Global Haiku • Spring 2020 |
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Seasons Change by “Seasons Change” is a collection of haiku written with the intent of mirroring the seasons. Winter, spring, summer, and autumn all are showcased through select haiku. I wrote these haiku during different seasons of my life. While the four seasons were changing, I was going through changes as well. Each season has specific haiku that mirror that season. Whether it be through color, word choice, or memories. Each haiku shares different experiences in my life with my audience. “Seasons Change” is not about nature, but about the changing of seasons in people’s lives. I hope you enjoy my collection and can reminisce on your own seasons of change as you read mine. Final Reflection My life has been greatly enriched by the literary art of reading and writing haiku. It has given me more than I could have ever expected. It has grown me in places that I had not realized I needed to grow. In high school, I was a very art-orientated student. I played violin for ten years and because it was a daily class, I always had a creative outlet from the time I was 9 years old until I graduated high school. However, in college, I lost that creative outlet. I was very school-focused and stopped doing things that allowed me to be creative and let my imagination roam. And then came global haiku, a class that gave me more than I knew I needed. I found myself having this outlet that I had not experienced in years. I was writing haiku, writing in my journal again, singing, drawing, etc. again. I found myself relieving stress in healthy ways again and writing haiku when I needed to release pent up emotions. Haiku gave me an outlet and reminded me to tap into those creative roots that had been neglected for so long. Looking forward, I hope to pursue a career in clinical psychology. I never thought haiku and psychology would cross over in the impactful way they did. When I did my presentation on psychology haiku, I realized how much of a cross over they can have. George Swede is my inspiration and truly someone I greatly admire. His haiku touched me so deeply and after studying his work, I wrote some of my very best and favorite haiku. Giving a voice to those stories and giving them a different light was such an honor. I was able to create a beautiful piece of art, with stories of pain and neglect. That was an experience that grew me professionally and I am so thankful for that opportunity. My social and personal life was also greatly affected by haiku. I wrote love haiku about my boyfriend, psychology haiku about my past trauma, and nature haiku about my reconnection to the environment. I felt like a more complete person after this course. I felt like I had found a piece of myself that had been missing for a while. Haiku has been an amazing outlet that has helped me gain back a little more peace in my life. That peace has made me a better partner, friend, sister, etc. and once again I cannot explain how thankful I am that this course and I stumbled into each other’s lives. Shania Dvorak, Spring 2020 |
morning sun This haiku was one of the very first haiku I wrote in this course. I have revised it a few times as I have learned and grown in the art of haiku. It is one of my favorite haiku because of the image it paints when I read it. It reminds me of two lovers lying in bed, which is why the second line begins with “our.” I love how the sun is creasing the sheets, making it seem like the sun is in bed with the two. I really enjoy how peaceful and beautifully painted this moment is in my mind. Shania Dvorak, Spring 2020 |
bandaged arms This haiku may be my absolute favorite haiku that I have ever written. To begin, this haiku has a story behind it, a story that is very near and dear to my heart. This haiku is based on a teenage boy I met in the adolescent behavioral health unit. His arms were severely cut from self-harm, but another little girl on the unit insisted he had lion scratches. I thought it was a beautifully innocent moment and this haiku makes that moment come alive. That moment was something I cherish and the experiences that came with it taught me so much. Shania Dvorak, Spring 2020 |
mental hospital I enjoy this haiku because I think it is so funny! I would like to think I am a funny person, but a lot of my haiku are heavier. However, this one made me giggle when I wrote it. I love the irony of how boring a psych unit can be but also the name of the game they often play. People always call people in the psych unit, “crazy” and I thought it was so funny to incorporate this into my haiku. As funny as it is clever, I think this haiku is very witty, just like me. Shania Dvorak, Spring 2020 |
two different colors This haiku is about my boyfriend and me. I thought it was a beautiful way to talk about our relationship in a light-hearted and childish sort of way. I thought this haiku was playful and full of light. My boyfriend is a completely different persona than I am, however, together we make the perfect pair. Which is why I am writing this haiku to reflect our relationship in a way I never thought of before. I like it because it is cute playful, it brings me cheer when I read it. Shania Dvorak, Spring 2020 |
taking a moment |
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the ice |
his favorite color |
I miss her |
in a field of yellow |
my reflection |
sweaty and itchy |
so loud, so bright |
picnic blanket |
I thought you were |
the sunburnt stripes |
the swing set |
panic . . . |
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orange, pink, purple |
orange flame |
her name was Violet |
you taste so sweet |
© 2020, Randy Brooks • Millikin University
All rights returned to authors upon publication.