Haiku Kukai 2 Favorites
Global Haiku • Millikin University • Fall 2017
the tire on the tree Mackenzie Martin (4) |
sun rising through blinds |
was it all a dream? |
struggles and trials— |
Sunday evening Mackenzie Martin (4) I enjoyed this haiku because it reminded me of when I visit my grandparents in Missouri. On Sundays we always have a large meal. Everyone stuffs themselves until they can't eat any more food. Then, my grams brings out the desserts. There's chocolate pie, death cake, pound cake, ice cream, and more. All for only 6-10 people. At this point no one can eat anymore but we can't turn down Grams' dessert so we stuff ourselves. Then after its all gone, we move ourselves to the living room, where we all talk. Slowly the conversation dies and everyone falls asleep. These days are truly the greatest! Ben |
closed laptop |
video games with sister— Georgia Martindale (2) I liked this haiku the best out of the kukai because it made me feel very nostalgic and warm. My siblings and I are very close, and throughout our years we have spent many nights watching movies or playing video games, and our snacks of choice are always mountain dew and Lay's dill pickle chips. Reading this haiku brought back all of those great memories with my loved ones immediately. I could see the dark bedroom lit up with the TV playing the games, and taste the salty chips. There were many great poems in the Kukai, but this one was my favorite because of the simplicity that triggered such vivid emotion in me. Lane |
the hallway lengthens Alex Herrera |
soft whispers in the library |
dark audience Trey DeLuna (4) After reading this haiku, I was able to imagine a person on stage who is really nervous right before the spotlight was put on them to start the show. I like the beginning with dark audience. While on stage, the lights are sometimes angled in a way that the performers aren't able to see the audience very well, which makes them tough to see. In the second line, I really enjoy the choice of words, saying the microphone is dripping with sweat instead of the actual performer. I thought it was a clever way to personify the microphone and add life to the haiku. Austin |
glossy finger nails Maya Dougherty (7) What I really like about this haiku is how it paints a very specific and familiar sound in the readers head. The first line focuses on fingers by describing them in detail and then leads into the sound by adding taps. The spaces between taps lets the reader digest the sound and further focuses on the action. By specifying what type of desk is being tapped, the reader is able to imagine a specific sound that may not be heard in the reader's head had the type of desk been omitted. Alex H. |
pigtails Madeline Delano (7) When reading this haiku, I wanted to burst out laughing when I read it. I imagined this cute little girl just having the time of her life and having no cares in the world. The scene is so happy and uplifting, and then suddenly the little girl goes down. My initial thought was that I should feel guilty wanting to laugh at what happened to the little girl, but I imagined the outcome where the little girl just gets up and acts like nothing happen, and then continued to run through the yard until she face planted again. Kalli |
quiet evening Maya Dougherty This was one of my favorite haiku, as you imagine pure relaxation as you read it. For me, this is a night when you come back from class and have absolutely no homework for the next day. You're sitting in a circle with a few close friends, but there is a lull in the conversation. And the best part is, it's a beautiful kind of silence, not awkward in the slightest. The warm, green tea is soothing - the warmth goes straight to my heart and soul. There is laughter that fills this kind of night - but again, it is quiet, relaxing laughter. Finally, this haiku gives me the beautiful imagery of the sky outside. On this particular fall night, the setting sun lets off beautiful shades of orange and purple into the sky. Mackenzie |
stadium full |
tears pour down Kalli Farmer (3) |
hot day Madeline Delano (3) |
bunny slippers Maya Dougherty (5) |
coffee gone cold |
humid night |
ankles deep |
running to class Trey DeLuna (4) |
patiently waiting Austin Taylor (2) |
study hall Trey DeLuna (5) |
his sweater |
sound asleep in the dorm Trey DeLuna (9) I enjoyed this haiku because it brought me back to when I first moved in freshman year. The first week or so in Dolson, I was not yet used to the sound of trains. As the first few nights came and went, I had increasing frustration from waking up multiple times a night, every few hours due to the sounds of trains. About a week after the move in date however, just when I was about to explode with the anger of not getting a full night of sleep, I found that I no longer heard the trains at night. To this day I still don't hear the trains at night, or during the day for that matter. But this haiku still brought me back to a memorable time in my life. Alex P. |
some at the pool |
midnight fire burning slow |
shaky knees Georgia Martindale (4) |
family game night Georgia Martindale (11) This was probably my favorite haiku from kukai 2. It was my favorite because it's something that I can relate to so well in my family. Every time we have a family game night, whether it was a board game, a card game, or any other kind of game, someone would always end the night very upset from either losing or from the bragging of whoever was winning. With my family having game nights often, this haiku just resonated with me because of all of the many memories that come from reading it. Alex P. This haiku reminds me of many different experiences I have, but one very specific occasion comes to mind. I was playing monopoly with my siblings and boyfriend two years ago and I was beating everyone pretty badly. All of my siblings got bored because they were not winning so they all started to quit and I got really mad because I was winning and I wanted to finish the game and win so when they all quit I threw a tantrum (yes I threw a tantrum at the age of 18) and they still make fun of me for it to this day. Maddy |
to-do list |
play at home plate |
heavy breathing Masha Kostic (6) |
November chill |
