Zen Haiku • Spring 2025
Dr. Randy Brooks

Spring 2025 Haiku

by
Semmieon Brandon

This collection of haiku was written over the course of a semester, shaped by quiet observation, reflection, and the passing of seasons. Inspired by the principles of Zen simplicity, quickness, and presence each poem offers a moment of stillness in a world that rarely pauses. These verses do not aim to explain or instruct, but to evoke: a breeze through pine, the hush before dawn, the space between thoughts.

In crafting these haiku, I searched not for perfection, but clarity. The practice became a form of meditation listening deeply to nature and to myself, and then trying to capture what was found in as few words as possible.

May these poems invite you into stillness, if only for a breath.
Let's take a moment . . .

her voice echoes
paper white and bare
I fall asleep

          step after step
     the winds blow
I turn around

last cookie
me and my brother
shared

car ride
silent
listening to the radio

college students
professor is late
a class decision

target in sight
one breath after another
I miss the shot

at the last second
I open the . . .
microwave

no more assignments
it’s graduation day 
bittersweet