Haiku Kukai 06 Favorites
Global Haiku • Millikin University • Spring 2021
sabi (appreciation of loneliness, poverty, and simplicity)
karumi (lightness, humor)
makoto (truthfulness)
wabi (appreciation of old, worn things)
Sabi |
1 single swing Paige Hockman •• |
2 kayak floats Paige Hockman ••• From this haiku, I was reminded of one of my favorite summertime activities. Within the last few years, my friends and I have started kayaking on the Sangamon River. When we first started going, I was really nervous and didn’t find it that enjoyable; however, this altered significantly as I became more comfortable. I am now the one who initiates us going, encouraging more people to join us each time. There is something so peaceful about being in nature, especially in the hours near sunset, as the trees are calm and the water is cool. It is moments like these that make life seem so simple. Chloe Herbert, Spring 2021 |
3 waiting by the window Linnea Nordstrom ••• |
4 during the thunderstorm Kionah Flowers ••• I like the memories this haiku brings me. I used to be very carefree about how I carried myself and I’d dance in the rain a lot as a kid. When depression hit and I lost myself and my happiness, I lost the sense of joy that rain brought me. Reading this haiku now, I’m reminded of all the times I danced happily in the rain without something looming over me. Brooke Oitker, Spring 2021 |
5 crunching beneath Piper Charlton • |
6 one look at the wildflowers Linnea Nordstrom ••••• ••• I really enjoyed this nature, springtime haiku. What I think is cool about this haiku is the scope it gives. It starts with looking at the wildflowers, which of course, we all know to be beautiful. Then with the next two lines we see a woman looking at the wildflowers, who is also beautiful. But the haiku uses the last two lines, not to show us her beauty, but instead to make us aware about how unaware of it she is. The author of this haiku writes it in the very interesting perspective of a 2nd person watching the girl watch the flowers so deeply that she forgets herself. The escalation of the haiku is perfectly succinct and executed. Jeana Pierson, Spring 2021 I may be someone who just loves love, romance, intimacy, but I think there's an indescribable magic that happens when you kiss someone you're crazy about. The world slows down, and in that moment it's just the two of you, and when you're both in the zone there's a moment when your souls become 1. That's how I feel when my boyfriend kisses me. I'm constantly stressed over school and life, but in our moments together, I am free and at peace because he brings me peace. I appreciate how this haiku describes the magic as floating, and how they speak of it as something so desirable that forever in that moment would be heavenly. Jamie Gamonez, Spring 2021 |
7 Fairview park Sarah Barter • |
8 a sneeze Jeana Pierson •• |
9 empty library seats Sarah Barter •• |
10 party of one Chloe Herbert •• |
11 octopus |
12 at dawn Danni Beard •• |
13 spring breeze Kaitlin Hathaway ••••• This has been me so far in this gorgeous weather. The recent rain and snow is putting a little bit of a damper in this routine of mine, but the feeling this gives me is the biggest boost of serotonin I get all day, so I'll gladly wait for the rain to pass. Piper Charlton, Spring 2021 |
14 late night, Katelynn Watkins ••• |
15 people person Jordan Hildebrand ••••• ••••• ••• After reading this haiku, I thought that it described me perfectly. More often than not, I want to be spending time with friends doing some form of activity. However, I will sometimes get a desire to spend time by myself. In my opinion, everyone needs time to themselves, no matter how outgoing one might be. When I feel like I need alone time, I will typically go somewhere to get a coffee or binge a good show. For myself, this haiku evoked feelings of relatability, serving as a reminder that I am not the only person who feels this way. Chloe Herbert, Spring 2021 I absolutely got this haiku. I am this person, and ambivert. I love being around people and like getting to know new people. However, there is a side of me that needs my space and my me time. Being alone and just allowing myself to understand the process of what took place today. This haiku embodied that for me. Marissa Garcia, Spring 2021 I love this haiku because I see myself in this haiku. I am a big extrovert, but love recharging on my own. It sheds light on the importance of everyone having time to reset. It was phrased in a nice way too. Each fragment as broken up in a satisfying way. Alyson Robbins, Spring 2021 |
