Karissa Lindley

PACE Global Haiku • April 2007
Dr. Randy Brooks

Karissa Lindley

Haiku Fire

by
Karissa Lindley

My haiku comes from heart. Whether I am recalling memories from the past, or things that are occurring in the present. I enjoy mixing the present with the past. I have such fond memories of my childhood and especially of time spent with my family. I love my role as a mother and frequently intertwine these memories and experiences into my haiku. I attempt to briefly convey these images in my haiku. Hopefully, you, as a reader, are able to bring these images to life in your own special way.

Haiku is an art that I had not heard of prior to becoming a PACE student at Millikin. As I researched the PACE program on Millikin's website prior to enrolling, I literally just stumbled across the haiku website. And I was immediately drawn in. I believe it is not something I will ever be able to let go of. This class has been a pleasure to take, and I look forward to incorporating my haiku into things such as photo albums and occasion cards.

Thank you Dr. Brooks, for lighting this haiku fire within me!

I hope that you can enjoy these just a fraction as much as I enjoyed writing them.

cloudless sky
still water…
cannonball

hot summer sun
beating down on the jar
sun tea

in the shade
of the big oak tree
tire swing

sun going down
neighborhood kids gather round
front yard ballgame

rain drizzles down
under the shelter of the porch
the cat sleeps

new love
old blanket spread out
watching the game

sunny afternoon
let the count down begin
school soon ends

new white paint
covers
the old burn scars

around the evening campfire
she snuggles
in his favorite college sweatshirt

thru the glass he gazed
father
and newborn son

the water ripples
his first stone
skipped

Saturday morning
kid-free day
driving thru the country

warm sunshine
beaming into the car
a kiss at the stop sign

old red barn
weeds growing all around
brand new tractor

just a memory now
of the time we had together
spring soccer game

The Weekend

rainbows dance on the driveway
mother and son together
wash the car

cool evening breeze blows
the warm fire cracks

seven AM
little hands on her arm
time to wake up he says!

the morning sun rises
another day has started

chairs in one arm, cooler in another
son’s soccer game
under the hot sun

rain begins to fall
worries are washed away

Karissa Lindley & Craig Fathauer

April 22

cloudless sky
dawn to dusk
a day with the flowers

she turns on the hose
he runs to hide

chorus of birds
sing and sway
in the trees

child giggles
puppy rolls in the grass

smell of fresh cuttings
and in the distance
the roar of a Snapper

wash up – mom says
dinnertime!

Michael Price & Karissa Lindley

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