Haiku Kukai 02 Favorites
Global Haiku • Millikin University • Fall 2024
1 touchdown! |
2 late walk Dayton Lasack I really like trains. I enjoy seeing them when they go by or when they are parked around Decatur. Most of the time I like when they are around. Then I think about 1 or 2 am. I swear every single night there is a train that comes by and wakes me up. This happens without fail and it is so frustrating, so this is why I liked this haiku. Izzy Jones, Fall 2024 |
3 rose garden Natalie Mase (8) I really like this haiku and I think it can be read at least two different ways. The first is probably the most obvious, that out of a “rose garden” and “all of the flowers” which can be compared to a big group of people, “he” picked her, meaning this haiku is about a relationship. The “me” in the relationship feels very lucky to be “chosen” by the “he”. I also think this haiku could be about a girl feeling chosen by God to live the life she lives and be in the place she is. If the H in he was capital, I would surely think that is what this haiku was about. Caroline Arnold, Fall 2024 |
4 cursor blinks Natalie Mase (7) |
5 reflections . . . Natalie Mase (2) |
6 hot concrete Abby Wilken I really liked this haiku just because it reminds me that there are other things living with us. I believe that sometimes it can be hard to remember that every other organism is living alongside us and didn't choose to be here. Like ants, it easy to see them and kill them because our fears of bugs, yet they are just living. The same with birds. They get a bad rep for being loud in the morning and pooping on cars, but they're just living as we are. Forever intertwined. Maliyah Battle, Fall 2024 I have learned something about myself when it comes to haiku. I really enjoy haikus that make it seem like the animals are plotting on something. When I read this haiku, I see two birds sitting in a tree watching over someone eating their lunch. The two birds, scheming. I'd like to think that the birds are staring so hard at the food that the person eating is starting to notice. Resulting in a situation where a suspicious sandwich consumer is being plotted against by two hungry, anthropomorphized birds. Dayton Lasack, Fall 2024 |
7 misty morning |
8 cool morning breeze Abby Wilken |
9 favorite pair of shoes |
10 the results are in Katelyn Wendt (6) I liked this haiku because I thought it was super sweet and I related to it a lot. I call my mom all the time about literally anything. Whether it’s drama with school, boys, soccer, or my friends, she knows about it. I tell her a lot about my life because I am very close with my mom. Lily Moore, Fall 2024 I enjoy this haiku so much. I envision an entirely different situation every time I read it. Sometimes the "results" in question are about a medical situation. Sometimes they are about getting accepted into a college/program. Sometimes they are the grade on an important exam. No matter what it is, the haiku does not clarify whether the new is good or bad. This allows the reader to imagine so many different situations. That is why I think this haiku is so good and unique. Dayton Lasack, Fall 2024 |
11 changing sky |
12 crossed fingers Bella Palermo (3) |
13 hummingbirds speed by Bella Palermo (5) I enjoy the seemingly randomness of the haiku, yet there is also a purpose. From one perspective it can seem as though someone is watching the hummingbirds speed by, and then out of nowhere thinks of a question out of insecurity. Although, it can also be seen as the flower, wondering if it is good enough to be picked by the bird, so it can carry its pollen to another plant and generate life. Charlie Armstrong, Fall 2024 |
14 prairie grass grows taller Bella Palermo (4) I take this haiku as losing connection to someone close to you. Watching the grass grow taller as each day goes by, and the connection gets more lost in the grass. When losing someone you loved so much you can get hyper-focused on the most random objects and for this individual, it would be the grass growing. Although grass can be cut back to its original state it will never be the same just as people will never be the same. This person in a sense will never be able to get back what they once loved. Gracie Shaffer, Fall 2024 |
