Global Haiku • Fall 2025 |
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My Heartbest Steadies by I chose "My Heartbeat Steadies" as the title because it captures what this collection is about: small moments that show what it means to be human. I woke up in the middle of the night, grabbed my blankets that still smelled like home after months of college, and felt calmer. These haiku came from moments I've experienced or witnessed—a walk in the park, going home, thinking about my career. Haiku forces you to figure out what's actually important in a moment. At the beginning of this class, I thought haiku was a poem with three lines. The number of syllables depends on each line and follows a 5-7-5 pattern. I remember when I was younger counting the syllables on my hand and trying to think of words that would fit the syllable pattern. Over the past semester, I've learned that haiku isn't about counting syllables at all. It's about capturing some real moment in time in just a few specific words. By doing this, we can create a story. There are many stories to tell; they can be happy or sad but they’re usually always relatable. The biggest thing haiku has taught me is that sometimes less really is more. This is what I wrote about and analyzed in my essay not too long ago. One of the most important parts of haiku is the social aspect, and the less a haiku poet says allows the audience to fill in the gaps with their own experiences. The haiku I loved most from our readings were the ones that left room for interpretation, the ones that meant something slightly different to each person who read them. I also liked the ones that were relatable memories/connections, storyline/progression, and had twists in the haiku. To me, to make a haiku good, an author should be intentional with the words/descriptors they use and use those words to build strong imagery. In general, I learned that haiku can be a lot of different things. I did not really think about how many topics one could write a haiku about or what emotions could be conveyed. There are ones about love, ones with darker themes, those that are more humorous, and more. Figuring out which way I wanted to write was difficult at times. At times, I have noticed that haiku has changed how I pay attention to things. To write a good haiku, you have to actually notice what's happening around you. You can't be on autopilot and rushing from one thing to another, which is what I usually find myself doing. As I wrote in my author introduction, haiku "forces you to figure out what's actually important in a moment." This sounds obvious, but when was the last time any of us really did that? We're always thinking about the next thing, or scrolling through our phones, or replaying something that happened yesterday. Haiku has made me more present; I think about emotions felt and little details in a certain moment. It has helped me slow down and think more about what makes a moment memorable. What really surprised me about haiku was discovering how connected we all are through these small, ordinary experiences. When I read someone else's haiku about coming home, or when I wrote about waking up in the middle of the night and grabbing my blankets that still smelled like home and everyone liked it, it drove the point home about the social aspect of haiku. We've all had moments like this where small things that somehow mean everything. That's what I meant when I said "the way people can relate to each other through life's little moments encapsulated in little words was cool to see and experience in this class" in my collection introduction. I think haiku can be used to talk about various stages and parts of life. There are simple moments, there are emotions, there are instances that we will remember forever and those that we remember only for a short time. When I was putting together my haiku collection and organizing it into sections, I realized I organized it in a way that talked about different parts of life. Most of them were from personal experience, and I can remember the emotions I felt in each moment. Like life, there were ones that were full of joy and warmed my heart, but there were also ones that made me sad to think back on. Each haiku was proof that I'd stopped, even for just a minute, and paid attention. Whether it was noticing how at peace the deer were in the woods on my walk with my family, or sitting with the mix of emotions that comes from participating in one of my hobbies or even thinking about my career and feeling both excited and worried. I was slowing down and living these moments, not just rushing through them. Maybe the most valuable thing haiku has taught me is that it's okay not to have everything figured out. Haiku doesn't try to explain everything or tie things up neatly. A moment can be happy and sad at the same time. The awkwardness in a haiku can sit there and stay. You can feel comfortable and unsettled. You can be confident about something and still have doubts. Haiku lets all of that exist together without forcing you to pick one feeling or make it all make sense. I usually like to have a clear answer for everything, but haiku does not require this nor does it encourage it. Authors want the audience to experience a wide array of emotions. As this class ends, I'm taking more with me than just a collection of poems. I'm leaving with a new appreciation for haiku. Reading a haiku every once in a while will help me stay focused on living in the present rather than worrying about things I do not know or cannot control. I notice things I would've walked right past before. I find joy in the little moments such as a blanket that smells like the detergent my mom uses, feeling my heartbeat slow down when I'm anxious, a random Tuesday afternoon walk where I see a family of deer. Haiku has shown me that experiencing life is really about paying attention to these moments and knowing that one moment is not less important than another. The chill I got when stepping outside can make for a better haiku than winning a prestigious award. All moments matter, even when they seem too small or too simple to count or think twice about. Everything I've learned can be used in my professional and personal life. In the future, I will try not to let inconveniences get me down. I will try to enjoy the little moments like my grandma texting me or my mom getting me a book because I mentioned it once. I can practice slowing down and living in the present even though I often worry about the future. I can see that I have more in common with others than I previously thought. This class allowed me to be more artistic which usually does not happen much since I am a business major. Through haiku, I discovered another creative outlet that can really be done any time and anywhere, which is more than I expected for a college class. Nicole Wells, Fall 2025 |
a cracking branch, big round eyes |
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sibling heart-to-heart I included this haiku in my collection because it is one of my favorites, and I liked the discussions we had in class about it. People interpret it differently, and it shows the social art aspect of haiku. For me, I drew inspiration from my relationship with my brother. He works late, and I stay up late, so by the time we get to catch up, it can be one or two in the morning. By this time, sometimes the family dog has not gone to bed yet. He lays on the couch or in the dining room while my brother and I talk in the kitchen. I think one of the great things is that we can talk about nothing, talk about life, or watch funny videos that we wanted to show each other. My parents are long asleep, and it is a nice moment to have. Nicole Wells, Fall 2025 |
falling into old routines
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divorce papers signed I tried something different when I was writing this haiku. I wanted the story to be present but also have a line that is related to the story. The dryer vent still being broken is supposed to be indicative of the fact that, at many times in this marriage, someone was asked to fix the dryer vent and never did it. I think it is the little things that can build up and drive a wedge into a relationship, and this broken vent would be one of them. The second line relates to the first but also brings in the third line nicely, since it relates to the status of the home. There is also a sense of finality in the papers being signed and the vent still being broken. It adds a sense of resignation to the haiku. Nicole Wells, Fall 2025 |
sunlight gone
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homecoming night
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busy bees at work— |
the ball skims his fingertips I really liked this haiku. I think it is relatable for lots of people and paints a story of someone’s love for a sport fading. The audience does not know why this person has been away from this sport (in this case, it is basketball), and they do not know what “familiar feeling” he is getting. Maybe he suffered an injury and the weight of the ball brings back bad memories, or maybe he is thinking of good memories. I liked the simplicity in this haiku and the use of imagery. Nicole Wells, Fall 2025 |
© 2025, Randy Brooks • Millikin University
All rights returned to authors upon publication.