Global Haiku • Spring 2021
Dr. Randy Brooks

Butterfly on her Nose

by
Jeana Pierson

I am a people person. I always have been. Before I began to write haiku, I was almost strictly a feature writer, writing articles for the newspaper that told stories about the lives of others. Now, I’ve learned to do that through the art of haiku. My haiku is inspired by my life and the lives of people around me. While many haiku writers write about nature, I write about the nature of relationships. The funny moments, the seemingly mundane moments, the beautiful moments, and the broken moments too. To me, haiku is about capturing the moments that every person can relate to. That was my goal with this haiku collection, Butterfly on her Nose.

Haiku has taught me so much about self-reflection. When writing my own haiku, it gave me the opportunity to relive moments from my childhood, moments I had forgotten about, and also moments of pure happiness and growth. It is such a creative way to take a walk down memory lane and remember how we got to where we are today. I also learned a lot through the social aspect of haiku. Getting to read others’ haiku and hearing how they related to mine was a nice reminder that we all go through similar things. It was often therapeutic to discuss the moments we captured in our haiku. Learning about haiku taught me that learning and schoolwork doesn’t have to be boring, or plain, or serious. Learning can be professional and fun and creative and collaborative. Before taking Global Haiku Traditions, I had never experienced a class taught with all of those. Through this class I have learned to be more confident in my writing and I have gotten to learn so much more about myself, my friends, and my peers.

dad and daughter coffee
an uncomfortable silence
we both take a sip

house divided
no tools on his belt
can repair the damage

sunbathing in the grass
people watching
they watch me back

a striking couple
we glide across the ballroom
violen music swells

rising temperature
her skirt
grows shorter

butterfly on her nose
she learns to love
the landing spot

toy story clouds
we unpack
our childhoods

lady on the corner
we stop
to hear her story

spinning in circles
I dance
the pain away

coming home
we
pick up where we left off

girls night
pretending we live in
our favorite movies

board game
I find my mom's name
carved into the box

football game
I jump up to watch
the marching band

zoom class
oops, I left
my microphone on

night swim
the moon illuminates
our faces

candy heart
plucked from the bag
it has no message