Global Haiku • Spring 2020
Dr. Randy Brooks

Under the Jacaranda

by
Grace Newton

These haiku were written with the express interest of tapping into universal feelings, experiences, and frozen points in time. They may be my memories, but I hope that they speak to you in ways that allow you to reminisce on your own moments of joy and light. I hope that the lightness within these haiku—the karumi—will be a way of focusing on the simple joys of life.

under the jacaranda
my yellow skirt
now dotted purple

This short and sweet haiku creates an image and a story that can be explored by the unique reader in so many different ways. I hope you find that same feeling as you read through these haiku.

soft blonde hair
freckles
the smile of a 6-year-old

watermelon and
the sweetness of childhood
the ache of growing up

a few
more minutes
cradled

familiar arms
they fit
no map necessary

dressed in battle attire
we assume position
table for two?

losing sleep
I giggle on the carpet
fake tattoo

running up the stairs
slammed door
I reverberate

falling asleep
on her warm lap
her nails through my hair

stick on moons
a galaxy
not so far away

stretching through
the roots
I awaken

you ask me
is it true
that stars make art too?

she pulls on
her little shoes
“it’s raining!”

sunshine
your touch
#11-0622

our freckles
almost match
beneath the summer sun

stained glass
a little purple
spilled on mom’s dress

kneeling at my bed
looking for Him
now I lay me down to sleep

sidewalk chalk
stains my hands
childhood at my fingertips

porcelain plates
the edges golden
delicate blue embroidery

little tyke
reaching to smell a flower
as tall as he is

in the airport
pulling my suitcase along
practically skipping

my sister giggles
a splash
‘don’t push me in!’

my fingertips calloused
from the times
I’ve played to hear you

Final Reflection

When I signed up for this course, I admittedly did it for the ICS credit. Yes, I thought it would be fun, but it was more of a way to complete my degree checklist for my general education courses. But after taking this course, it’s been a whole lot more than that, and I am so genuinely glad I took haiku because despite all of the awful things that have been going on, it has been the one steady art in my life. I lost a lot this semester. I was in a musical that I never got to see fully realized, lost my last months with my partner before he moves away, and lost moments with my senior friends that I won’t be able to get back. Despite it all, I didn’t lose writing haiku. Even when I didn’t feel like doing homework, sitting down and writing a few haiku just to do something creative was very therapeutic for me. I need art to function and being home all day wasn’t super conducive to that, so haiku was a little outlet for me to practice art even alone. Haiku has invited me into the world of writing, which is a world I wasn’t ever aware I wanted to be part of.

My life has definitely been enriched by haiku in the sense that my eyes have been opened to an entirely different form of creative expression and cultural art. I listened all semester in kukai, matching contest, peer reviews, and readings of haiku, to my peers and I connecting with and falling in love with different haiku. The art of haiku has taught me many things, but I think the most important thing that it has taught me is that you don’t need to be near each other to make deep connections with others. Sometimes something you write (or vice versa) resonates so deeply with someone else that you get that human connection even when we can’t be face-to-face. I’m used to reaching out to others through art in a physical, visual way through musicals or plays, but haiku is a quieter, dare I say sometimes more personal, way to have a connection with others that is emotional and intimate. I loved this class and definitely see myself continuing to write haiku even if they’re just for me! ~ Grace Newton, Spring 2020