16 empty trail Carly Clo • |
17 nothing planned Camryn Skundberg •• I like this haiku because it reminds me of the feeling that I like to call “lazy Sundays.” These don’t necessarily have to be on Sunday, but they are just days when you can relax. I typically have these on my days off of work. I think these days are so essential to mental and physical health. Sometimes you don’t need to be on the move. Sometimes it’s just good to relax around the house. For some people who are always on the go, this may seem like they are wasting the day away or being lazy, but I truly think that relaxing and having nothing planned for a day is important. Kionah Flowers, Spring 2021 |
18 out of a relationship Carly Clo ••••• • I really can relate to this haiku because I recently got out of a very toxic relationship not too long ago. During that time was very stressful trying to be on their time and do everything they wanted instead of trying to fix myself. I was so focused on making them as happy as they can be rather trying to keep myself ok. A trait that I have is making sure everybody is safe around me first and then me. I just am too nice but, in the end, I tend to get hurt the most. I like that this haiku stated that they can finally make their own rules indicating that we as females are able to make our own decisions without worrying who is behind us. Danni Beard, Spring 2021 I loved this haiku because it reminds me of how I felt when I had left my past relationship with my high school sweetheart. We had grown up together, and I even followed him to Millikin. We had a rough relationship towards the end, but I remember the feeling of independence I felt after leaving for the last time. I was relieved. I found that I love being independent and not having to rely on anyone else. Kaitlin Hathaway, Spring 2021 |
19 coffee for Alyson Robbins •••• |
20 welcome home Katelynn Watkins • |
21 empty driveway . . . Chloe Herbert •• |
22 no one Savanna Prasun • |
23 left behind Savanna Prasun •••• Whenever there is a group of people that I am friendly with that decide to hang out together and do not include me I get this horrible feeling of dread. I understand that this is my mind wandering, but sometimes you cannot help but have your mind wander to the most uncomfortable thoughts imaginable. This haiku really shared this point-of-view for me and allowed me to know that is is okay when my brain gets this way. I can always stop it. Marissa Garcia, Spring 2021 |
24 she files Camryn Skundberg •• |
25 on my own Jordan Hildebrand ••••• ••••• We really heavily discussed this one in class, but I just wanted to reiterate how much I enjoyed this haiku. I think it perfectly encapsulates the essence of Sabi, that appreciation of being alone. I really loved this, and it made me feel such a deep sense of peace. Colin McGonagle, Spring 2021 I really like this haiku because it makes me self-reflect on my life. Growing up adopted It was a challenge to love myself because my biological parents were out of my life for a long time. I grew up to love myself on my own with my own support of my adopted parents. I came to realize that loving yourself only comes from within and you are able to treasure that every day. Danni Beard, Spring 2021 |
26 alone in spring Elliot Mahon • |
27 elegant dinner table Linnea Nordstrom ••• |
karumi |
28 the team hoists Camryn Skundberg • |
29 solo drive home Chloe Herbert •••• This haiku is one of my favorites especially now with the weather getting nice. I usually work in the early mornings at my current job, and I get colder weather since the sun usually is not out until I get out of work. Recently, when I have been getting out the weather is super nice, so I drive away with my music blasting and my windows down. Driving with the windows down makes driving home a lot more fun and its almost like life is super simple at the time. Katelynn Watkins, Spring 2021 While I love driving around with someone that I'm close to, car rides by myself are quite zenful. I love practicing monologues, singing (sometimes singing badly), practicing conversations, I also enjoy cursing out people I hate. It's a good time. An insane time. I especially love doing this during summer nights. The window rolled down as I feel the calming night breeze. I feel like this haiku captures the moment where I start to settle into my lone wolf drive. I can see the wind breeze through my hair and I feel like such a majestic human. Jamie Gamonez, Spring 2021 |
30 walk through the woods Camryn Skundberg •••• |
