coffee every morning. It is actually one of my favorite parts of the day. When I was home for Christmas Break, I would go down to the kitchen every morning and make myself a cup. It felt so cozy to sit and drink it every day. It always reminds me of being home. Olivia Tharpe, Spring 2020 I felt dread when I read this poem because it reminded me of every Tuesday and Thursday morning when I have to get up before the rest of the world for clinical. When I wake up at 4:30 in the morning I feel groggy and it takes me a while to bring myself downstairs into my kitchen to make coffee. I like how the first two lines are separated because it places an emphasis on groggy. By placing grounds at the end of coffee I was able to have a better visual of this image in my head. The word groggy made me picture waking up with messy hair, my eyes stuck together and trying to get myself to wake up before attempting to reach for the coffee pot. Ashley Christensen, Spring 2020 |
dead leaves Hailey Wimberly For some reason this haiku just sticks to me. The imagery is strong and I can picture these brown leaves just flopping back and forth in the wind holding on to this little branch. The other way I see it is as if someone close to you that is deceased still lingers in your mind because you do not want them to go away into just a memory, but still be with you every day. Dalton Glasco, Spring 2020 |
puddle Hannah Watts Growing up I trained dogs that my family bred and the hardest thing was potty training them. As I read this haiku it brigs me back to those young days of trying to catch the puppies before they pee all over the floor. The worst part was waking up at night and stepping in their puddles because they are young and cant hold it all night. This haiku just does a good job of adding a sense of anger with quick relaxation because you realize the adolescence of the puppies and know they don’t know any better. Dalton Glasco, Spring 2020 |
days of molding Hailey Wimberly (7) I get two different perspectives with this haiku. The first perspective I see is a woman who is working on this piece, trying to get it right, over and over. She gets to a point where the clay is just not working in her way and she falls apart due to the defeat of her work not being up to her standards. The second perspective I see is the woman actually as the clay. She is trying to mold her life into something, but she gets tired of things not working out, then she just physically and mentally falls apart. Morgan Timmons, Spring 2020 I thought that this haiku was fairly intrinsic. This is a person who is just exhausted from an act that she is having to put on. Each day she wakes up and moulds herself into the person she or those around her want her to be. Whether that’s in the way she acts or the way she looks, she’s having to change (or mould) herself and eventually, just like when you work clay too hard, she falls apart. I like this analogy a lot. Niki Curatti, Spring 2019 This haiku makes me think of trying but failing to be able to comfort yourself in a time of grief. I imagine a woman who has found pottery to be very enjoyable and perhaps even therapeutic for them. This time however, she spends days and days trying to make this pottery in the hopes that it will make her feel better, but no matter what she tries, the pot is not shaping up to what she wants and she is unable t make herself feel better. This frustration and sadness builds up to the point that she breaks down and the clay, now dried from being worked so much, just completely crumbles in her hand. Kevin Escobar, Spring 2020 |
piano |
candlelight flickering |
sandal tan lines Jared Chapman I like the strong sense of touch from this haiku. It such a simple haiku with no elaborate or use of strong words, but it gives off a specific memory. Summertime is where I am taken with this poem. As a kid, I would get tired of wearing shoes for the day, so I'd kick them off and run around in the grass. The feeling of grass on your toes is such a specific feeling because its smooth but allows can pock you if you are at the right angle. Hailey Wimberly, Spring 2020 |
I paint Hope Klessig (5) This made me think of a box of memories that I have and how I used to rant in my journal about an ex boyfriend of mine. When we had broken up I took everything that I had written and everything he had given me and put it into this box. Sometimes when I find myself writing or whenever I'm in a creative element, my mind always comes back to him. Paige Boomer, Spring 2020 I got the vision of a house, maybe getting ready to be sold. There are memories of the paint chosen for each room, specific to the people who lived in it. As the author paints over the walls they may be erasing the physical reminders, but the memories still hold. I immediately thought of painting a room back to white, I envisioned the room being bright and representing someone’s favorite color. Although the white covers it, the memories that happened there will always remain. Shaniz Dvorak, Spring 2020 |