15 lunchtime message Katelyn Wendt (11) This haiku is very sweet. I just imagine a loving parent who writes notes for his daughter every day to make her day better. The second line implies that the dad knows how his daughter likes her sandwiches with the crust cut off, and that is a message of love in itself. I also love the simplicity of the last line, “love dad”, because to me it is both reading the last line of the note in the lunch box and serving as a signature at the end of the haiku. Melis Barutcu, Fall 2024 This haiku brought me back to elementary school lunch. Each class would get their own long table which was split up by people who brought their lunch and who was buying. I can see myself opening up my lunchbox and I am reminded of how differently I would eat when I was younger. While the crust cutting isn’t super relatable to me as I never really minded, I am definitely taken back to all the times my parents or someone else close to me who don’t express their emotions that much doing something that they think would make me happy. Matt Kordesh, Fall 2024 This was my favorite haiku because it shows how much love our parents have for us in a small and simple way. I was taken back to grade school when my dad would pack my lunch because I would never be ready in enough time to do it myself. He would cut the crust off the sandwiches if we asked him to, even though he thought it was silly. It’s so light-hearted and heart-felt. Charley Condill, Fall 2024 This speaks to me as I now have many friends because of college all confining us to live together. People I never knew a year ago, I now am best friends with, and I would go to war with them. I think it speaks to the testament of friendship, and how it doesn’t matter how long you’ve been friends for, but if the friendship is genuine, it can be the newest and best friendship of your life. This haiku also makes me think of some of the greatest laughs I’ve had with my friends here. Charlie Armstrong, Fall 2024 This haiku was my favorite because it made me feel calm and made me picture childhood. When I read this, it makes me think of when my mom and dad still made my lunch for me to take to school every day, and when I would get to the lunchroom there would be a little sticky note on the inside with a new message one of them wrote every day. The sandwich with no crust just represents the extra time and love that they put into making this lunch because they cut the crust off the bread. Abby Wilken, Fall 2024 |
16 from the ashes |
17 door shuts behind Matt Kordesh |
18 laughing with friends Matt Kordesh (9) I took this haiku two different ways. The first way reminded me how I cut off contact with many of my old friends. They say to never burn bridges, but the action felt necessary to me. I never felt like I could move on in life if I didn't let these less-than-ideal friends go. Going back to the time where everything felt good, yet when time passes things changed from what I knew. The other way I took this haiku was getting to know people that you didn't think you would be friends with now. During freshman year there were many people I seen walking around, and now I'm friends with them. At the time, they were just a figure I saw while walking to class, and now I can't imagine my college experience without them. Just like my experience with letting friends go, time passes and things you once knew will change. Maliyah Battle, Fall 2024 This one is super relatable. Coming in as a freshman who doesn’t know anyone is scary. Looking back now, I had nothing to be scared of. I made lots of friends really quickly and we hang out and laugh all the time. I also like how the last lines rhyme. It makes the haiku flow nicely. Izzy Jones, Fall 2024 This made me reflect on some of my friendships. Even though it feels like I have known them my whole life, my best friends now are the ones that I met in high school and after. It’s funny to stop and think that at one point these people used to be strangers because now I’m not sure how I lived without them. In a broader sense, I also think that this haiku could point to how quickly life can change. As we learn and grow, we end up in a completely different place – physically, academically, emotionally, spiritually, etc. – doing things we might not have expected a year or a few years ago. Katelyn Wendt, Fall 2024 I really liked this haiku because all of us in class can relate to it. I often think about how I am living with some of my best friends, but didn’t know they existed before last fall. It’s crazy to think about how close you can become with someone in such a short time. We spend more time with our friends than our families in college, so it is so important to find people to laugh with daily. Charley Condill, Fall 2024 This haiku reminded me of how far I’ve come. It’s totally cheesy, but I was obviously terrified that I wouldn’t make any friends in college. Now, I have friends that I am close with, and that I laugh with every single day. This haiku has reminded me to be grateful for even the smallest acquaintance that I might have because the girl that I was a little over a year ago hoped and prayed for just that. Bella Palermo, Fall 2024 |
19 8:11 a.m Matt Kordesh (4) |
20 memories |
21 letting the air |
22 he picks me up |
