PACE Global Haiku • Spring 2007 Dr. Randy Brooks

Cindie Zelhart Essay on O Mabson Southard

Nature’s Gifts by Cindie Zelhart My haiku collection is titled “Nature’s Gifts.” I truly enjoy nature and the peace and fulfillment it gives to my life. This is reflected in my haiku writing. When I looked back at my writing from the semester, most of my haiku were about nature and family, both of which I consider gifts. To me, a haiku is a snapshot poem. A good haiku gives the reader a mental image so vivid that it can be seen and felt when it is being read. When reading a good haiku, just like when looking at a snapshot, the reader gets involved in the situation and wonders about the circumstances being described as well as the people and emotions involved. I learned that every word written in a haiku is important. You need to carefully consider each word before you put it on paper. A good haiku says a lot in a small amount of space while still allowing the reader to fill in what is left unsaid. I hope you enjoy this collection of haiku.

the old barn sunbeams catching on the dusty web

a summer evening lightening bug glitters on my finger

orange slices in the glass candy dish next to fresh cut daisies

yellow tulip moist with dew reflects the morning light

Saturday morning working out with my iPod

against blue skies brightly colored balloons drift on the gentle breeze

scurrying by with bent head avoiding my eyes

© 2007, Randy Brooks • Millikin University
All rights returned to authors upon publication.