31 cool summer breeze Kionah Flowers • |
32 head in the clouds Kionah Flowers ••••• • |
33 in the grass Kionah Flowers •• |
34 spring breeze Sarah Barter •• |
35 rose petals spread Sarah Barter • |
36 relaxing night . . . Sarah Barter •• I love this haiku. It screams spontaneous and good vibes to me. It reminds me of the scene in High School Musical 3 where Troy surprises Gabriella with pizza and chocolate covered strawberries one night. I can feel the deep talks that could happen in this intimate, but still light-hearted setting. I also love the aspect of using Dominoes in this because there is one right on campus, so if I get pizza during the semester, it is usually from there. It brings a realness feeling to the haiku. Camryn Skundberg, Spring 2021 |
37 moonlight |
38 night swim Jeana Pierson ••••• • I like this haiku because it brought up old summer memories. I love pools and beaches and I love swimming. Swimming is one of my favorite parts of the summer. However, this past summer, I did not really have any opportunities to go swimming because of Covid. Night swimming in general has a very different vibe from swimming during the daytime. For some reason, when swimming at night, everything seems energized and almost thrilling. Maybe because the water seems scarier at night or we know that is probably a little unsafe to be out there in the first place. Either way, this haiku gave me that exciting feeling of being out on the water at night, with only the moon to bring light to our fun. Jeana Pierson, Spring 2021 |
39 open air Colin McGonagle •••• I love this one because it goes into multiple different realms of interpretation. It takes a deft hand to be this vague while still being evocative to a wide audience. The life line in this can be so many different things. Thinking of how it could mean someone's spine, their heart, or even just some sort of palm reading adds extra time I have spent absorbing and thinking about this haiku. That is what makes this one so beautiful to me. It triggers beautiful images in me, but also makes me think. Thats a good haiku. Elliot Mahon, Spring 2021 |
40 smokey café Alyson Robbins ••••• |
41 sides hurting Alyson Robbins ••••• •••• Oh my, I cracked up reading this one. This happened to me just the other day with my friends! Someone said something, and I can’t remember what but I felt like I laughed myself into stitches. My friends and I were laughing for a solid 40 minutes, too. Whenever we would die down, someone would start again and then everyone would fall back into it. My head hurt for an hour after that! Brooke Oitker, Spring 2021 I never laugh harder than I do when I'm with my friends. I'll be leaving them all soon and I'm absolutely heartbroken about it and choosing to live in denial. However, I'm also cherishing every moment I have left with them and I have plenty of “laughing so hard I'm crying” memories. Piper Charlton, Spring 2021 |
42 sunshine |
43 girl's night Jeana Pierson •••• This haiku is so fun. I found out in class that Jeana wrote it which makes it more fun because I live with her and it is so fun when all the girls get together in the house and do fun things like this. I like how this haiku is something that we do at all ages it is not something you outgrow! Carly Clo, Spring 2021 |
44 springtime Kionah Flowers ••••• |
45 sun peeking through |
46 butterfly on her nose Jeana Pierson ••••• •• This was my favorite haiku from this kukai. I loved the beautiful imagery of this haiku. I think butterflies are some of the most beautiful creatures, and when I think of them, I am reminded of peace and gracefulness. I loved the last two lines; they were very touching. I imagined someone who was really struggling with self-confidence and not seeing their own beauty, and the butterfly landing on her was a symbol of her beginning a journey of growth and learning to love herself. Linnea Nordstrom, Spring 2021 I absolutely love this haiku because it is just so beautifully written. I love the contrast between this person’s nose that they are insecure about, and the butterfly who finds it beautiful tonight to land on it. The scene shown in the haiku symbolizes that sometimes we cannot see how truly beautiful we are the way others do. We don’t admire the same things about ourselves that others do. Kaitlin Hathaway, Spring 2021 I love the imagery in this haiku. I imagine a young woman laying down in a park, the warm sun on her. I can see a monarch resting on the woman’s nose. Perhaps the woman has a larger than average nose, which is normally an insecurity of hers. In this instance