23 footsteps on the path Caroline Arnold (4) This haiku is interesting to me because there could be a number of reasons for only one side of the path being worn. I like the idea of people simply following each other's paths. People have a tendency to be followers, and if one side of the path has clearly been walked on, most will just do that. However, there could be other reasons. Perhaps there is a superstition of some kind about walking on this path. Maybe it is a “secret” path that is only an exit from something, and so people naturally walk on the right side, with no one entering from the other. Melis Barutcu, Fall 2024 |
24 the morning dew Caroline Arnold (3) |
25 I turn the page Caroline Arnold (6) I take this haiku as different chapters in your life. For many going from high school to college is this big step in life but you are still doing the same things that you were doing in high school. You still must sleep, eat, and study on a repeated cycle each day. As the chapter in your life goes by the font never changes. This haiku makes you feel comfortable in what you’re doing and never want to step outside of that bubble. Gracie Shaffer, Fall 2024 I liked this haiku because when I first read it, it made me think of just a normal book, so the literal reading of it would be that the book has the same font no matter how many times the page is turned or how many new chapters you reach. However, after reading it again, it made me think of how each day goes by and nothing new changes. I go to class, I go to practice, and then I come home to do homework and sleep. No matter how many days I do it, it’s just the same thing over and over again. Abby Wilken, Fall 2024 |
26 in the distance Melis Barutcu (3) Immediately, I imagine myself as if I was driving into a severe tornado-like storm weather. It’s an open country road and the air is that weird mix of hot with super cold wind, and the shadows are all weird because the clouds are super thick even though it’s the middle of the day. I’m imagining a big field of flowers and tall grass rippling with the wind while the sirens go off to warn everyone in the area. It creates a cool juxtaposition, as most people would naturally be a little apprehensive about the oncoming storm, but the flowers look just the same as they did when it was sunny and perfect. Matt Kordesh, Fall 2024 |
27 places to see Melis Barutcu (5) |
28 loud arguments |
29 don’t know what to do |
30 ant Ava Zukowski (7) |
31 no map |
32 ants in colonies |
33 the universe spins Maliyah Battle I like this one because of the layers that exist with it. The way the first two lines are written are beautifully creative, and create a fun image, as if the universe was an entity that could reach for something. “The bottle” automatically implies alcohol, which coincides with the word “spins” even though the universe spins on its own, outside of this analogy. I like that it ends with “nothing changes.” It sort of speaks on how when you use alcohol as a way to cope, you aren’t changing anything or solving anything, just finding a distraction. I think I like this haiku because it really challenges me to understand and think about what it means. Why is the universe reaching for the bottle? It sort of comes across as nihilistic, but I know that this could be interpreted a million different ways. Rachel Nott, Fall 2024 |
34 morning coffee |
35 rows and rows |
36 electric strums |
37 woke up late for class Charlie Armstrong (4) The light-heartedness of this haiku is what drew me to look deeper into it. I know this exact feeling because throughout the week you get so caught up in waking up to your alarms that on the weekend it is hard to change your mindset. We also get so caught up in life that sometimes it is hard to remember what day of the week it is. This means that on Saturday many of the times, I think it is Friday and have the feeling that I need to do something. Overall, this haiku is light-hearted but is very relatable in college. Gracie Shaffer, Fall 2024 |
38 walking to the car Charlie Armstrong (3) I really liked this haiku because it reminded me of my terrible habit of not grabbing a jacket or checking the forecast. This habit of mine getting so bad, I resorted to having emergency jackets in my car. At the same time, I believe this haiku shows the innocence to harmless habits. Yes, the day maybe a little chilly, but it's not going to hurt. It's a habit where you tell yourself never again and end doing it the very next time you go out. It's something that tells a bit of your personality and how you can overcome little inconveniences. Maliyah Battle, Fall 2024 |
39 bamboo whisk Aubrey Diedrich (4) Taking the time to carefully, slowly, properly do a tea ceremony, only for it to not taste very good. I think it says something about high expectations harming our experience of things, and maybe the process being more important. Dan Mungons, Fall 2024 |
40 spiders in kayaks |
