Haiku Kukai 02 Favorites
Global Haiku • Millikin University • Spring 2022
1 wilted roses Emma Antonelli This haiku was just very pleasing to me. I really like the reference to Shakespeare because obviously. Also, as I’ve said many times before, I really like floral imagery and mentions. I like that the author included the fact that the roses were wilted. It makes me think that it’s the night after the party where Romeo and Juliet met and all the flowers from the night before are now wilted, kind of symbolising the way that their love is beautiful and furnishes wild fantasies but is actually fleeting. Gwendolyn Klinkey, Spring 2022 |
2 I'll talk to my dying succulent Sydney Sinks We didn’t talk about thus one in class, so I do not know who the author is. I relate this haiku to mental health, taking care of something that is dying physical and metaphorically. You must treat both with kindness for it to heal properly. I like how both first lines start with I’ll. The I will, is stronger than “trying” it very certain, commanding. Emma Antonelli, Spring 2022 |
3 alcohol breath Emma Antonelli (7) This haiku was super fierce to me. I enjoy the specific scents used in ths haiku. It reminds me of my gross father who I don’t talk to anymore because of his verbal abuse and alcoholism. It is such a true reality expressed in this haiku that was so spot on with the imagery of the smell of someone who isn’t okay. Chase Nelson, Spring 2022 |
4 diary tucked Sydney Sinks (6) |
5 snow flurries Sydney Sinks (7) This year was the first year my cat has experienced snow in the 2 years that I have had him! He was absolutely mesmerized and would just sit and stare out the window, watching the snow fall. I even opened the door once to see if he wanted to check it out but gave it a sniff and IMMEDIATELY high-tailed it back into the house. Jasmine-Kalei Humphrey, Spring 2022 |
6 christmas lights Emma Antonelli (4) |
7 you are a stranger Amanda Handegan (7) I really love the warmth of the tone of this haiku. It catches the uniqueness of that special someone’s voice. I know and enjoy the sound of my lover’s voice. It’s super comforting and makes me feel safe and at home. When in big crowds, if COVID wasn’t a thing, we could easily separate from the flow of the crowd’s and we had this little whistle call that we would do if we couldn’t find each other. Typing it out, makes it sound much weirder than it truly is, but that was what we did, and that is why I liked this haiku. Chase Nelson, Spring 2022 I really liked this haiku because of the juxtaposition of a stranger and recognizing. I think most people have that one person who is kept deep in the brain. You would not even think about this person, but as soon as you hear or see something specific to the person, all those memories rush back to you in an instant. This haiku shows the mechanism of memory and it made go into my science brain and really dwell on the thought of memory. Nick Canton, Spring 2022 |
8 the crowded street Marta Viudez Garcia I like this one because there’s something about walking outside in a city with a crowded street and seeing so many unfamiliar faces that makes you feel isolated. The fact that all these strangers around you have their own lives and their own stories going on is so interesting to me. Also, thinking about all the people that I have crossed and how I am also this filler in their lives is so interesting to me. I wonder if they also feel like they are the only real person around them when they see me pass by. Audrey Button, Spring 2022 |
9 silence of the night |
10 snow under my boots |
11 the first step |
12 no one else’s lips Amanda Handegan (12) Not to keep talking about my partner in these responses... but I have never felt a more breathtaking connection with another human being than I have with him. We talk to each other all of the time about how we feel like puzzle pieces that fit together so perfectly. Everything with him just feels so right. Jasmine-Kalei Humphrey, Spring 2022 This haiku fit perfectly for Valentine’s day with the theme of love, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. This poem has a sense of sadness to it which I actually loved. I have related to this feeling of a breakup, and having the thoughts of, “no one will ever feel the same as him”. It is a feeling of loneliness, and longing to have that person back, or maybe just someone to replace them, but having an incredibly difficult time finding someone you love as strongly as you loved the previous person. Camryn Wagner, Spring 2022 |
13 reaching forward |
14 ears perking up— Kelsey Crotz (5) The punctuation of this haiku gives it a new meaning, a sense of over whelming excitement. Those two people probably have never actually met but they do share something in common, language. With language comes culture, and it could feel so isolating being in a country where you feel out of place. Though just hearing someone speak the same way you do means that you're not alone. Emma Antonelli, Spring 2022 I really liked this haiku because it appears I seemed to missed the intended meaning behind it and instead related it to something close and dear to my heart (which is the point of haiku). While reading this, I felt that very moment where I come through the door after being gone for some time and my dog and cats are there, waiting, ears perked up and alert. They greet me with enthusiastic meows, tag thumps, and excited dog whimpers. Best part of my day. Mandy Thrasher, Spring 2022 |
15 little paws patter |