the Warmth . . . |
faded paint Jared ChapmanJared (3) |
passing by Taylor Parola (5) This haiku really resonated with me, due to how I portray myself while walking. I get this sense of not wanting to make that initial eye contact with someone who I do not know. To me, it seems awkward, although it is respectful to make that eye contact. However, I feel as though we all get this sense to close people off and not look while we pass by. It reminds me of walking through downtown Chicago. Wondering what everyone’s stories are, yet not wanting to even look their way. Bre Johnson, Spring 2020 I enjoyed this haiku for several different reasons. The first reason is because I’m a sneakerhead. A sneakerhead is a person who is obsessed with tennis shoes. Not only obsessed with them, but they value you them as well. Sneakerheads are always looking at other’s feet. Before we have conversations with strangers, we look at their feet. I liked this haiku because it’s about someone looking at my feet. The most recent pair of sneakers I bought were a pair of the Melody Ehsani Fearless Jordan 1’s. Whenever I wear those shoes out in public, there’s a stranger looking down at my feet, wondering where my shoes custom and where did I get them from. Jada Miller, Spring 2020 |
something about Taylor Parola (3) |
memorial bench Kevin Escobar (8) |
picnic table Kevin Escobar (6) This haiku immediately jumped out at me from the list of others. It starts with almost a romantic tone to it. It feels like the author was looking at a piece of lovers history. Like when two people write their initials on a tree with a heart around it. Then the haiku shifts dramatically to an opposing symbol, the swastika. I like how the author juxtaposes a symbol of love with a symbol of hate. Also the words "picnic table" starts the haiku with a sort of innocent feeling. Someone mentioned in class that the swastika was a symbol of piece before the Nazi's claimed it for themselves. I think the dichotomy of this symbol is also really interesting and adds another layer of depth to the haiku. Michael Santos, Spring 2020 |
rumbling ground Kevin Escobar (5) |
tired Taylor Parola (5) |
a black man Jada Miller (6) This haiku introduced a storm of thoughts and emotions to me. The first two lines made me feel happy. It made me feel good that a person was learning to love themself, that’s the way it should be. The third line however was a smack in the face. It just hits you, that in reality, in our society, it is more common for a black man to not love himself than to love himself. This is what our society fosters. It’s time to change the norm and I think this haiku is a beautiful way of promoting that. Niki Curatti, Spring 2019 |
cars passing Jada Miller (3) |
lie Jada Miller (6) |
hammock in the trees Morgan Timmons My imagined felt response to this haiku was happiness. While reading this haiku I imagined myself in the spring or summer months enjoying beautiful weather. It reminds me of having free time and being able to just sit and relax worry free. This also brings back several memories of when I go camping with my friends. We would set up a hammock near our camp site and often just sit and talk. We would sit at night and look at the stars or sit in it during the day and just sunbathe. The last line also stood out to me because summer is my favorite season and I love the feeling of sun on my skin and getting a tan. Hannah Watts, Spring 2020 I like the sense of peace I felt while reading this one. I pictured a peaceful place in the woods or by a campsite near water where I was able to lay in a hammock. I could feel and imagine the sun beating on my face as if I was laying outside during the summer time. This poem made me excited for warmer weather and being done with school. I felt like there was less stress and worry when I imagined this picture because it was summer and stress free. Ashley Christensen, Spring 2020 I love the sensory addition to this haiku. It doesn’t just invoke rich imagery and colors, it brings about the warmth of the sun, the gentle way of the hammock, the feeling of the fabric enveloping you, the rustle of the leaves on the trees (in my image, this is spring) and the weightlessness of sitting in peace for just a little while. There is the very essence of summer in this haiku and I love the feeling of it. Grace Newton, Spring 2020 |
blacktop trail
|