wearing sweats to Georgia Martindale (5) |
loose gray sweatpants Georgia Martindale |
tempurpedic pillow Austin Taylor (6) I enjoyed this haiku because I could really imagine what the scene and the feelings that the author was discussing in the haiku. When I read the first two lines, I imagined lying in bed late at night, sinking deeper and deeper into the comfort of the bed and the pillow. The last line is what made the haiku one of my favorites however. It seems that almost every night, I find myself on the brink of sleep when my mind wakes up and thoughts begin to race around my head. Alex P. |
no time— |
Bible verses and Georgia Martindale (6) |
the old stone wall |
the old tree |
turning on the lights |
the train whistle |
the waves crash |
home from work |
I did Madeline Delano (7) |
lunch with a client Lane Casper (6) This was my favorite haiku from kukai 2, because it's a very relatable situation for most women. I imagined a successful business woman meeting with an important client, at a table in a coffee shop. He makes sexist jokes and she is offended, but has to pretend everything is alright so she doesn't lose the deal. I can imagine the frustration she is going through, because I've been through the same thing in high school. She is also uncomfortable, but is forced to hide it because of her job. Overall, I loved the topic and flow of this haiku, enjoying it more than any of the others from Kukai 2. Georgia |
the little pup Lucas Chatterton (5) |
movie night with friends |
cramped hands |
four white walls Alex Pratt (5) |
high heat Masha Kostic (3) |
all nighter Alex Pratt (7) |
the maroon raspberry Mia Klek (3) |
knees tremble |
2:30am Mia Klek (4) |
brown paper bag |
the professor lingers |
I look to the sky Lane Casper (11) I appreciate this haiku because after reading it, it really took my mind to a place I on a normal day don't look to discover. It is a very simply worded haiku, as it flows from one line to the next, but the message it sends is what really hooked me on this one. I do like how they included the word wonder in this haiku and this haiku really makes you wonder, that was pretty cool too! But this haiku really made me think. After reading it, I stopped and looked around room, in shock because I've never thought of such a question so simple yet so intricate before. It's almost as though this haiku made me take the air I breathe for granted. Especially during all of these natural disasters going on in our country, from wildfires in California and Oregon, to some one the worst hurricanes seen in America in Texas and Florida, it's easy to get caught up in how lucky we are in the Midwest to not deal with such problems. But when you stop to think about how small you are yet how many times you have breathed the same air in as the people who did centuries ago, it makes you really ponder life and the fascinating creations within it. Mia This was my favorite haiku from Kukai 2, mostly because I think there is multiple ways of looking at it. I remember discussing this one in class and talking about how it could be taken as just a simple haiku about someone who is thinking something that people normally don't think about. Who really wonders how much of the air is what we have breathed out? Not many. It shows that whoever was thinking of this was asking a complex question from a simple thought. However, I read this haiku with a little bit of a deeper meaning behind it. I imagined the person was wondering how much of the Earth has really contributed to. There are so many people on this world that it is often easy to think of ourselves as insignificant. I felt that this thought was a metaphor for wondering how much meaning and significance do I have on this Earth. I think the person was wondering if they are even leaving their stamp on Earth because there are so many other people who are living on it. That question is what drew me to this haiku, because I think it is someone that we sometimes ask ourselves. Trey
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everyone expects more Mia Klek (4) |
a single seed Alex Herrera (3) |
world domination Alex Herrera (5) This haiku makes me think of two different things at the same time. I first see the scene of a bunch of old men sitting in a dark room around a map of the world plotting how they are going to take over everything. Then once I hit the word "risking" it makes me think of a bunch of teenagers sitting around a dining room table playing the board game "RISK." This just makes me think of playing games with my friends back home. Lucas |
swallowing my fear |
ten more pages . . . Mackenzie Martin (3) |
fingers fumbling |
Mia Klek (7) I really like this haiku because of its use of personification. Because the river is referred to as “he,” it makes me think that the river is symbolic of a male figure in the authors life. I can see this haiku being interpreted two different ways. The first way I imagine is that the author is so devoted to the man and she will let him take her wherever he chooses because she has complete trust in him. The other way I interpret it is that the “river” is the haiku is a controlling person, and the author has given up resisting him. Maya |
everything wrapped perfectly Alex Pratt (11) |
in the silence |
roaring rapids |
headphones in Lane Casper (6) This haiku immediately made me think of two of my friends, who were roommates, on the soccer team last year. One of them, Austin, seemed to always be doing work or studying while the other, Isaac, would do anything to avoid doing his work. Right now, I can imagine Isaac mouthing the words of a song by his favorite band, Cage the Elephant, and trying to distract Austin. Eventually Austin looks up, uninterested and unhappy, shakes his head and tells Isaac to leave him alone. Isaac does no such thing and continues to mouth the words to his Cage the Elephant while trying to do anything that does not involve work. Ben |
missing my happy place |
headphones in Alex Pratt (6) |
floating downstream |
a parks worker |
busy supermarket Lane Casper (5) |
late at night Lane Casper (3) |
writing dates |
a blanket of snow |
© 2017, Randy Brooks • Millikin University
All rights returned to authors upon publication.