16 little stars Kelsey Crotz (8) The last haiku from our kukai that stood out to me was so unique. It made me think of the sky but real-life people as well. It was so cute and so short. At this school, I feel like I have been able to grow, and my classmates have been able to see that growth. I get to see all my friends get better and better and it is so amazing to see their process come to end. We literally are all stars and we do take turns twinkling. At Millikin, some students may get more exposure than others but when fresher faces get the time to be seen, there is nothing more special than being in the room watching them get their moment. Those moments I have had here, I will never forget. Andrew Tufano, Spring 2022 I like how playful this haiku is. It has a child-like sense of wonder and makes the stars seem alive. The use of the word twinkling makes me think that you are dancing along with the stars in the sky. I love getting out of my car at night and stopping to look up at the stars. There is something so beautiful about watching the stars dance around in the sky and thinking about what else could be living out there in the universe and wondering if they are looking at the same stars as I am. Audrey Button, Spring 2022 |
17 dark night lit up by Mandy Thrasher (4) |
18 sitting in my office chair |
19 full house Gwen Klinkey This haiku was super cute because it reminded me of our last snow days we had. I was lucky enough to have a slumber party with my best friends at this school at my best friend’s house with everyone. We had many wonderful drunk nights and shared stories and memories and watched movies. That whole experience helped us all get closer to each other and it was such a wonderful main memory I will keep and remember from my college experience. Chase Nelson, Spring 2022 |
20 the smell of popcorn Camryn Wagner (4) |
21 pink hair and pink clothes |
22 best friends Madyson Fritch (6) I loved this haiku because I am extremely close with my grandmother, and this sounds like an evening I would have with her. We would enjoy a nice dinner talking about her past, the boys I am interested in currently, school, or anything our crazy minds would think of. I am very lucky to have a grandmother who is in such great shape, and I can be so close to her. Camryn Wagner, Spring 2022 The last line of this haiku caught my interest the most. When reading the first two lines of this haiku, the reader would expect the last line to reference a friend of the same age. Once I read the last line, it took me by surprise but it was relatable which was why I chose this as a favorite. I have been very close with my grandmother growing up, and we always make it a priority to have dinner together. We still continue this tradition today, but this made me think of our memories from when I was a young girl. I replayed the memories from over the years and it made me think of all the conversations we have had over the years. Isabel Vincent, Spring 2022 The memories and the nostalgia that I feel after reading these three lines invade my weak and sensitive body, evoking me to those days when I could enjoy my dear grandmother because we were close in time and place connected by the purest love between a grandmother and granddaughter, that grannies that are like mums. Marta Viudez Garcia, Spring 2022 |
23 getting bundled up Madyson Fritch I just felt the pain after reading the last line. It takes me back to growing up and getting ready for snow trips. My pants would never fit because I was in the middle of a growth spurt. But that initial grunt when you look in the mirror after all the work of putting all your snow gear on and realizing your pants just don’t fit. Going deeper into it, I think this haiku is really about growth and being prepared but not everything works out. Nick Canton, Spring 2022 |
24 green, yellow, red |
25 my big boot Alex Saviano (4) There is something uniquely tender and sweet about this haiku. I see a paternal figure, taking great care to tread lightly through the snow that became the canvas for a winter-happy child. We all love to see macho men become mush around children, and that’s exactly what this haiku made me imagine. This is what a good parent does for their children. Mandy Thrasher, Spring 2022 |
26 the nature trail |
27 snow in my shoe Nicholas Canton (5) Even though we don’t know what the speaker can’t say, we can all relate to that feeling of needing to admit to something but struggling to find the words and the will. This final line of the haiku gives a whole new meaning to the expression “cold feet.” The first two lines play on the literal imagery of that phrase while also giving us a setting--cold, isolated, snowy winter. The feeling of that setting carries through to the realization that the speaker cannot speak up, cannot find a way to communicate this thing that desperately needs to be said. Sydney Sinks, Spring 2022 |
28 mesmerized Gwen Klinkey (3)
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29 spinning tires
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30 10 years old Gwen Klinkey (5) |
