Global Haiku • Fall 2024
Dr. Randy Brooks

Endless Sky

by
Ava Zukowski

Growing up, I always thought that haiku had to be extremely structured and had a specific set of rules to follow. However after learning more, I realized that haiku has 0 limitations. Haiku can be written by anyone and everyone, and it can be about anything and everything. There is no limit to what haiku can be about. Moreover, I have fully realized its influence in human connection. Haiku is often left open for interpretation, which allows to be universally applicable. I love that whenever I share my haiku or read the haiku of others, someone thought about the haiku in a different way that I did. Everyone has their own personal life experiences, and that wholly influences the way in which haiku is interpreted. I think that is why I often write about the random concepts that pop into my head, because I know that in some way it can connect to the lives of others.

All the selected haiku for this connection are random and have no relation to one another. I chose them because they cover a wide variety of topics. When I write my haiku, I want the reader to feel. Whether that be imagining a physical description of the focus of my haiku, or an emotion associated with it, I want to evoke some type of feeling or thoughts about my work. Good or bad, scary or safe, exciting or dull, the feelings evoked by haiku allow the sharing of thoughts and experiences between other people. Ultimately, haiku has extreme power in promoting personal haiku interpretations, as well as further introspection into our lives.

snowflakes
frosted cheeks
stargazing

endless sky
I wonder
where else I exist

ant
smushed
guilty of existing

feet pounding concrete
chasing
the sun

red oranges and yellows
I tug my coat
tighter

empty couch
he chooses
the spot next to mine

coffee run
he knows
what I want

evening mist
the moon
hears our secrets

playing outside
mud meatballs
bon appétit