Haiku Kukai 05 - Spring Break
Global Haiku • Millikin University • Spring 2022
1 kitten tucked |
2 the usual Mandy Thrasher (5) |
3 mountain of dishes Mandy Thrasher (8) This one is great because it’s very specific, but also relatable. Since haiku often strives to exert a common feeling, it can be broad sometimes. I think it’s so neat that so many of us have thought this exact sentence. It conveys this sense of exhaustion, but also a bit of good humor as well. Geo Tapia, Spring 2022 |
4 pineapple malibu Mandy Thrasher (8) I zoned in on this haiku immediately, mostly because I had this exact moment over spring break too! These are simple descriptions of a little thing, but the haiku puts you right there—a too-loud bar with a $5 mixed drink. It’s impressive how an entire scene and experience can be conveyed by just a few lines about the drink. I especially love the description of the sweat from the cup pooling onto a sticky bar table. Touch, taste, and sight are all incorporated in this haiku, and it makes for a rich moment. Sydney Sinks, Spring 2022 |
5 sticky diner, watered-down coffee Sydney Sinks (7) |
6 coffee with my grandpa Sydney Sinks This haiku broke my heart. When I read it I immediately thought of my own grandpa because he is a religious coffee drinker and he always makes me a cup to drink with him when I’m there. I’m not sure if the author meant it this way, but my imagined response was that their grandpa has Alzheimer's and didn’t remember where the author lives. My mind probably went to that place because my grandpa and I are extremely close and he knows where I live, but I know that is not the case for everyone. I also have had other family members suffer from Alzheimer’s and have experienced warm and familiar conversations with those family members who then would ask a question they once knew. There is something so gut-wrenching, but also beautiful about how the connection between two people doesn’t always die when someone’s memories start to fade. Amanda Handegan, Spring 2022 |
7 chrysanthemum covered swing Emma Antonelli (8) |
8 humid summer evening Emma Antonelli (5) |
9 waves |
10 big dipper Audrey Button (8) I fully imagine someone (probably a young adult around the age of 20-22) who has been having just the worst day of their life. One of those days where nothing necessarily “bad” or “harmful” occurred, but that kind of day where you just can’t seem to catch a break and if anything could go wrong, it did, including getting some kind of mustard stain on your shirt. This person is reaching the end of their college career and is starting to feel a little hopeless about the future. Before they know it, they’re going to have to be a “real adult” with a job and they’re going to have to declare to the universe what it is that they want to do with the rest of their life. It’s the end of this terribly long day, and this person finds themselves going outside. I imagine it’s probably the backyard of the house that they are living in (I think it’s probably the spring break, so they are at their parent’s house), and the stars are just starting to come out. While the world always seems to be changing, the stars appear and bring a little bit of consistency that these stars that are a thousand light years away are still there shining bright as ever. This person finally smiles because they know that in the grand scheme of things, they are just a small fragment of what this world holds, and that there is so much more to life than meeting the needs and expectations of society. Alex Saviano, Spring 2022 I love this haiku because it reminded me of how I feel when I go home to Kentucky. If I arrive at nighttime the first thing I do is look at the sky to see my old pals. The sky has had such a huge impact on my life and I have always had so much love and pride for the stars in my hometown. They are so clear it looks like you could reach up and pick them out of the sky. I really loved how the author called the stars “old friend” because freshman year when I moved here I literally would call my mom and cry about how you could barely see the stars here so I can completely relate to this haiku in that way. I also really like the structure of it because it tells a sequential story- They found the big dipper, then said hello, and then the emotions of being reunited with the stars washed over them. Amanda Handegan, Spring 2022 The big and little dipper are the ONLY two constellations that I can point out – any night the stars are visible in Decatur I always see if I can find it... which is very seldom here. I love going back home to Kentucky and staying with my friend Sawyer because they live in the middle of the woods and the stars are always SO visible. It is comforting to be able to look into the sky and know the stars are your friend. Jas Humphrey, Spring 2022 |