31 glowing orange light Alex Saviano (5) I really loved this haiku because it reminded me of one of my favorite album’s Channel Orange by Frank Ocean. He named his album this because he paid for a test to see what color the emotion of love is and it was orange. When I found that out it made me so warm and I started wearing more orange clothes and painting my nails orange. This haiku made me think about when you are up that late at night thinking in bed and processing and the glowing orange light made me think of the love within that. I really liked this haiku because I know that that is not at all what this haiku is about, but I still related to it in my own way. Amanda Handegan, Spring 2022 I have a bunch of salt lamps that I’ll often use when I get home from the night shift in the summers. After last year I was super depressed and going back to my job with routine, regularly getting out of the house, and seeing my work friends shook me out of a really dark place. A lot of times I would get home and lay in bed to unwind before going to sleep with some of my salt lamps on, which are, coincidentally, orange light. I also really like the specificity of the time. I never got off work at the same time and so I would always look at the funny times I would drive home. Gwendolyn Klinkey, Spring 2022 |
32 charcoal Nicholas Canton (3) |
33 hummingbird |
34 snow falls |
35 snow covered hills Jas Humphrey (2) |
36 a night sky Audrey Button (4) I really appreciated this haiku because I am a dreamer, and I am always looking for the next thing to dream about. The way this one was written made me just smile and be hopeful that everything happens for a reason. The whole use of the word “wink” made the sky feel like a real person. I love looking out for answers and then receiving a sign from the universe. Those special little moments are amazing. Overall, this one was one of my favorites because it was so sweet and was what I needed to here right now. Andrew Tufano, Spring 2022 |
37 a stunning view— Audrey Button (5) I have a very specific memory I associate with this. Over winter break, my family was driving from Chicago to Florida, and we found ourselves at the border of Tennessee and Georgia. There was some sort of road closure on the highway we were taking, and we found ourselves taking detour after detour. Soon, we found ourselves driving slowly but surely up a winding road up a rather large hill (maybe it could even be considered a mountain). Guard rails lined the right side of the street as the left side of the street would show massive, dark forests, large unclimbable rock walls, or driveways leading far back to the lone houses of the hill. I thought the views were stunning, and my brother agreed. We were gazing out into the dark night. There was no light on the hill aside from the headlights of the cars in front of and behind us, as well as the dim headlights of cars seemingly miles beneath us from the highway. My mother, who is not the biggest fan of heights or driving in general, was not having as much fun. This haiku honestly just seems like the perfect embodiment of the collective Saviano family’s thoughts during that part of the road trip. Maybe this isn’t what you meant by “imagined felt responses”, but it was just what I was drawn to write about. Alex Saviano, Spring 2022 |
38 off the beaten path |
39 a stranger |
40 footprints |
41 he runs Andrew Tufano (5) |
42 step by step Chase Nelson (3) To me, this haiku represents the college experience perfectly. It is not a short or easy journey, and at times it can be extremely overwhelming. Often, the days are repetitive and we are spending everyday working on assignments or studying for long hours at a time. It can be hard to find the motivation and the drive to push through the semesters. As college students, we can be stressed but we are one step closer towards our goal as the days pass by. Some may look at this as a good thing, but others may be sad they are finishing their college experience. Isabel Vincent, Spring 2022 |
43 contagious laughter Andrew Tufano (6) |
44 a world full of gossip Chase Nelson “Trees whispering– on and on” having on their leaves a breeze of people´s voices that whisper talking about others and in secret, judging others’ lives, criticizing all those features that hate in themselves and that are unable to notice and seeing them represented in others. The sadness of wasting your precious life pointing out other people’s circumstance. Marta Viudez Garcia, Spring 2022 |
45 a shitty night’s sleep then class Chase Nelson (7) LITERALLY SO TRUE. Chase is literally so real for this one. My inability to sleep on campus is so real because I am so stressed and focused on the next thing that I have to will my physical form to attend. There are some nights where I’ve gotten maybe 2-4 hours of sleep and have to be up and at ‘em until midnight . . . and then some nights where I don’t sleep at all and have to crawl through my day. Jasmine-Kalei Humphrey, Spring 2022 This haiku was very relatable. The snow days have sort of thrown my sleep schedule, so coming back to classes was a bit of a challenge. It took a while to get myself back on track, so my night’s sleeps were not always the best. In those cases, it was hard to drag myself out of bed and head to class. It was like my bed was this anchor pulling me underwater and holding me there. That feeling was definitely encompassed within this haiku. I also liked how the haiku was broken up in two parts.” The class” seems to interrupt that “night’s sleep”, which is what makes it “shitty”. Kelsey Crotz, Spring 2022 |
46 maybe so Christian Andrews-Stewart (3) The first thing that intrigued me about this haiku was how the first line seemed so separate from the rest. What does the maybe so mean? Is it the end of a different conversation entirely? Does it refer to the possibility of the snow cones? It is up to the reader’s interpretation! I also love that this haiku alludes to picking up snow from outside to make snow cones. This was something my family did when I was growing up, and it was always so fun for me. I remember being mesmerized by the fact that the snow came out of the sky, and that we were actually eating it. I also loved that you could pick out your own flavors to make the snow taste different. It really was a blank slate that I got to fill in. I could run my own little snow cone stand from my own backyard! Kelsey Crotz, Spring 2022 |
