Haiku Roundtable • Fall 2010
Dr. Randy Brooks

My Heart in a Shell

by
Jade Anderson

I chose to label my collection "My Heart in a Shell" because I have noticed most of my haiku—mostly all of it—come from my personal experiences. I am really not good at writing strongly with vivid language unless I can feel it in my core. Hence, I titled this collection—I am in my own shell, as we are all are to a certain degree.

inside this shell . . .
there's no way to
hear the ocean

Basically this has been a very rough semester for me—the classes are easy, but my personal life and family life has been struggling to stay above water. I get so caught up in my troubles and silly preoccupations that I don't see the bigger picture sometimes. With my signature haiku, I hope to give other people that realization about hiding from pain and life in general—you miss out on so much!

If there's anything this haiku class has taught me, it's meditation and introspection. Relaxing and meditating on one thing at a time does wonders for my peace of mind. Thank you, Randy!

winter morning
forgetting the spark
of your lips

robin’s egg sky
her sheltered dome
of ignorance

insanity (n):
believing this relationship
can change

loosening your grip
and tightening my hold . . .
I’m losing you.

unending argument
. . . finally,
his touch

in darkness
I trace the lines
of his lips

gently-placed corpse
anxious cat eyes
await my approval

fluorescent tennis ball
her final bite marks
still there

coffee shop line
the crooked politician
straightens his tie

compact mirror
safely tucking away
her many moons

asphalt baking
the squirrel’s tail
ruffled by the wind

autumn stillness
evening lake reflects
God’s liquid palette