the brick house Shania Dvorak (7) This haiku reminded me of my home on campus. Starting at Millikin, I did not feel right at home. My first semester was spent in my dorm room, and not feeling like how I felt back at home. However, it was not until I ran home to my sorority of Tri-Delta that I instantly felt at home. I have lived in that brick house for two years now, and it has become my home here at Millikin. I feel comfortable, welcomed, and myself living there. The haiku instantly made me think of Tri-Delta, and everything it had provided me while in college. Bre Johnson, Spring 2020 |
I miss her Shania Dvorak (7) During my first reading of this Haiku, I immediately thought of laying on the beach with the heat of the sun touching my face. Then compared that feeling with the cold, bitter days of winter. I enjoy how this poem personifies the Sun and almost makes the reader consider a living being as being missed. That is the second way I looked at this Haiku. The woman the poem is describing is the “sun” in the eyes of the writer and they have a deep longing for her. I did not relate to that side of the reading as much, however, because of my strong connection to the feeling of the sun on my face. Jared Chapman, Spring 2020 |
all the ice Shania Dvorak (4) This haiku made me feel like I had just stepped outside and it was Spring. I automatically thought of snow melting on sidewalks on a sunny day! I love the feeling of sunshine on my face. This haiku made me feel super warm inside, and I pictured myself outside. I pictured myself walking outside with my friends at Fairview park. We love to go on walks once the weather breaks to enjoy some time outside. Those walks have been some of the best memories I have made at Millikin. I love thinking about the past and the memories I have made with my true friends. Erika Castanon, Spring 2020 |
hair a mess |
walking by myself Erika Castanon I grew up in a world where life was hard. At a young age I grew up quickly due to the things I saw. I learned to do everything for myself before becoming a preteen. This haiku reached out to me because I walk my own path by myself because I lost fate in trust, yet now that I grow older I am starting to let others walk beside me. I still hesitate whether I let them learn more than the shell I show. Dalton Glasco, Spring 2020 |
buffalo chicken dip Erika Castanon (5) My imagined felt response to this haiku was excitement. My initial excitement came from the first line when it mentions buffalo chicken dip. The very first time I ever had buffalo chicken dip was in high school at a friend’s house and her mom made it for us. Ever since then I was obsessed. That day I immediately went home and forced my mom to look up the recipe and ever since it has been a special snack. If we ever have a get together I immediately ask to have buffalo chicken dip. The last line also brings me excitement thinking of the super bowl game and how exciting it was to see Kansas City win. Hannah Watts, Spring 2020 |
clear white board |
television Michael Santos (3) The writer of this Haiku instrumented a very clever structure. The first two lines give the reader a visual representation of a literal television turned off, black screen and silence. Then, there is a complete shift to a television show “Black Mirror.” I think the author intended for this dichotomy to easily be recognized because of the capitalization of the “black mirror,” insinuating that they were discussing the title of a program. Overall, this Haiku was cleverly constructed, and that gave it a playful feel. Jared Chapman, Spring 2020 |
gifts in closest Michael Santos (6) |
early mourning Dalton Glasco (6) This haiku was one of my favorites I could relate to this haiku the most. Three weeks ago I lost my grandmother. These past few weeks have been very difficult for my family. The day she passed away my family all came together at her house. We talked about all of our memories together. I also found it very clever to use the word mourning instead of morning. That was a very intelligent idea. Taylor Parola, Spring 2020 |
picking up speed Olivia Tharpe (7) There's a sense of sense of freedom to this poem. Trying to catch the horizon is an impossible task but it is still at task we can do. With that freedom comes the feeling of being infinite. As long as there is a sun to chase life is worth taking in and enjoying. I really like this poem. Hailey I really liked this Haiku because it reminded me a lot of driving through the quiet field of Illinois and the flat stretch of land with music on in the background. It also made me think of the beautiful sunsets that occur in the winter and it is awesome how the music always blends well with the sunset and brings over the perfect amount of peace within the drive. Paige Boomer, Spring 2020 I saw beautiful scenes with this haiku. One of my fondest memories is of my friend and I chasing the sunset. The sun moves quickly, so we had to drive fast, and eventually it would disappear and we’d chase it all over again. As long as you keep going, you’ll find horizon after horizon. This haiku did a wonderful job of painting this picture for me. Niki Curatti, Spring 2019 |