11 comfy couch |
12 first real date Emma Antonelli (6) |
13 sightseeing colorful houses Marta Viúdez García I loved the visuals I received in my head from this haiku. I can see colorful houses on the outside and even the inside. I feel like in a way this describes a nighttime walk where you almost glance into someone's home because their light is on. I also see just the division of light and darkness on a street and what that looks like. This haiku almost presents a story to it too. Christian Andrews-Stewart, Spring 2022 |
14 wildflowers sprouting Nick Canton (9) |
15 country backroad Nick Canton (7) |
16 master artwork |
17 tirando café dentro de Marta Viúdez García (9) |
18 I travelled to PR |
19 i can finally relax Isabel Vincent (10) |
20 spring break Isabel Vincent (8) I really related to this haiku. I have a hard time being able to turn my brain off on break and fully allowing myself to relax. I always feel like I’m missing something, like I’m haunted by the presence of homework when I know that I have nothing due. I feel bad that I am just relaxing because my body is so used to doing work all day long. Audrey Button, Spring 2022 |
21 quiet dinner Gwen Klinkey (5) |
22 closed bedroom door |
23 3 AM Gwen Klinkey (9) To me, this haiku speaks of discomfort. The speaker is awake at 3 in the morning, which implies that they’re not able to sleep, and they clearly aren’t comfortable in a bed that’s too small for them. There’s a strangeness to coming back to your childhood home after a long time away, and this haiku seems to speak to that. Just like the speaker no longer fits in their bed, maybe they also feel like they don’t quite fit in this house, either, or the childhood that they’ve left behind. The haiku captures just a brief moment, but it conveys a lot of emotions in these three lines. Sydney Sinks, Spring 2022 |
24 lunch with grandma |
25 sweet magnolias Kelsey Crotz (6) |
26 hard, heavy duty Chase Nelson (6) |
27 livin’ out the country city |
28 lookin’ down at the Chase Nelson (5) |
29 terrified Kelsey Crotz (6) I relate to this haiku a lot because I also have a younger brother who I rarely get to see since I’m here in Decatur, and when I’m home, he either has baseball, basketball, or karate. It’s scary to think about how time is like not a real thing. It seems to feel faster by the day. Last time I saw my brother, I was a getting ready to start my junior year here at Millikin. Now I am about to graduate, and he is going to be starting middle school. It is such a crazy thing to think about and how life goes on even when you’re not always there. It’s a somber piece of haiku, but also heartfelt and uplifting in a way to only be happy for the loved young one to be growing and becoming a wonderful human being. Chase Nelson, Spring 2022 |
30 she signs the papers Kelsey Crotz (4) |
31 quick glances |
32 please remember Amanda Handegan (11) I really resonated with this haiku. There is something to human connections and what happens when we lose them and want them back. I think everyone may have felt that in some point of their lives with someone they were once close to. I just feel very grounded and have the need to reflect after seeing this haiku. Christian Andrews-Stewart, Spring 2022 This one says a lot with a simple request. First, it sets an image of a happy and joyous past, filled with laughter. Then it sets the present day that requires this person to plead for someone not to forget. This could be an old friend, a lover, or a relative with Alzheimer’s. There is a universal and relatable want for people to remember the good times they had with you. Geo Tapia, Spring 2022 |
33 the green girl Andrew Tufano (4) I know that this is about Wicked, but when we first read it I really just assigned a more universal experience to it which I think it kind of left open as an option because of the lack of named subject (which I like). I also tend to write haiku about specific characters and people and I think it’s fun to kind of be a little sneaky about it just like this. I also feel like when you have a really huge crush on someone or you’re just pining really hard you normally give the person a name with your friends who haven’t met them. Like at work this summer I liked this guy who was way older than me so my friends and I called him my “31 year-old taxpayer,” just like the way I interpreted the “green girl” as like being some girl who wore green all the time or just somehow that color became the embodiment for her when you talked about her with your friends. Gwen Klinkey, Spring 2022 |
