Global Haiku • Spring 2020
Dr. Randy Brooks

Fvorite Haiku

by
Olivia Tharpe

Throughout the course of this awesome class, I have learned a lot about haiku, what makes them special, and their history. I was so pleased to find out that there was no syllable requirement for them, which everyone learns at some point in high school. I have written SO many haiku. I have written haiku that I am immensely proud of, and some that are not that great. Sometimes the inspiration was there and other times it was absent. I loved learning that much of haiku comes from a lot of silent observation. It is so much easier to write beautiful haiku, when you observe nature and write from that memory. I have loved viewing my life and nature in a more artistic way. When I look at things now, I see different haiku. One of my favorite things, was getting to read the haiku of Masajo Suzuki. I saw a lot of myself in her writing. She was playful and fun. I resonated with many of the haiku she wrote. As I have written about before, this class has made it easier for me to write songs. I am able to write a haiku and then expand on it with lyrics. Haiku are a great starting point for songwriting. It also changes the way you appreciate, even the simple things, in your life. I am thankful for this class. It was a great place to come every other day, at 2pm. I liked getting to know everyone in class, I liked hearing everyone’s haiku. I wish we could have had more time IN class together. It was hard to only see people over zoom. We did make it work, however! I am thankful we were all able to adapt so quickly. I am thankful that I was able to take this class, I had heard about it for many semesters, and so many of my friends have been in the class. I will never forget it! Olivia Tharpe, Spring 2020 

July
a cricket
plays the strings

I used to hate the heat of the Summer, but now Summer is one of my favorite seasons. I love to feel the heat and oddly enough, I love to sweat. I love the sounds of cicadas and crickets in the heat of the summer night. I love the idea of a band tuning up in the park, getting ready to play a Summer concert. I wanted to combine these two ideas. Crickets singing, have often been compared to violin players. Olivia Tharpe, Spring 2020 

balmy night
lights in the distance
amusement park?

This haiku was written based on one of my favorite memories from last May. My best friends were graduating, so we took advantage of every opportunity to explore Decatur and do fun things all together. One night, we went to Applebees or a movie or something and then, in the distance, we could see lights from an amusement park. We had no idea what it was, but we all wanted to go see it. It ended up being a small travelling fair, in a parking lot. We hung out there for awhile to look at the lights, but didn't end up riding any rides. It is still one of my favorite memories. Olivia Tharpe, Spring 2020 

empty bedroom
mirrored reflection
my only friend

splish splash splosh
red and blue rain
puddles on my canvas

soft fur
soft purr
hair in my mouth

on the stairs
numb
i hold back tears

the bags under my eyes
      are       designer

all day
smelling the turkey
now we get to eat

memory flying
catch a glimpse
meet me in the future