I sit in the booth |
a ray of sun Dalton Glasco I enjoyed this haiku because at first, I got this light, airy feeling, thinking about the warm sun touching my face. Then the third line makes me feel something different. I feel almost sad because the hand the author is referring to is no longer touching them. The hand is gone, maybe due to a breakup or a death. I like how the sun is almost human, I feel its warmth just as clearly as I feel someone’s hand on my face. Shaniz Dvorak, Spring 2020 |
toboggan Olivia Tharpe (8) |
from far away |
a mirror hovering |
early morning Paige Boomer This haiku gives me a picture of a kid who is taking care of her mom who is sick on her bed either at home or hospital. However, when the kid was leaving for job, or school early in the morning, her mom had a fear of sickness, and maybe that was the reason why she asked her kid "will you take care of me?" Pascaline Muhindagiga, Spring 2020 |
breathless Paige Boomer (4) Early mornings, walking through Shilling Hall reminds me of this haiku. Rushing to class, walking up the many flights of stairs, hoping the coffee will work its magic, while I am still waking up from a late night of homework. All of the stairs that leave you breathless, while sipping your morning coffee, knowing you have a long day ahead of you. Whether it is class, homework, or studying, I feel as though we all get this breathless feeling of exhaustion, while trying to provide our bodies with something that will wake us up. Bre Johnson, Spring 2020 |
the fog gathers Paige Boomer (2) |
a breeze through a window Bre Johnson (8) I liked this Haiku because it made me really peaceful. I have been reading a lot more lately and the books that I have soared through have been read in the most peaceful places. On a boat or by my window sill and I can feel the breeze floating onto the page and across my face. Paige Boomer, Spring 2020 |
the smell of coffee Bre Johnson This haiku reminded me of when I would have to wake up early as a child. Back in grade school, I woke up around 6:30 am so that my mom could drive me to my grandpa’s so that he could drive me to school. The thing that woke me up was the coffee that my mom would make herself to take with her to the school where she taught. I distinctly remember being nauseated by the smell off coffee at first because I always associated it with waking up early, but over time I started to get used to it. And now I can’t survive without caffeine in the morning, so I guess the haiku is also relevant to my present life. Kevin Escobar, Spring 2020 |
footsteps taken Bre Johns (4) I love this because all I want to do in life is travel. I want to immerse myself in other cultures and meet new people. If I stay in one place for too long, I get stir crazy. I want to walk all over the globe because I feel like if I do, I can discover my true purpose. I know that sounds a little dramatic, but it's how I feel. Olivia Tharpe, Spring 2020 |
napping |
a feather Ashley Christensen (4) |
a woman in black |
slick steps Pat-rice Rooney (4) I think this Haiku can be seen as either bothersome or playful. If you consider it from a cartoony perspective, one visualizes a woman walking on a sidewalk, then her feet slip from underneath her and she spills coffee all over her blouse. This is the first scene I visualized when reading the Haiku. The second image I saw was someone running late and having to not only deal with their coffee spilled on their white shirt, but also scraping their car windshield or slipping on the stairs because of the ice. I imagine a lawyer that is annoyed that they are running late and then a series of events occur to delay them even further. Both visuals can be playful, but I do also feel annoyed regarding the spilled coffee. Jared Chapman, Spring 2020 |
opening the fridge again Kevin Escobar (11) Response 1: I enjoyed this haiku because I can definitely relate. Being a college student calls for empty refrigerators. I often find myself opening and closing the door, both hoping and expecting something different. The other day, I walked into the kitchen to make a sandwich, and I had meat, but no bread. I then wanted cereal, but I didn’t have milk. So I certainly related to this haiku. Jada Miller, Spring 2020 This haiku talks about me when I am hungry, I know that I have only eggs in my fridge, but I keep open the fridge to look for something I did not put in. Pascaline Muhindagiga, Spring 2020 |
at the kitchen table Ashley Christensen (6) |