34 he hums the melody Andrew Tufano (4) |
35 sitting in the dark |
36 wiggly toes Amanda Handegan (4) This reminds me so much of my best friend Syd! We are not touchy besties, and we rarely hug, but when we are just lying in bed watching TV or sitting on our phones, her toes will always creep into the crevice behind my knee for warmth...and let me tell you, her toes are always ice cold. It’s funny because I can always tell when she’s cold because her legs become restless and we’ve sort of developed mind reading skills and I always know when to over my knee crevice. Jas Humphrey, Spring 2022 |
37 he sits Andrew Tufano (4) I come from a very loud family so this takes me to every dinner we eat out. I’ve learned to like it now but when I was younger, I was very embarrassed. I like the line structure how it’s almost like a chair but it also seems to get louder as you keep reading towards the loudness. Nick Canton, Spring 2022 |
38 deep-rooted cypress trees Nick Canton (9) I love the layers of this haiku. I know we spoke about this one in class, but it really stood out from all of the rest for me. I think the way that the second line can be attached to either the first or last line creates a lot of reader agency in interpreting the subject of the haiku. By not directly tying it to either line the subject can either be the trees and remain a haiku about place, or an unknown other subject like a person, the author, or something else. That ambiguity adds a lot to the experience as a reader I think. I also really like the natural imagery (as per usual) and the sense of divinity that the cathedral gives the haiku. Gwen Klinkey, Spring 2022 |
39 sipping sweet boba tea Sydney Sinks (7) |
40 a crowded bar Sydney Sinks (9) |
41 whistling palm trees Emma Antonelli (4) I went to Florida for spring break and got to lay out on the beach and see so many beautiful tropical plants which was so refreshing after being the grey of Decatur. I love the personification of the sunset as a blanket and how it is slowly tucking in the palm trees for nighttime. Also, I can hear the wind going through the trees and I can see them swaying in that beautiful Florida glow. Audrey Button, Spring 2022 I feel the warmth and calmness of this haiku. She used very soft words like whistling, slowly, and blanket. She sets it up in a breezy environment and she creates a warmth from the sunset blanket. Almost like a need for the warmth because of how cold the wind is. Nick Canton, Spring 2022 |
42 concrete stone |
43 seeing pictures |
44 emptiness Mandy Thrasher (8) This haiku was funny to me when I first read it because it is so relatable in so many ways. I have had this moment with a bunch of friends when we would watch the Netflix series Locke & Key as well as Glee. I’ve also shared this with a significant other while we shared favorite shows to watch. There would always be at least one episode within each season to put the audience on the edge and in such a dilemma with what to feel or how to react because of how high the stakes were in the story of the show. It is comedic to see how crazily impacted we get with stories from television shows that may be realistic, but not based on specific events. This could happen if there is a random or sudden death, someone pulled some filthy move to a friend, or someone was deeply negatively impacted by an enemy. Chase Nelson, Spring 2022
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45 windows down Isabel Vincent (6) With this haiku, I have such a distinct image that pops into my head. I envision an incredibly bright, warm day. Someone (most likely someone around the age of 16-17) is driving their car throughout town to nowhere in particular. They just recently got their license and are embracing the freedom of driving around town with no clear destination in mind. The driver’s door window is rolled completely down, while the other three car windows are just cracked about half-way to let the warm air and breeze from driving flow through the car. The driver is wearing Ray-ban Sunglasses specifically and is listening to the hit Pop songs of the year. They may or may not be singing along, but all they know is that in this moment, there is nothing that they have to worry about. They can enjoy the little things in life like driving to nowhere while listening to music. Alex Saviano, Spring 2022 |
© 2022, Randy Brooks • Millikin University
All rights returned to authors upon publication.