41 surprise mail from mom Charley Condill (4) This haiku makes me think of grabbing a package from The Woods mailroom and bringing it back to my apartment. I specifically think about the walk from the mailroom, looking at a box or something similar that covers whatever is inside of it and knowing that it’s probably nothing special, but hoping either way. To me, the shampoo is more representative of anything mundane that my parents might send me, rather than it actually being shampoo. This haiku reminds me of how easy it is to get your hopes up and being just slightly disappointed. It’s cool because even though it’s a pretty normal experience, it’s nothing special, so it’s cool that there is a haiku to place focus on a moment like that. Matt Kordesh, Fall 2024 |
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44 a swarm of wasps Melis Barutcu (5) I imagine being outside your house, maybe in the backyard, when you realize there’s wasps everywhere. At first you start to panic, but as you watch them you realize they’re just creatures trying to live. And if not here, where else? Dan Mungons, Fall 2024 |
45 fake nails, fake plants Charley Condill (3) |
46 through the vents Natalie Mase (3) This haiku reminded me of my younger brother and I eavesdropping on our parents' conversations when we were little. It reminded me of one of those rare moments where he would come to my room to tell me something and we’d both lay down by the vent. We would sit there silently only sharing facial expressions back and forth. Eventually, my parents would get suspicious as to what we were doing because we were so quiet or our dog would give us away and it would all be over. Being a brother and sister, we didn’t totally get along growing up, so it was one of those rare moments where we were truly a team. Bella Palermo, Fall 2024 |
47 birds of a feather Natalie Mase (3) When I read this haiku, I immediately thought of some of my closest friends. I thought this haiku was a cool way of describing those friends who really get you. We all have friends, but then there are your close, close friends that you can share everything with, and they give you no judgement, they just get it. I think those are the type of friends that this haiku is talking about. Lily Moore, Fall 2024 |
48 ducks and geese |
49 conversations Dayton Lasack (3) My family used to have a lilac bush in our backyard for many years. I remember all of the family cookouts, easter egg hunts, nights playing soccer with my brothers, and times with friends in my backyard with the scent of the blooming lilacs lingering. That bush was around for so much of my life, and I like how this haiku makes me think the bush was in on everything that happened in that yard. Melis Barutcu, Fall 2024 |
50 cold breeze Dayton Lasack (3) I liked the flow of this haiku and how the second line relates the first line to the third line. A cold breeze and a church are two completely different things, but the word “warmth” effectively connects them because warmth could be interpreted literally or figuratively. The first two lines suggest that this person is seeking the physical warmth of a building to escape the cold breeze. However, after reading the third line, I interpreted this haiku as someone seeking refuge in their faith to escape the troubles of the world. Katelyn Wendt, Fall 2024 This haiku brought me to a very specific situation and time in my life. Walking into church in the very cold winter, ready to feel the warmth when I enter the building. The warmth does not only come from the central heating inside the church, but the feeling that going to mass brings me even when I am having a rough time or feel burnt out. This feeling keeps me going back to mass and staying involved with my faith, and this is important to my overall wellbeing. This haiku, to me, describes that feeling. Caroline Arnold, Fall 2024 |
51 summer song |
52 a new playground Abby Wilken (2) |
53 moonlight streetlamp |
54 Christmas eve |
55 the sounds of summer Caroline Arnold (5) I thought this haiku was really creative. I loved how the words “driven away” connects the end of summer to the school bus. When I read it another time, I also thought about a stay-at-home parent watching their kids go off on the bus, thinking about how quiet the house will be with the kids back at school. I found this scenario amusing because the sounds of summer (the kids being at home) would literally be carried away by the school bus. Katelyn Wendt, Fall 2024
