Global Haiku • Fall 2025 |
|
|
Stay Gold by The following haiku are my favorites of the many haiku I have throughout this semester. A large majority are based on my personal experiences. In organizing this collection, I realized that most of my favorites and my classmates' favorites were not written by “force.” I have found that the best haiku do not come when I am trying to write haiku. They come most often when I am alone and reflect on my day. Some of my most favorite haiku were the ones that had been turning in my head for days or weeks. It often took many trials of reorganizing and rewording until I found the right words. They were not “forced,” I just let the words and the images roll around in my brain, and eventually the right words came. So many of my haiku came to me on my daily commute to and from Millikin University. Learning to write haiku has made me much more aware of the world around me. My best advice for writing haiku is to find a time and a place where you can be truly alone with your thoughts. Some days the haiku may come easier than others, but that does not mean they will not come. Pay attention to the world around you; even the smallest moments can make the best haiku. Your haiku may not even come to you in reflection, but hours later. Find time to reflect, then let your brain rest. Put haiku writing in the background, and most often, the words will pop into your head when the time is right. Lastly, do not be afraid to be personal with your haiku. Many haiku come from a place of deep emotion. Do not write for your readers. Write for yourself. The chances are that your readers have had similar experiences. I hope that through reading my haiku, you can gain a glimpse into my life, but also find new insights in your own life. Let each haiku dance in your mind. Let it grow, evolve, and morph into a product of your own experiences. |
laughing with friends |
hand in mine This haiku is my signature haiku. I know many others in the class enjoyed this haiku as well. I love the way I was able to depict the memory so well with little reference to the actual event. I wrote this haiku after my aunt and uncle came down from Wisconsin for a visit at the beginning of the school year. My aunt is about twenty years older than my uncle, so she is in her eighties now. She worked as a CNA for many years, and the years of damage to her back and knees are catching up to her. For the first time ever, she was using a cane and even a walker. It really made me realize that she was getting older. While they were here, we took them to my brother’s football game. It is quite a long walk to the bleachers from the parking lot. We took our time. She held her cane and used me to help support her balance on the uneven grass. It was a magical moment because at the time, nothing else mattered but getting to where we were heading. The moment had so much love and care, and I think I was able to portray that with this haiku. Emily Edwards, Fall 2025 |
college acceptance This haiku is also deeply personal. During my time in college, I have lost two great mentors. My great aunt Francis, who became like my surrogate grandma after she died. The other is Jodi Norton. She was the president of the Lupus Inspiration Foundation for Excellence, which awards scholarships to college students with lupus. Jodi really helped me become more comfortable talking about my fight with lupus. Her scholarship foundation was so much more than that, as she paired winners and made the whole organization like one big family and support group. I was sad to hear that she eventually passed from complications due to lupus, and after her passing, the foundation was shut down. While both of these influential people in my life have passed since I started college, I used college acceptance to symbolize major life events. I have often found myself starting to text them after major events, such as my research presentations, winning the Scovill Award, and graduation. I think I was really able to portray that rapid flip of emotions when you realize that the people you want to share these major accomplishments with are not there when you do. Emily Edwards, Fall 2025 |
gone with the wind I really like this haiku because it shows how my haiku writing process has evolved. This haiku was inspired by the movie “The Outsiders.” It has been one of my favorite books/movies since junior high. What I like most is that it took me a while to come up with this one. I recently rewatched the movie, and ever since, the words have been mulling around in my brain, but I could never seem to find the right ones. Then, one day in the car on the way home, it finally clicked. I love the way I was able to use the double meaning in the first line, as the book “Gone With the Wind” is important in the movie, and shows how Johnny’s final words were delivered, but also how they seemed to linger with you. I think this haiku really shows how my haiku writing has evolved in that my brain is now continually playing with phrases to turn into haiku. Emily Edwards, Fall 2025 |
man of her dreams I like this haiku because of the drastic flip in mood and emotions. The opening lines fill you with such happiness and hope, but then the final line completely changes the whole mood. You can almost feel the sense of shame and pain this woman is going through. She thought she had finally found the perfect man, but he has shown her otherwise. At first, I used the word mirror to help portray the scene, but I think it serves a much larger purpose. You can feel that the mirror is her prison. It is where she sees her biggest failure, and where she tries to hide it because she is scared to ask for help. I really like the deeper meanings and symbolism I have found in this haiku since I first wrote it. Emily Edwards, Fall 2025 |
April showers This haiku is another very personal one. My grandma died when I was in fifth grade. I remember the day so clearly. It was a beautiful spring day, and my mom and I were in the backyard planting flowers. I could tell that she had been crying, and I knew she had been to visit my grandma in the nursing home the night before. At one point, she looked up at me and told me that Grandma had died the night before. I remember crying, but the rest of the day was kind of a blur. My grandma was the first person I ever saw dead. While this haiku is deeply personal, I like how many people in the class were able to relate. I also like how the last line of the haiku adds a double meaning to the haiku. Everyone has heard the saying, “April showers brin May flowers,” and it was the initial inspiration for the haiku. However, the final line makes you think not of rain, but of tears. The main reason I like this haiku is because of how the lines play off of each other and change the meanings and imagery of the haiku. Emily Edwards, Fall 2025 |
star-crossed lovers |
dusting |
running late |
old newspapers |
barren branches |
© 2025, Randy Brooks • Millikin University
All rights returned to authors upon publication.