though, she learns to love it, as the haiku suggests, because it has become the perfect place for a butterfly to come say hello. This haiku gives me a sense of relief and joy in learning to love something about yourself that you previously may not have. Courtney Klein, Spring 2021 I love the imagery in this haiku. I imagine a young woman laying down in a park, the warm sun on her. I can see a monarch resting on the woman’s nose. Perhaps the woman has a larger than average nose, which is normally an insecurity of hers. In this instance though, she learns to love it, as the haiku suggests, because it has become the perfect place for a butterfly to come say hello. This haiku gives me a sense of relief and joy in learning to love something about yourself that you previously may not have. Courtney Klein, Spring 2021 |
47 tulips Jeana Pierson • |
48 he kissed me Carly Clo ••••• •• Dang this haiku gave me butterflies. I felt this haiku when I read it. It was so incredible. The image of floating and it being continued forever was just great when it was established with the first line. It was such a wonderful experience. Marissa Garcia, Spring 2021 |
49 books all around |
50 head high Paige Hockman • |
51 open sun roof Linnea Nordstrom •• |
52 summer sunset Linnea Nordstrom • |
53 summer afternoon Linnea Nordstrom •••• |
54 long drive |
55 grass bed Katelynn Watkins ••
|
56 open window Katelynn Watkins ••• |
57 shoes off Katelynn Watkins •• |
Makoto |
58 i watch from the porch |
59 after the funeral Linnea Nordstrom ••• This haiku is really beautiful to me. I think what is so special is that this haiku talks about how even in death, there is life. I have been very fortunate to not have a lot of death in my family, but when my great grandmother passed away a few years ago there were so many plants decorating the service. This one just reminded me of seeing those flowers and feeling somewhat comforted by the arrangements. Colin McGonagle, Spring 2021 |
60 mother's passing Katelynn Watkins • |
61 who knew |
62 loose threads Jamie Gamonez •• |
63 “are you alright?” |
64 prom night Kaitlin Hathaway •• |
65 the hair falls to the floor Colin McGonagle •• |
66 the first hug Colin McGonagle •••• |
67 messaging my ex Carly Clo ••• |
68 car ride with mom Linnea Nordstrom ••••• • When reading this haiku, I immediately pictured my mom and I. Similar to a majority of teenage girls, my mom and I have had our share of arguments; however, I am amazed at how our relationship has transformed over the years. As an adult, I love spending time with my mom and she is now one of my best friends. The scene described in this haiku occurred just last weekend, as my mom and I got coffee and went shopping together. Even though we talk all the time, it seems that we never run out of conversation. I really liked this haiku, as it reminded me of how lucky I am to have her. Chloe Herbert, Spring 2021 |
69 waking up Brooke Oitker •••• This haiku is so funny because I nap all the time and I feel like I am in a foggy simulation whenever I wake up. Nothing feels real, so this haiku is honestly just a mood. It is so relatable and makes me laugh. Carly Clo, Spring 2021 |
70 when did I become Brooke Oitker ••• |
71 waiting for the bomb Alyson Robbins ••• |
72 another round Alyson Robbins ••••• • |
73 passing the cake |
74 porch swing softly sways Sarah Barter • This haiku reminds me of a romance film. Although this haiku has a young feeling to it, I imagine the people in this haiku to be older people with younger spirits. After I have accomplished everything I can within my field, I feel like this would be the next step. This is how I would want to live after retirement. I find this slightly ironic because I’ve actually said that I don’t want a house and would rather live in an apartment. But, the appeal that a house out in an open space can have, is tempting to everyone. Kionah Flowers, Spring 2021 |
75 Your face frozen on Danni Beard • |
76 the one thing I want Marissa Garcia-Kaliner •• |
77 my head rests on his chest Sarah Barter •• |
78 glazed over eyes Marissa Garcia-Kaliner •• |
79 moonlight
|
80 evening mist Kionah Flowers ••• |
81 the mountain |
Wabi |
82 laying in the sun Savanna Prasun •• |
