Introduction
This
is my first collection of haiku and rengay. Some of the
poems contained in it require explanation; for instance,
the first poem, "leaning against the brick wall,"
is about a unique Millikin tradition—the Bun Run. Every
year, after the first snowfall of second semester, the freshman
men of Mills Hall run around the three women's dorms, wearing
shoes and ski masks. And nothing else. Obviously, the cold
leads to, well, shrinkage, thus the use of the word "shriveled"
in the second line.
Also
needing explanation is the haiku, "two fallen figures,"
referring to my step-father, Pa-Pa (pronounced paw-paw)
and my nephew Jack. The little one is still too young to
make snow angels, so this poem is in anticipation of future
winters.
"Little
girl kneeling" haiku is a memory from my childhood:
acting out a scene from The Secret Garden at my step-dad's
landscape nursery. I knelt in the back field behind the
shed and put the book in front of me, like a Bible or spell-book.
I acted out the midnight scene in the garden when Colin
called his father home. It's one of my favorite memories
of the nursery.
The
haiku, "faded cigarette," is dedicated to my step-dad's
mother, Granny, who took care of me during Jr. High whenever
I was sick or had a day off that Mom didn't. My step-sister
and uncle like to put cigarettes on her grave when they
visit, and I have often imagined myself giving her one of
her customary sips of gin.
The
two rengay were written this semester with my friend, Mo,
aka Maureen Yates. They were born out of common experience
and joint friends, and we are both very proud of them, especially
"Homecoming," based on this year's Homecoming
Parade. The haiku that set us off is the first one about
John Morel, our friend and my Co-President of the Angry
Mob for our vampire float.
I
hope you enjoy my first collection of haiku and rengay!
—Stacy
Radliff
