Global Haiku • Spring 2020 |
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Night and Day by In this collection, I have included Haiku that describe two dissonant topics: night and day. Some are literal references to night or day, but some I have included in the night section because of the dark connotation and some in the day section because of the light connotation. Many of these haiku are written in reference to close friends and family in my life. I chose the signature haiku on the title page because I believe it represents both sides of the collection. One may view the darkness as a night-theme, and some may view the lightheartedness of the dancing as the day theme. Enjoy! Before Global Haiku, I had minimal exposure to the art of short poems. In high school, my Literature courses focused on longer poems and analyses thereof. For me, Long poems are difficult to construct. However, capturing a feeling or moment into a three-line poem has been refreshingly easier than trying to construct a longer poem. This class has allowed me to view everything around me as more sensory than before. I hope to keep this trait even though I won’t be in class anymore. This is not the only thing haiku has helped me with, though. I have also learned tactics in poem writing and word choice that cause more readers to relate. There isn’t a word that describes every specific feeling, but there are many ways to phrase a haiku to make the feeling come across more readily. I love to share haiku with people who aren’t in the class to see if it sparks a feeling in the general population, not actively studying haiku. Overall, this class has helped me to learn by performance, by writing, criticizing, and revising haiku, the art of haiku. I hope to continue writing haiku and sharing my art with others. Jared Chapman, Spring 2020 Bio Jared Chapman is a student at Millikin University in Decatur, IL studying Biology with a pre-PA concentration and minors in Chemistry and Psychology. He is involved in Beta Beta Beta, a biology honor society, Sigma Zeta Pi, a Chemistry honor society, and actively volunteers for organizations, such as Decatur Memorial Hospital, in the Decatur community. Jared plans to attend graduate school to gain his Master’s in Physician Assistant studies and ultimately become a Physician Assistant. |
embracing lilacs This is one of my favorite haiku because of the two images it creates in the reader’s mind. It was also written about my mom, so it hits close to home for me. I love how you can imagine a person crying with lilacs being the only thing around them to hold onto. However, you can also imagine the lilacs as another person holding someone while they cry. In this case, it was me being held by my mother. |
brunch This is one of many haiku that came to me in a specific instance while I was just relaxing with a friend. Molly and I were on our way to brunch with her parents and it had snowed the day before and was melted and slushy by the time we left for our brunch. I heard the mushing sound of snow on the ground. Brunch gives a time of day indirectly and I enjoy that as well. |
alligators and queens I love this haiku because it was written the day before I found out about Millikin switching to online school and COVID-19 being declared a pandemic. It gives great, fantastical imagery of Mardi Gras. In this scene, my niece and I are dancing on the sidewalk, catching beads from the floats passing by us, some including alligators and queens. |
porch light shines |
two Oxygen atoms |
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the smell of cigarettes |
shortness of breath— |
faded paint |
taking a ride |
embracing lilacs |
leaves become brighter |
sandal tan lines |
summer sun— |
cancer ribbon |
unfamiliar city |
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Java beans |
cookies on a whim— |
© 2020, Randy Brooks • Millikin University
All rights returned to authors upon publication.