Haiku Kukai 04 Favorites
Global Haiku • Millikin University • Fall 2025
1 in her hospital bed Emily Edwards (3) |
2 yelling from the other side Hannah Swan (5) |
3 eating lunch on the patio Hannah Swan (8) |
4 the old book Addison Weed I really enjoyed this haiku because it makes me think of getting flowers from someone I love. Unfortunately, flowers do not last forever, but I am a sentimental person, so when I get flowers, I want to press them so I can keep them forever and maybe even add a little date and memory on a sticky note with them. Then, when I look back at the flowers, I can remember that time. Hope Self, Fall 2025 |
5 rain in the air |
6 cold metal bench Jordana Samnick This was my favorite haiku from the kukai because it’s relatable. We likely all know someone who we long for, miss, or no longer talk to. We are all the same in the end, we crave connection. This haiku highlights the search of connection but focuses on the feeling of loss. The bench is cold, meaning it is likely a cloudy day or a colder season. People are passing by but they are referred to as strangers which sets a distance between the narrator and the others. Then the last line ties it all together, the gloom of the day and the distance from others is because the narrator is missing or longing for a specific someone. A person who would have made the moment on the cold bench feel like a warm day. Saying they’re not you makes me imagine that they mean that all the others are ordinary but the person they refer to is unlike them, no one else is good enough. That one individual has something that sets them apart, this could be their shared history, personality, attitude, chemistry, etc. Sam Ramirez, Fall 2025 |
7 a cracked spine Amanda Spotts (5) |
8 months of unread texts Amanda Spotts (3) |
9 apple picking Amanda Spotts (5) |
10 an empty wallet Coraline Nelson (9) |
11 my favorite chips |
12 shimmering pool Coraline Nelson (5) I thought of this as me as a kid. I would walk to the gate with my friends so excited to get into the pool. We would always get sad and annoyed when we had to wait for our parents to come get into the gate because we were too short to reach it. Just brought me back to those fun memories as a kid when we were at the pool. Abbey Matthews, Fall 2025 |
13 party with a friend Sam Ramirez (3) |
14 we swat flies Sam Ramirez (10) I liked this haiku because the last line was an unexpected twist with a little bit of humor. I made me chuckle after picturing the scene with one of my siblings. We are in the living room, bickering about the fruit flies in the middle of the summer heat wave. As we swat them around, one lands on my sister's face, and we both take a moment to look at the flip-flop in my hand and laugh. Chelsea Hammons, Fall 2025 I absolutely loved this poem because I have always approached haiku with a sense of calmness, but this one embarrasses the humor and the chaos. It also makes me think of my brother and I when we were younger. If we were on a mission to swat flies and one landed on me, he would absolutely slap me. All in all, this haiku seems like it would be a scene in a sitcom show, and I absolutely love the playfulness of it. Hannah Swan, Fall 2025 |
15 pulled into a hug Coraline Nelson (11) I like this haiku because it can be relatable. With a simple hug it can take your emotions to another level no matter how tough you are trying to be. It gives me a sense of help and support from the actions being used. I can picture this with myself and remember the time I was upset but didn’t want to cry, but the minute my mom gave me a hug I cried in her arms. Addison Weed, Fall 2025 I can see someone asking if you are okay. I say that I am fine, but they pull me into a hug anyway. I have been holding back the tears, trying to stay strong. The second I feel their arms around me, the wall starts to crumble. Finally, I broke down in tears, and so do they. We stand there for a long time crying until we get our bearings back. Then, we just stand there in silence, letting the emotions run their course. Emily Edwards, Fall 2025 |
16 granny’s house |
17 Sunday football Hope Self This was my favorite haiku from kukai because it reminded me of my dad. We always used to watch football on Sundays, and my mom would always make us dinner. This haiku brought back fond memories of my family. Ridge Batchelor, Fall 2025 |
18 jelly filled |
19 my one trick yoyo Randy Brooks (8) |
20 sibling heart-to-heart Nicole Wells (10) While I don’t have a family pet, I do have several siblings. This was just a heartwarming read, and I’d definitely read a story that has a scene like this haiku describes. And as mentioned in class, it’s kind of funny to think of a pair of siblings that only get along when their parents aren’t looking. This one’s great! |
21 woman at the stake Chelsea Hammons (8) This haiku is so creative. I immediately got the sense of the Salem Witch Trials. I imagine a gloomy day, the type of sky that occur when its about to turn over to night and you can smell the nail coming. A woman is on a pedestal in all black, her dress being blown by the wind. You can see the angry look of betrayal in her eyes and a look of satisfaction in his. I pictured the man and woman to be husband and wife which also adds another layer of depth to this simple haiku. Natalie Brodsky, Fall 2025 |
22 let me in! Nissi Bamgboye (7) |
23 smeared mascara Jordana Samnick I love this haiku. The first time I thought that it was about one character. I felt the embarrassment through the haiku. I assumed she was crying at a party hence the boots. This feels embarrassing to me because her outfit was drawing attention to her in a distressing moment. The second time, I imagined someone else walking away from her. Her mascara is smeared because of what transpired between her and the person walking away. All that's left of their relationship are mascara tears and the sounds of footsteps. Amanda Spotts, Fall 2025 |
24 flashing lights |
25 snapped pencil tip Amanda Spotts (7) I really like this haiku because I find myself spacing out quite often, especially during class. I think that the pencil tip snapping is just enough to make you almost give up, in a sense, and zone out. I also like how the window is described as a world since it really does pull you in and feels like somewhere else. Grace Pelz, Fall 2025 |
26 everything bagel Randy Brooks (6) |
27 blurry vision Nicole Wells (5) This haiku is beautiful because of how many different interpretations there are. For example, one might interpret blurry vision to be a result of crying, and the tears falling on the grave are cleaning it of the dirt. Or, one might think that the visitor to the grave is getting older and their vision, as a result of getting older, is getting blurrier. Therefore, they can’t see the dirt on the headstone anymore. My personal favorite interpretation is that, as someone grows older, the pain of the loss eases, and they begin to only think of happy memories with the deceased. By only thinking of these memories, the “dirt” is removed and they are left with only joyful times. Asa Pilger, Fall 2025 |
© 2025, Randy Brooks • Millikin University
All rights returned to authors upon publication.