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56 show over Dan Mungons (5) As a theater major, of course I love this one. I especially think the word choice “dragged” is important, it gives a visceral image of not wanting to leave, but being forced to. It’s very reminiscent of closing night. You put so much time and work and energy into a show, and you build relationships with the cast and you out on amazing performances…. and then the last one happens… and the curtain is closing… and it’s all over. You’re expected to just go on with your day and find a new show to audition for with a whole new cast of people to start over with, and it’s a never-ending cycle. This haiku reminds me of every show I’ve ever done, watching the curtain close, and soaking up every last moment before it’s all over, all over again. Rachel Nott, Fall 2024 The speaker of this haiku poured so much time and effort into their show production. Countless hours rehearsing, learning lines, and mentally preparing for the show all became a part of their daily routine. The show was a major success, but now it’s all over. When I was reading this haiku, I felt the struggle of the speaker to let go of the show after it was over. There was so much put into it, and it passed so fast. I think the reason that I connected to this haiku is because it relates so much to my own personal life. I have never been involved in theater, but I have played softball my entire life. I have put countless hours into this sport and it has become a major part of my identity. I play softball at Millikin as well. However, sometimes lurking in the back of my mind is that in three years, after my time at Millikin is over, my softball career will be over as well. I worry that I will have to drag myself off the field, the same way that the speaker had to drag themselves off the stage. I’m sure when the time comes everything will be okay, but I felt a connection to this poem as I know what it feels like to put your entire soul into something you love, and for it to be over. It is bittersweet. It is a beautiful memory, but that is what it will just become, a memory. Ava Zukowski, Fall 2024 |
57 final number playing |
58 putting on makeup Gracie Shaffer |
59 $13 grilled cheese Matt Kordesh (3) |
60 step after step Gracie Shaffer When I read this haiku I am transported to my favorite walking trail in fairview park, and step after step, my mind is wandering farther and farther from what I was originally thinking about. The line “where to now” is usually the source of my thoughts, what will I do next today, this week, this month, this year, or in my life. This time I spend walking is good for me to think about these things, step by step, figuring out “problems” in my head, and clearing it. Caroline Arnold, Fall 2024 |
61 late night drive Izzy Jones (6) This haiku reminds me of late night drives with my best friends. Sometimes, we do have a destination in mind and are on the way to get ice cream or go somewhere fun. But other times, we get in the car and just drive. We can talk for hours without stopping. The outside world zips past through the window, but we are in our own little world of music and laughter. Even if our lives feel crazy, these car rides help us forget our worries for a little while and just belt out our favorite songs–even if we don’t sound very good… Natalie Mase, Fall 2024 I liked this haiku because it reminded me of driving around with my friends in the summer. We never wanted to go anywhere, maybe just get ice cream or a snow cone. We were really just looking for something to do, maybe find people to hang out with. But on these car rides, we would scream songs with the windows down and drive too fast. Nothing beats those type of nights in the summer. Lily Moore, Fall 2024 When we discussed this haiku in class, many people talked about driving around with friends and singing. For me, I thought about myself driving alone in the summer. When I would be headed home from somewhere, but it wasn’t super late yet so I could just cruise at the speed limit and enjoy the music playing. It reminded me of my sister because she is constantly driving around with no destination in mind, just wanting to listen to music. Charley Condill, Fall 2024 I really liked this haiku. It reminded me of this past summer where I would go on random late drives with my friends throughout my town. We would just play songs that we all loved, and drive with the windows down. The warm summer air would hit my face when I stuck my head near the window. My hair would fly around crazily as the wind whipped through it. I liked that this haiku said “no destination in mind.” It really shows that the simplest things in life sometimes have the greatest memories. My friends and I would just drive around to drive around even though we had nowhere to be. Just the presence of each other in the car and the music was enough for us. Ava Zukowski, Fall 2024 |
