Global Haiku • Spring 2014
Dr. Randy Brooks

The Cherry On Top

by
Heather Nigh

“The cherry on top” is an expression used to show a special finishing touch. In a lot of my haiku, I write about memories with my family and they tend to be positive memories. I am an optimistic person and always see the good in situations, so I enjoyed writing about the good times I have had in life. I chose the haiku included in my collection based on what I thought was important in my life. Not all of the situations in my haiku are the same, but they are things that define who I am or where I live. Some of the haiku may seem negative, but in reality, I make the most of every situation. All of the situations together make me who I am. The cherry on top obviously has to do with ice cream in a literal sense like in my signature hiaku, but the collection is my “special finishing touch” to my life story in the form of haiku. I know there are many good times to come, but so far, this collection shows how great life has been.

Reader’s Introduction

visiting friends
just like old times . . .
laughter

the memory
replays in my head
as I stare at the photograph

The haiku above were my personal favorites because they are very relatable to my own life. You can connect with all of the haiku somehow, whether it be from a personal memory or something you can see happening. It is obvious that the author writes about things that have happened in her life, but she makes them vague enough to where everyone can relate because, most likely, everyone has been there at one time or another. ~Darrell Hunt

quick steps
in the fresh snow
one block to go

friday night
I’m indoors
finishing a paper

a little girl
counting down the days
Santa’s coming

to my second home . . .
watching the sunset
through my windshield

New Year’s Day
she sees the leftover cupcakes
“I’ll start tomorrow.”

wrong time
for a family vacation
Mardi Gras

Sunday morning
the message hits home—
Grandma’s nods

out of balance
the ice cream cone
falls to the floor

man's best friend . . .
not so much
early in the morning

rings of the tree stump;
stories told
by her every wrinkle