Global Haiku • Fall 2019
Dr. Randy Brooks

Moon Shadows

by
Elizabeth Napier

Moon Shadow is a collection of my favorite haiku that I have written. There is nothing that ties them together other than the fact that they fill me with pride and tremendous amounts of joy. I hope the people who read my haiku can create their own stories behind when I have written. My favorite haiku experiences come from when a poem resurfaces an old memory or paints a clear picture in my head. My wish is that my haiku will offer this experience to others. I chose the name moon shadow for two reasons. The title comes from a haiku that was written about a particularly wonderful memory and it is quite possibly my favorite haiku that I have ever written. I also think it is just a cool name. I hope you enjoy my haiku, I know that I enjoyed writing them.

About the Author

Lizzie Napier is a sophomore musical theater major. She says, “This class has helped me discover a new love for haiku and poetry and I cannot wait to continue exploring it.”

from my new bed
i watch the train pass
for the graffiti

new apartment
new roommates
broken floorboards

on father’s feet
a living room dance
an Elvis cassette

stone raccoon
hiding
in the lilacs

      he falls asleep
to the sounds
      of soft haiku

she hits the note
goosebumps
never lie

after class
my best friend laughs
with another person

like a skipping stone
i am picked up, looked at
    and tossed    aside

campus walk
i stop.      to watch
the monarch float

ballet—
she stops turning
her stomach doesn’t

roller skates
he travels backwards
on floating feet

heavier than
the weights I am lifting—
my eyes

jean jacket
stolen from my mom
who stole it from dad

75 miles per hour
I stick my hand out the window
and harvest the clouds

my palm on your cheek
why would I want to hold
anything else?

hot bath
with the tip of a finger
she traces ribbons in the foam

gray day
across from the gas station
a field of geese

art museum parking lot—
the beetle clings
to a single crabapple

a little friend
wriggles in my hand
garden snake

midnight walk
the train stands still . . .
I wave to the conductor

in the long closet—
grandma’s dresses
      we play princess

zen garden
he places my heart
atop of the sand

jet ski joy ride
my arms wrapped
around your bare torso

head out the window
she smiles at the stars.
they smile back

in the moonlight
a bug
. . . or a fairy?

a little witch
she leaves behind
a trail of candy wrappers

a preschool princess
with a pumpkin basket
when did I get so old?

jack - o - lantern smile
her face
glows in the dark

horror movie
what a perfect excuse
to hold you closer

Christmas eve
in matching jammies
we shake the presents

I lay in the snow
and look up at the stars
not the least
                      bit
                            cold

summer camp
I hold a paper bag
full of lemon drops

night meadow
we take our moon shadows
for a walk

cold toes
warm heart
I sit wrapped in your robe