Global Haiku • July 2018
Dr. Randy Brooks

Into the Forest

by
Vineece Thompson

Coming into this class, I knew I would have fun creating haiku and expressing my inner feelings through poetry. Little did I know that it would also be an outlet that would lead to greater opportunities for me to expose my work, and to launch my debut as a writer. The fact that this class also offered that opportunity caused me to be even more excited about joining the class.

I chose “Into the Forest” as the title for my haiku collection. The title has a double meaning—both literal and metaphorical. Some of the poems featured in my collection make reference to the literal meaning of the title, in that they reflect my love of nature and seasonal themes. 

In the metaphoric approach to creating my haiku, I compare my mind to a forest. The creativity involved in describing my inner thoughts requires diving deep into the core of my mind, which is like going deep into the forest to explore its complex pathways. They are pathways with various twists and turns, which are full of both darkness and light. This experience allows me to tap into the dark, morbid, yearning, and passionate feelings generated by certain things I have either experienced or been exposed to during my lifetime.   

The forest, in this case, is that of a mysterious and subtly eerie one, which depicts most of the haiku in my collection. The themes primarily pertain to dark romance, love with a sense of danger, hauntingly beautiful scenes (like the one about the two gothic lovers dancing in the moonlit night), and a sense of loneliness. However, a few consist of lighter themes.

I hope that readers will find my haiku captivating, intriguing, relatable, and overall enjoyable.

the twilight hour
creeps upon us . . .
we share a forbidden kiss

mama’s backyard
the red tulips
keep growing back

sweet serenade
sung to the evening wind—
no answer

into the forest
we venture deep,
finding a place to hide

moonlit dancers
in the cold wind . . .
wholly intertwine

swimming pool
my dad
teaches me to float

alone in the dark
the secrets told
written down

please go away
i beg you . . .
tiny winged pest

lonely night
the rain
caresses me to sleep

small black widow
on the blank pavement
in search of shade

strawberry garden—
i bring him over
for mama’s fresh pies