PACE Global Haiku • Spring 2007 Dr. Randy Brooks

Keith Chandler HARD DAY'S NIGHT Beatles Tribute Kasen

Look What I Can Do! by Keith Chandler When I was two years old, my brother and I spent the night at my grandparent’s farm along with our cousins. It was the dead of winter and the house did not have central heat. We all slept in the room painted red, one of the only inhabitable rooms in the house. The boys were in one bed and the girls were in another underneath monumental layers of blankets. I don’t remember any of use sleeping that night. All I remember is us jumping from bed to bed like zoo monkeys trying to attract attention. The next morning, we all ate pancakes. The point of this silly little story is to show exactly where my haiku come from. Often times, I like to return to memories like this as a reminder of how simple life can be. Even in times of great pain and grief, I think subtle beauty and simplicity can be found. Like most haiku writers, my inspiration is my life and the moments within whether they are humorous, embarrassing, or heartrending. The following collection of writings is what I feel to be my best haiku.

words from last night linger at the table pass the salt…

dancing naked to Aretha Franklin alone at last

dirty laundry bare feet run across the cement floor

running in the park i inhale a taste of iron

memories… the half empty bottle of wine

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