83 graduation day Piper Charlton ••••• • This haiku just reminds me that I have less than a month until I graduate. As I am finishing my classes I just remember that I am no longer a teenager and I am going into the adult world that deals with more than I can even imagine. I have a lot of thoughts on my head because it’s crazy how four years went by so fast. I can just remember when I was a senior in high school and now, I am going to be graduating college. Danni Beard, Spring 2021 This haiku really sums up my thoughts lately. I don’t graduate until December, but it is still something I think about frequently. It is stressful at times trying to figure out what I will be doing after graduation. Everything always ends up working out so I try not to worry too much. Adulting is stressful in college, but I know that it will get more stressful once I am on my own. Everyone goes through it and it is just a part of life. I know that I will be okay. Sarah Barter, Spring 2021 |
84 busy bee Piper Charlton ••••• ••••• I feel this person who is just tired and over all the different tasks that keep being placed on their plate. They keep giving and working very hard, but they feel like they aren't being rewarded for whatever is being given to them. I can especially relate with this. This feels like me almost being done with school. We go and take all this time learning and doing clinical hours every week. Free labor with a side of education is how it feels. I can't wait to be done with school and actually working and making money to feel like the last four years paid off. Paige Hockman, Spring 2021 I loved this haiku and found it to be pretty relatable to my life, and I’m sure to many other college students. At this point in the semester, it always feels like we are working so hard with extremely busy schedules, and we do not always see the payoff of our hard work right away. When I read this haiku, especially the last two lines, I immediately associated it with a person working really hard and waiting for some sort of recognition or reward for what they do. Linnea Nordstrom, Spring 2021 I feel like this haiku sums up the experience of a student. Or, at least it sums up my experience. We become so busy in our lives and everything seems to go constantly. We’re all working towards our futures. This haiku sums up how I feel now. I would like to reap the fruits of my labor. This does happen academically. At the end of the semester, we receive our grades and may even receive some honors to go along with them. But, I have yet to reap my rewards of this entire process, and I am eager to do so. Kionah Flowers, Spring 2021 I really connect with this haiku as someone who is trying to move across the country and graduate at the same time. Recently I have had some doubts as my ability to be successful in the real world after college and the pandemic has not been helping in those feelings. I felt that since I was not busy at all doing what I want to do, I was already a failure in the career path that I chose. Luckily, getting this new job that has to do with my major, I am starting to gain hope again that the pandemic did not ruin anything and that my hard work could be paid off with the new job. I am glad that other people are having these same feelings as me, as we are all in the struggle of graduating and figuring out what we want to do with our lives still in a pandemic. Katelynn Watkins, Spring 2021 I’m not sure if we discussed this one in class or not, but I didn’t notice it when I read through Kukai 6 the first time. I really love it, though. I think I relate to this a lot, especially towards the end of the semester, because I have so many things going on at one time. If I don’t have a softball game, I have softball practice, lifting in the mornings, taking a full semester of classes, and trying to find time to fit in all my homework. It seems like lately I don’t get much time to just hangout with friends or end the night watching a movie instead of studying for a test/writing papers. I can’t wait for my schedule to die down a little and get some free time. Camryn Skundberg, Spring 2021 I definitely relate to this one! I feel like I rarely see hard work pay off, because I carry stress constantly. I like the imagery of the bee here. I also enjoy the want for honey from the bee’s perspective. Overall, this haiku was very clever. Alyson Robbins, Spring 2021 |
85 fresh flowers Paige Hockman • |
86 Athletics check -- Brooke Oitker •• |
87 advice from a stranger Paige Hockman • |
88 I sit Jordan Hildebrand • |
89 winter fields |
90 closing the tabs Sarah Barter ••• |
91 a good movie |
92 Disney plus Kaitlin Hathaway ••• I really like this haiku because it describes me every Friday night. A new episode of Falcon and Winter Soldier comes out every Friday. It is always such a sweet reward for finishing up the busy week. I am a huge Marvel fan, so I need to be friends with whoever wrote this lovely haiku. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is beautiful and so well-deserving of every award the receive and more. There truly is nothing better than Friday Marvel nights. Sarah Barter, Spring 2021 |
