Halloween Kukai 07 Favorites
Global Haiku • Millikin University • Fall 2025
1 a voice Emily Edwards (5) This one gives a creepy feeling, and it reminds me of when all the lights go off and it is dark out and I start to scare myself, so I run or walk faster to get to light. The setting of the cemetery is a good visual for a spooky haiku. Addison Weed Fall 2025 I feel like when you are in an environment that is more spiritual or spooky you kind of put yourself in the mindset where you feel more aware to paranormal activity, and anything can freak you out like random rustling leaves that are actually just from a squirrel. This haiku does also remind me of Appalachia and all the paranormal rules they have there, not going out when it’s dark, if you saw something no you didn’t, if you hear bells ringing go inside, and lastly if you hear whistling or your name being called NO YOU DON’T, remain calm and head to the closest enclosed destination (car, house, etc). This haiku really does a good job at giving you a picture of that moment, the chills down your spine that you feel, the drop in your stomach, your heart rate going faster, and your legs feeling like jelly. Jordana Samnick, Fall 2025 |
2 old newspapers Emily Edwards (6) This poem is also a big nostalgia moment for me. My dad would always tell me to put newspaper out before I did a craft, before I painted my nails, or before I used hot glue. Since I was little and still learning, I would always put SO much out. I would cover the whole table even if I was just using a little bit of it. When my family and I would carve pumpkins, it was always on the kitchen table. Since we had to use sharp knives to cut the pumpkins, my brother and I would always be assigned to set the newspaper out so we could still feel like we were being helpful. All in all, this haiku really just reminds me of my childhood and makes me happy to read! Natalie Brodsky, Fall 2025 |
3 dead end Emily Edwards (3) |
4 rolling graves Jordana Samnick (6) |
5 Trick or Treat? Colin Arrick (7) |
6 dark sky, clown sightings Ridge Batchelor |
7 Halloween night Sam Ramirez |
8 banging on the door Jordana Samnick |
9 Halloween candy bowl Hope Self (4) |
10 no one notices Chelsea Hammons This haiku does an excellent job of being a three-sentence horror story, so long as I am interpreting it correctly. The thought of someone being in possession of a real human skeleton and displaying it as a decoration only on Halloween is quite haunting. Skeletons are everywhere during the season, so why would anyone think one would be real? No one would notice anything is wrong, because it would just look like another skeleton. Why does the owner have possession of these bones? Was it a murder? A deceased family member? The possibilities for horror stories that this haiku provides are endless. Asa Pilger, Fall 2025 |
11 shadow Coraline Nelson (13) In the context of the prompt, this haiku can be especially spooky; however, this haiku reminded me more of when I am lying in bed and see a creepy shadow. The shadow ends up being clothes on my chair or something in my closet, but it still freaks me out. The word only being “shadow” adds some mystery to the feel of the haiku. When your mind plays tricks on you, it can create unease, and I think that this is kind of what is being used in the haiku. Our minds can fill in the blanks of what the shadow may be or what may be lurking in the corner. All we know is that there’s a shadow in the corner that does not belong to us. Our minds can wander from there. Nicole Wells, Fall 2025 |
12 dowsing rod moving Coraline Nelson |
13 phone goes off Bella Griffiths (5) |
14 graveyard Asa Pilger (9) This haiku is really cool and clever. I like the use of the word lone. It makes the character more distinct and interesting. Why is he alone? Does he prefer to take shifts by himself so that he can have privacy to talk to “his friends?” Who are his friends? Is he talking to his friends who have passed as a form of grief or is he actually communing with ghosts? I love when haikus intrigue me enough to invite questions. I like to wonder about the deeper stories going on. The brevity in this poem really allows the reader to participate in the creation of this story. It’s an excellent bridge. Amanda Spotts, Fall 2025 |
15 the house settles Asa Pilger (13) I enjoyed this poem because of the structure; it was building suspense, and the last line carries the final motion. We are left with an unsettled feeling and many of us can relate to the comfort of hiding behind a blanket. Each word feels carefully selected and aids in creating a moment of unease. Sam Ramirez, Fall 2025 I like this haiku because it is so relatable to me. I live in a house that is currently super old. Often, I find myself getting scared when I am lying in my bed at night. Sometimes it’s just my roommates, and sometimes it’s just the house being old, but I always have the irrational fear that something is coming to get me. Hope Self, Fall 2025 My house is older, twenty-five years old, and it creaks all the time. I live in a neighborhood, and it is usually pretty quiet at night. My mom is a night owl and will often be up later than I am. I will sometimes wake up and hear her walking around. The house will also creak and pop. It is so quiet that you hear every noise, and they often startle me. I always pop my eyes open and look around my room. Then I pull my blanket cocoon even tighter around me. It just makes me feel safe, even though I know it is just the house creaking or someone getting up in the middle of the night. Emily Edwards, Fall 2025 |
16 picky Trick-or-treater Nissi Bamgboye (6) |
17 cool wind Amanda Spotts (5) I liked this haiku because it was spooky. I can imagine being in a room and feeling a wind when there isnt a window. It would definitely be kind of scary. I liked how they added cool at the beginning, it made it more spooky. Ridge Batchelor, Fall 2025 |
18 late bloomer Nissi Bamgboye |
19 creaking floor boards Amanda Spotts (8) |
20 family matching costumes Grace Felz |
21 children race Grace Felz (4) |
22 a pale fog Bella Griffiths |
23 candy in piles Abbey Matthews (12) I liked this haiku because I found it very relatable. I found it funny that you chose to write about Whoppers specifically because I chose to do the same thing. I remember being in elementary school, sorting through my huge bags of candy, deciding what to bring to school as a snack on what days. Most of the candy I didn't like, such as Whoppers, either sat in the bag for a month, got given away at school, or got thrown away. Overall, this haiku just reminds me of when I was a kid and how Halloween used to be so exciting. Chelsea Hammons, Fall 2025 I like this haiku because it reminds me of my brothers and me. After trick-or-treating every year, we would sort all of our candy into piles and trade them. It is just a core memory for me and something that I look forward to every year. Grace Pelz, Fall 2025 I thought that this haiku was incredibly relatable because I think that whoppers are one of my least favorite candies. Every year I try a whopper thinking that maybe I will start to like them, and I always end up just spitting them out. This haiku also unearthed a deep memory of mine from Kindergarten. My Kindergarten teacher absolutely LOVED whoppers. I specifically remember that the weekend before Halloween she would say that if you got whoppers, and didn’t like them, she would be happy to take them so they didn’t go to waste. This made me really happy because gift giving is my love language, and I also disliked whoppers. That year I ended up giving her several fun sized whoppers. I still remember how absolutely ecstatic she was that someone thought to save them for her. She was my absolute favorite teacher, and I still think about her often. Hannah Swan, Fall 2025 This halloween haiku was another one of my favorites! After my cousins and I would trick or treat, the real fun was sorting out what we got and making trades with eachother. This haiku is so real because... who really likes whoppers? Bella Griffiths, Fall 2025 |
24 I dress as a character Abbey Matthews (5) |
25 a porch creaks Nicole Wells |
26 a whopper Chelsea Hammons (9) I like this because I always gave away my whoppers from Halloween. I also wrote a haiku about disliking whoppers, so this related well. I would sort my candy into piles after we were done trick-or-treating and give away whoppers. I did not really trade with anyone other than my brother but I really liked this imagery that the haiku gave. Abbey Matthews, Fall 2025 |
27 white sheets Addison Weed |
© 2025, Randy Brooks • Millikin University
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