62 lunch with grandma Katelyn Wendt (13) I loved this haiku. It shows such a vivid picture of a loving but feisty grandma who won’t let their grandchild pay for lunch. It shows a fun, comfortable relationship. I instantly was brought to a very specific memory. Towards the end of the summer, I had lunch with my grandma and we went shopping afterwards, just the two of us, before I went off to school. And without her literally slapping my hand, this happened almost exactly. I always go to pay, even if I know Grandma would never let me. It’s also especially touching given my grandma is fighting cancer right now, so when she’s going through treatments I don’t get to see her much. It was nice to spend the day with her, and this haiku reminded me of that. Rachel Nott, Fall 2024 My grandma doesn’t live in the same area as me, so we do not get to see each other super often. Whenever we hang out, we typically go on a breakfast or lunch date around church. My grandma is always so adamant that she is paying (even when I try to pay with my mom’s card instead of mine). I thought this haiku was super cute and just shows how much the grandma cares. I thought it was sweet. Izzy Jones, Fall 2024 This haiku has a very playful feel to it and reminds me of my own grandma. I imagined myself sitting across from her in the booth at our favorite restaurant near her house. I’ve ordered my favorite, the caesar salad, and I feel very full and content. My grandma never lets anyone in my family pay for anything–especially her grandchildren. I should know better, but I find myself reaching for the bill and getting a playful but surprisingly firm tap on the wrist as before she reaches for her own wallet. She may be getting older, but her determination to pay the bill will never fade. Natalie Mase, Fall 2024 This haiku makes me think of my grandma and for that, I am thankful. My grandma might be my biggest fan. It feels like no matter what I do, right or wrong, she will always have my back. She would actually slap my wrist if I tried to pay for lunch. This haiku reminds me to be thankful for my grandma, and my family members in general. It does a good job of illustrating how important family really is. Dayton Lasack, Fall 2024 |
63 shrimp tacos on my plate Izzy Jones (3) |
64 90 degree turn |
65 bright and tidy yard Bella Palermo (3) I imagined a large two-story brick house. The front yard of the house is extremely well-kempt. The grass is mowed in a way that there are alternating green lines (kind of like the alternating green and dark green lines you commonly see on a baseball field). There are bushes that are shaped into random things like a horse and spiral twists. Flowerbeds line the front windows. You can’t see inside the windows though. There is not a single crack in the driveway or sidewalk leading up to the front door of the house. I imagine myself walking up to the front door and twisting the knob. Immediately as I open the door, the inside is a mess. Trash is thrown everywhere, the furniture is turned over, and the lights are flickering. It is a complete turnaround from the organized front of the house. What I gathered from this is that the status of the house can be compared to a human being. Someone may look like they are put together on the outside and that everything is okay, there may be a lot of things going on in their life behind the scenes that is that obvious to us. I feel as if this haiku supports the idea that you should treat everyone with kindness because you never know what is going on in people’s lives. Ava Zukowski, Fall 2024 |
66 inside jokes Katelyn Wendt (60 Going off what was said earlier, this makes me think of all the jokes me and one of my roommates have together. We could be anywhere, and all of a sudden, we both look at each other and it is like we know what joke we are thinking about and we start laughing like crazy. Especially after workouts/practices when we are already sore, it ends up cramping our ribs because of how hard we laugh. Charlie Armstrong, Fall 2024 This haiku reminded me of my favorite feeling. I absolutely adore that feeling of being with the people you feel closest with and safest with. These are the people that understand your humor the best, and who will laugh at the stupidest jokes with you just because you think it’s funny. I am reminded of being with my family too. We have some good inside jokes, and the giggles always come out when we are kind of forced to be together on family vacation. In my family, we will relentlessly make fun of each other, and to me, being able to laugh at myself with the people I love is what family is for. Bella Palermo, Fall 2024 This haiku was very lighthearted and that is why I enjoyed it/ It reminds me of my friends back home, and when something is funny, we can laugh about it for the longest time. The inside jokes make me think about how when no one else gets what’s so funny about it or it doesn’t make sense to them, that doesn’t stop us from laughing extra hard about it. After a while, you don’t even realize how much time has passed and you’ve been smiling for so long your jaw hurts a little. Abby Wilken, Fall 2024 |
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