Global Haiku • January 2025
Dr. Randy Brooks

A Grandparents' Teachings

by
athaniel Straughter

I was born a twin to single mother named Angela Straughter. She worked two jobs to make enough money to be able to feed and raise two twin boys. Because of this we would stay with our great grandparents during the day while she was at work. This continued when school started, my mother would drop us off and my grandmother would pick us up. My Great Grandparents taught me everything I know, including the morales I live by today. These poems are all influenced by the way they raised me. Hopefully, you can get a glimpse of my childhood, and beautiful people my grandparents were.

“A Grandparents Teachings” shows the ideals and views on life belonging to a past generation. I hope you are able to resonate with the haiku the same way I was when writing them. This collection earned its name because of the haiku's resemblance to the way my great grandparents raised me. After choosing my favorite’s; while looking at them as a collection, it was clear to see that my mind was reminiscent to their beliefs, care, and ideologies, that they have unintentionally handed down to me.

on the ground
a penny tails up   flip it
I just lost a dime

dirty band aid
a week-old scare . . .
yet to scab

forever grandpa's basement
forgotten records and
dusty VHS tapes

words on a still train
my eyes see art    society sees
a ghetto crime scene

continous noise
ocean of legs
squeeze of mother's hand

eye lids heavy
breaths come slow
what is sleep