seeping tea |
mid-day yawn Hailey Wimberly (5) I thought of this haiku in two ways after hearing the class discussion. The first way I thought of it was relating to our sorority Bid Day that was this past weekend. It is generally a very long day and I was thinking of being super tired out right in the middle of the day and thinking about the long day we still had ahead of us. The second way I thought of it was in a romantic way. Thinking about the endless time you feel like you have with someone or a significant other. Morgan Timmons, Spring 2020 This haiku really opened my eyes. Every week I feel like I am always tired and in a rush for it to be the weekend. I still have so much time in my life and I shouldn't want to make it go any faster. No one knows when things will change in life. This haiku definitely made me rethink my attitude towards school. Taylor Parola, Spring 2020 |
facing the sun Grace Newton I loved the way this haiku was written. Even though it gave me more of a sad feeling, I believe that everyone can relate to this at one point in life. The sun is something that is physically supposed to warm you up and also can affect your mood. This shows how on a really bad day, the weather can't even change your mood. Very thoughtful writing. Taylor Parola, Spring 2020 |
puddles all around. Niki Curatti (14) After I read this haiku a couple of times I realized how inspiring it truly was. I’m a very negative person about everything in my life. Although, this haiku made me have a different outlook on life. You see all these different puddles as you’re walking around, but you can either see them as obstacles or opportunities. It all just depends on the mindset you have, and whether or not you want to be positive or negative. You need to go through life with your arms wide open, and be the most positive person you can be. You are always going to have your bad days, but those days should drive you to become a better person. No one should ever have a negative outlook on life, and this haiku made me realize that. This haiku made me realize you are the only person who gets to determine your outlook on life. Erika Castanon, Spring 2020 I really liked this haiku because I love jumping into puddles. I love doing things that little kids do. Sometimes I hate being too serious, I wish I was still a little kid. As I've gotten older, I have grown out of a lot of things and have to focus on "adult" things. This haiku made me realize that many of the seemingly huge problems we face every day are really not so big in the grand scheme of things. I need to be more positive in my outlook. Olivia Tharpe, Spring 2020 I enjoy this haiku because it has such a playful overall tone to it. As children we find puddles to be cool mirror world that we can disrupt with our feet. I remember loving to jump in puddles as a kid. Not only do you disrupt that perfect mirror world, but you can also make a mess with water. The older we get the less alluring this notion is and the more disruptive puddles become. I know the feeling of getting my shoes and socks wet by stepping in a puddle and having to live with it the rest of the day. I hate the feeling so have grown accustom to avoiding puddles. As children we don't think of the consequences of our actions as we do them. The longer we live the more likely it is that we have lived through those consequences or have seen someone who has. This haiku reflects the opposing perspectives everyone has felt. Michael Santos, Spring 2020 This haiku really makes me think about growing up. As a child, I would always love going outside to splash around in puddles when it rained. As we get older, we start to see the rain as more of an inconvenience, than a fun thing. The rain ruins our hair, it forces us to sit in traffic, it makes us run late to important things, etc. We’ve lost that childlike sense of play that comes with simple things. Though this doesn’t mean that I’m about to go splashing around in puddles again like I did when I was a child, but it is nice to remember how something as simple as a puddle could entertain us as children. Kevin Escobar, Spring 2020 |
a heavy envelope Pat-rice Rooney (4) |
close to comfort Hailey Wimberly (7) I think of when one is when a relationship has ended and you have taken some of the significant other’s clothing and your sitting in it, just feeling comforted and taking in all the memories. This one starts at a happy pace, but as you read to the last line, you grasp the whole picture of an upsetting time instead of a happy one. It reflects, maybe, how that relationship was - it started happy then fell apart. Morgan Timmons, Spring 2020 |
the honeymoon |
|
the sound of a sigh |
© 2020, Randy Brooks • Millikin University
All rights returned to authors upon publication.