93 5th grade |
94 faded Chloe Herbert •• I picture a young 20 something year old who was very very close with their grandfather. They just lost their grandfather and there are multiple grandkids. So, it was hard to find something specifically special between them. This flannel their grandpa used to wear all the time outside doing things such as mowing, or working on a car/truck, or just sitting on a swing on the porch. Paige Hockman, Spring 2021 I’ve said it a few times now, but I lost my grandpa in 2014. He and I weren’t as close as I wished we were, however, he meant a lot to me as someone to look up to and as someone to love. For a while, I didn’t have anything of his, and it made me really sad that I didn’t. In 2019, I get a surprise visit from my grandma, his wife, with her carrying these adorable pillows made out of his shirts. It’s all I have left of him now, and I want to treasure it forever. Brooke Oitker, Spring 2021 |
95 rings on my fingers Jeana Pierson • |
96 holding his tools |
97 firefly in a jar Kionah Flowers • |
98 evening glow Linnea Nordstrom • Out of most of the haiku we read this semester, my favorite will always be the ones that tell more story in subtext than in real text. The most beautiful part of haiku for me is fleshing out the world in my own head in between the lines. This one fills so many holes on it's own but leaves that many more that can only be explained with the reader's own imagination. The moon on this glowing evening is something that is normally glowing and revered. The additional lens of this person adds a new view to the entire scenario and turns what would normally be a great sight to a melancholy moment. I've spoken on this before, but the poem speaks a lot to depression for me. Sometimes there are just things that will inexplicably plunge you into sadness because of the memories attached to them. That is how life is. It is sad, but there is beauty to be found in that as well. Elliot Mahon, Spring 2021 |
99 looking in the mirror Carly Clo •• |
101 canvas left blank Jeana Pierson |
102 glass jar |
103 first base Jordan Hildebrand • |
104 cord by cord Chloe Herbert •• With graduation fast approaching, of course I have to speak about at least one graduation haiku. I picked this one because this is an aspect about graduation I am getting very excited for. We put in endless amounts of hard work during college, and having those efforts recognized, even in a way as simple as cords, is so satisfying. I myself have a specialized stole and at least 3 sets of cords for various accomplishments. I like the thought this haiku hints at of putting the cords on one by one. The satisfaction of remembering each accomplishment as you drop them from your neck. Courtney Klein, Spring 2021 With graduation fast approaching, of course I have to speak about at least one graduation haiku. I picked this one because this is an aspect about graduation I am getting very excited for. We put in endless amounts of hard work during college, and having those efforts recognized, even in a way as simple as cords, is so satisfying. I myself have a specialized stole and at least 3 sets of cords for various accomplishments. I like the thought this haiku hints at of putting the cords on one by one. The satisfaction of remembering each accomplishment as you drop them from your neck. Courtney Klein, Spring 2021 |
105 the library's musk Jeana Pierson • |
106 fifty-dollar fee |
107 so many |
108 I cry over homework Savanna Prasun •• |
109 Sea of Thieves Brooke Oitker ••• |
110 pumping iron Colin McGonagle •••• |
111 Prince Marissa Garcia-Kaliner ••• This haiku was one of my top favorites because of its fun, lightheartedness. I also loved it because it reminded me of the scene in Pretty Woman where Julia Roberts is singing along to Prince through her headphones, which always makes me laugh. This haiku just made me picture someone listening to their favorite music as loud as they can and dancing and singing along to it without a care in the world, which is one of the best feelings. Linnea Nordstrom, Spring 2021 |
112 loading up Sea of Thieves Brooke Oitker •• |
113 leaves in the puddle Katelynn Watkins •• |
114 parking lot conversations |
115 a hot summer wind— Danni Beard •• |
© 2021, Randy Brooks • Millikin University
All rights returned to authors upon publication.