47 i hear them . . . Christian Andrews-Stewart (9) I love anything with the mind because of how complex it is. The voice of this haiku is mysterious. The first line caught my attention, the ellipses creates a suspense. It’s as if this person is isolated from everyone else. Like a party scene in movies, where a character is walking around the party and everything around them is blurred but they are deep in thought in their own mind. Nick Canton, Spring 2022 |
48 splintered selenite |
49 quarantine . . . |
50 crock-pot recipe Sydney Sinks (3) |
51 man huddled at the ATM Sydney Sinks (2) |
52 halls filled with girls |
53 a curious little dance |
54 a familiar tune Audrey Button (4) Another haiku I appreciated was also by Audrey and it made me relate to it so hard. I am a natural dancer and I do a lot of helping other people when they need guidance. This one made me feel like it was written about me. With what goes on with my major and how I learn so much dancing and so many of my classmates are also learning that same dance. We can be in the hallways and recognize the tune that is playing. My roommate is one of the good students who struggles with dance, and I help him all the time with the combos we learn in class. This haiku just made me laugh and made me feel good for helping others. Andrew Tufano, Spring 2022 |
55 underneath the warm laundry Kelsey Crotz (9) I like this haiku because it reminded me of my favorite kind of day. The type of day where you lay around and do absolutely nothing. You just listen to your body and do what feels good and relax. Choosing to be little for me is like freeing myself of any responsibility. This haiku just feels so cozy to me. Amanda Handegan, Spring 2022 While reading this haiku, I think of those days where the simplest of things can be too much work. Yes, the laundry may be folded, but I don’t have it in me to put it away quite yet. And that’s okay. So, I get comfy under the duvet, laundry weighing it down, and turn Netflix on, or sleep for 2 hours or ten, or scroll through TikTok until the sun goes down. Self care. Mandy Thrasher, Spring 2022 |
56 my new hobby Audrey Button (7) I love this haiku because it is so relatable. I am constantly picking up new hobbies and then either getting bored of them after a month or so or giving up on them if I’m not immediately good at them. I also have so many unfinished projects and ideas for projects I haven’t started. I just immediately thought of myself when I read this. It called me out and made me giggle at the same time! Amanda Handegan, Spring 2022 I liked this one because I am notorious for picking up new hobbies, and when I find out that I am either not good at it, or I just simply do not enjoy it, I will give up and find a new one. I started with painting when I was little, and that is about the only real hobby that has stuck. I attempted to start doing my own acrylic nails, bought all of the supplies, none of them turned out good, so a week later I put everything away. I convinced my family that I was going to start playing the guitar, but none of them trusted me to keep up with it so when I was 19, my grandma gave me a banjo that she had given my grandpa 20 years ago and had been stored in the attic ever since them. I was not happy to say the least. So I very much related to this short and sweet haiku. Camryn Wagner, Spring 2022 |
57 flushed face Audrey Button (4) This haiku reminded me of the process of writing a haiku. Sometimes, it can be quite hard to come up with an idea, or to condense an idea into three short lines. If you end up with a case of writer’s block, it can be incredibly frustrating. I think that was reflected in the “flushed face”. I think “Reading line after line” is reading the haiku over an over trying to assess it. When it ends up not being good enough, it gets deleted, and then you they try again. The cycle can also be repeated over and over again, which makes it even more frustrating! Kelsey Crotz, Spring 2022 |
58 one lamp Gwen Klinkey (2) The word “recovering” stands out in this haiku. There’s a cozy feeling in the descriptions of low light and the comfortable clothes, and the way that the speaker is allowing themself to recover, to warm up and enjoy softness, really nails this feeling home. By relying on these descriptions and trusting the reader to understand the situation and emotions, the writer lets us feel this moment for ourselves. Sydney Sinks, Spring 2022 |
59 at the edge of a cliff Gwen Klinkey (5) |
60 finally letting go Amanda Handegan (4) Romances in outside of love novels are different than real romances. I was imagining a couple writing little notes to each other in the books that they want each other to read. I do that with poetry books I want him to read, leaving little notes on the ones I like. This one was my top pick because it stood out from the other poems, the feeling when reading it was different. Emma Antonelli, Spring 2022 |
61 her squeal reminds me Amanda Handegan (6) This haiku reminded me as well, that not everyone has made a snowman or witnessed snow falling in their life. I have grown up in central Illinois, so snow is something I see every year during the winter. I commute to Millikin, and sometimes I forget that I am surrounded by people from across the world. I think it is interesting to think about how snow is foreign to some people, and the fact that they have never seen or felt it before. Watching them experience this is fun and I like hearing how excited they are to see it. Isabel Vincent, Spring 2022 |
62 I thank the universe Amanda Handegan (7) In this haiku, I see two people (probably your average 22-year-old male and female) sitting in a car at night. I can see them parked in some parking lot where there are no other cars around. I hear the sound of the engine humming; it’s only on so they have heat to keep them warm. The headlights are off, but seemingly at this moment, they are the only people in the world. The two are sharing stories about themselves, about who they are, their dreams, their desires, the fears, and everything in between. The two talk for hours, but time doesn’t matter to them. You could convince them that only twenty minutes had passed. They eventually feel that their bond and relationship have become the strongest that it has ever been, and the two slowly lean in to kiss each other. Just one kiss to secure that they care about one another, and that this moment and this night will live on in their memories forever. Alex Saviano, Spring 2022 I love the moments I spend with my friends where it seems like time freezes. Where you can talk for hours, and it feels like no time at all has passed because the conversation is just so good. I like the first line and thinking about thanking the universe for making it feel like time has stopped. It is very humbling, and it makes me feel small in the grand scheme of things. I also think that this haiku is about meeting up with friends after not seeing them for a very long time. When you have so much to talk about with people, it is easy to get lost in the conversation. Audrey Button, Spring 2022 |
63 saltines Gwen Klinkey (7) |
64 the sky, the moon, the stars, |
65 a lonely cardinal Emma Antonelli (6) Like I mentioned in class, I have a very personal connection with cardinals; particularly single “lonely” cardinals. Ever since I could remember, my parents would always say if we ever saw a cardinal, that it was my grandfather on my mother’s side checking in on the family. I’m not someone who particularly believes in reincarnation, but a cardinal being my grandfather is something I have believed in. When I read this haiku, I see myself at my kitchen table at home. My chair faces the window, and I can see myself sitting there during lunch in the winter. The backyard is coated in white snow, and the large pine trees that line the back edge of my yard tower over the scene. While sitting there eating some kind of simple meal like scrambled eggs or soup or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, I’d see a lone cardinal appear. It wouldn’t necessarily fly into the picture, it would just suddenly be there. It would sit either on the grill of the patio, or the railing of the deck, but somewhere that it could easily look in through the same window I was looking out of. I’d never make large reactions to it, but I could feel myself just making prolonged eye contact with the bird. I’d return my focus to the food, and the cardinal would continue to watch me. After a couple of minutes of switching my focus between my meal and the bird, I’d eventually look back and see the bird had vanished just as it had appeared. I would simply feel content in my heart knowing I got to spend a few moments with my grandfather; a man I never got to meet. Alex Saviano, Spring 2022 |
66 sour vocals Emma Antonelli (5) Reading this haiku, I think about the reason why I decided to study languages, because I love words and how they give voice to our internal thoughts, even the sourest vocals that that full your mouth of air are loved by me and my obsession with language. The virtuosity of it and the expressiveness of a single word full in meaning and form making sense in a world that sometimes is ambiguous in meaning. Marta Viudez Garcia, Spring 2022 |
67 dancing through |
68 i am ready to feel Marta Viudez Garcia (2) I talked about this one in class, but this sounds like something from a romance novel (which is my favorite kind of novel). It also stood out to me because of the different formatting that the author used. I don’t think I saw any in our previous class or current class that used parentheses like this and it really makes me think about the implications of the spacing and grammar. I also think that the break between the second and third lines is interestingly placed. Gwendolyn Klinkey, Spring 2022 |
69 that melted my heart Marta Viudez Garcia (3) This haiku comes just in time for Valentine’s Day. It’s simple, but so soft and adorable. It seems like this is a new relationship where two people are just finding their footing, but there’s no tension here; there’s eagerness to know more and grow together. By breaking the question into two parts, it lets the final line really sink in and show how excited and shy the speaker is about this budding relationship. Sydney Sinks, Spring 2022 |
70 roads, schools, the state |
71 a newly painted |
72 dancing around the table Isabel Vincent (4) |
73 crunch of snow |
74 fingers carding through hair Gwen Klinkey (4) |
75 peanut butter |
76 stale snow |
77 a snowball? Geo Tapia (6) |
78 an actor prepares |
79 foggy windows down Jas Humphrey (5)s |
80 a mother |
81 the sun shines a little too bright Jas Humphrey (8) |
© 2022, Randy Brooks • Millikin University
All rights returned to authors upon publication.