Haiku Kukai 09 Favorites
Global Haiku • Millikin University • Fall 2024
1 double stuffed Oreos Rachel Nott (4) I like this haiku, it reminds me of being on a date and being able to feel your inner child. We can’t really tell if this was a planned date or if it became a sort of impromptu first date, which gives the haiku a playful element. I like the specificity of the snacks listed too, and I feel biased towards liking this haiku because I love oreos. I imagine that in this haiku two people are picking out gas station snacks, and they pick the same things. It feels to me that there is kind of a mysterious “what are we/what aren’t we” energy in the air as well. Caroline Arnold, Fall 2024 |
2 dorm floor Rachel Nott (3) |
3 escaping |
4 kids getting older . . . Melis Barutcu (9) This haiku reminds me of when I was younger, my brother and I would have to help my grandparents rake the leaves in their yard and then we would put them in these cute pumpkin bags that served as halloween decorations. Before we would put the leaves away, we would put them in a big pile and lay in them obviously, and I think this haiku captures a feeling of reflecting on what it was like to be a kid. I know I will be using those pumpkin bags forever because they symbolize that feeling of not having a care in the world as I laid in a dirty pile of leaves. Bella Palermo, Fall 2024 This haiku reminds me of being a little kid and jumping into big piles of leaves or burying myself in the leaves to jump out and scare my sister. As we got older, my dad stopped leaving the leaves out and started blowing them away with a leaf blower, which also entertained us, and we always asked to have a turn. I have never thought about raking leaves instead of jumping in the piles of leaves as a sign of growing up and maturing, but I think this concept is really sweet. Caroline Arnold, Fall 2024 I liked this haiku because it reminded me of being a child, and how fun it was for us to wait until my dad had raked all the leaves and then we would jump in it, but now it’s just that the leaves need to go in the bag. Abby Wilken, Fall 2024 This haiku felt very bittersweet to me. It reminded me of my childhood and jumping in leaf piles with my little brother. My dad used to use the leaf blower while my brother and I “helped” with our rakes (we would usually get distracted). When we were all done, we would take turns jumping in the pile and seeing who could do the biggest jump. Even my dog would join in and run with us. Now that I’m away at college though, and my brother is a teenager and “too cool,” we don’t really get the chance to do our annual leaf jump like we used to. My dad still makes the piles with my brother’s help, but now it goes straight into the bag and to the curb. It makes me sad to think about, but maybe one day in the future we’ll do it again. Natalie Mase, Fall 2024 I read this haiku from a parent’s point of view that they haven’t realized how much their kids have grown up until the activities they used to do become obsolete. I believe that leaf piles are the same idea as cardboard boxes. They are free activities that can keep kids entertained for hours longer than the most expensive gifts. This parent also might realize that the time they spend with their children is coming to a close because they are also getting older. Gracie Shaffer, Fall 2024 |
5 dried up creek Melis Barutcu I really like this haiku because of the wonderful imagery it presents of an old, inanimate object that still holds and represents love from the past. Also the fact that the creek is dried up, and probably that friendship or relationship is as well, but the memories remain with the etches in the wood. I can very clearly see a fall day with leaves covering the forest ground. This haiku also deeply reminds me of the scene from Little Women when Jo comes back to the little mailbox Laurie made for her by the bridge. Rachel Nott, Fall 2024
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6 walk by the pond |
7 almost break Charley Condill (5) |
8 grandparents tell me Charley Condill (8) This haiku captures the sweetness of grandparents watching you grow up. To you they look the same, wrinkled faces, silver hair, and shaky hands. But to them, they see us go through every stage of life, from infancy to adulthood, and I enjoy how this haiku put that into perspective and it gives a sentimental value, especially for those who have lost their grandparents, as you can still imagine their faces the exact same. Charlie Armstrong, Fall 2024 |
9 family gossip Charley Condill (7) Ever since moving to school, I've been busy with my time. It becomes hard to talk to many of my family members often and becomes a habit of only having long conversations with them at home when visiting. When possible, we have group video calls to catch up, but most of these sessions is just me listening about something that happened at home. Either I'll sit and listen or keep asking questions to see what they're talking about. At first, it made me feel left out but I realize there are so many things happening here to me that they don't know about either. It becomes a time where we all gossip and talk about recent events. Maliyah Battle, Fall 2024 |
10 walking home from class Caroline Arnold (6) |
11 arrangement of pumpkins Caroline Arnold (5) Christmas is not only a holiday but a feeling of comfort for a lot of people, specifically as it approaches. This haiku highlights a transition state between fall and winter or halloween and christmas. A lot of people find comfort in both seasons, and this haiku captures an intersection of those seasons nicely. Bella Palermo, Fall 2024 This haiku talks about that transition from October to November. Once Halloween is over, in my house, we go straight into Christmas mode. We start listening to Christmas music. We take down all the Halloween decorations and we slowly start putting up Christmas decorations. It’s almost like Thanksgiving doesn’t even exist.Lily Moore, Fall 2024 |
12 serving to win it all Caroline Arnold (8) This haiku perfectly demonstrates the moment when you’re so close to winning, and it somehow gets messed up. This has happened to everyone playing sports. It specifically reminds me of a soccer game last year where we were winning 2-1, and we gave up a free kick with 90 seconds left in the game. They scored it and we ended up tying 2-2. Those moments are so frustrating, and you end up thinking through it over and over, and imagining what you could’ve done to prevent it. I think the use of the scores in the second two lines is very creative, and is a great example of showing, not telling in a haiku. Melis Barutcu, Fall 2024 This haiku speaks to something that I have unfortunately gone through too many times. That said, it’s nice to know that I’m not the only person who has gone through this sort of experience. I will say, it makes me appreciate with tennis that even if I play bad, I don’t need to worry about getting benched the next time I play, because no matter where I am in the lineup I’m still going to be out there on the cour the entire time. Either way, I thought this was just a good haiku about pressure. Of course all the best moments come from pressure, but there’s always another side of it. Matt Kordesh, Fall 2024 |
13 last three at-bats |
14 sightless eyes |
15 grandma works to keep up Bella Palermo (4) |
16 posters on the wall |
17 mom touching my hair Charlie Armstrong (6) Whenever I get sick I act like I'm a child again. I follow my mom around complaining about how terrible I feel and how I want her to cook me something. I force her to sit down so I can lay in her lap so she can play with my hair. It was something I did when I was younger and became a habit that I never dropped. If my mom ever acts annoyed at my actions, I know she's doing it as a joke because she never disagrees to strongly. It's also comforting to know that no matter how old I get, my mom is willing my baby me whenever I ask. Maliyah Battle, Fall 2024 This haiku is really sweet. I remember getting for school when I was little and having my mom brush through my hair every morning. It was always very tangled, but once she got those out, she would run her fingers through my hair. She was also the one to braid it or put it into ponytails. There is something really nice about having someone play with your hair. Every once in a while, she’ll do it when I’m home, and I definitely understand the feeling of having that moment where you’re a child again, and it takes you back to when your mom took care of you in that way. Melis Barutcu, Fall 2024 I really liked this haiku because it reminds me of my relationship with my mom. Now that I am grown, I look forward to the experiences that make me feel like a child again. I look forward to the times that I am home where me and my mom can snuggle up on the couch and watch “throwback” movies. It always makes me feel like a kid again. Ava Zukowski, Fall 2024 |
18 card isn’t working |
19 reigning ping pong champ Katelyn Wendt (3) |
20 dark chocolate brownies Katelyn Wendt (7) I am always a fan of good double entendre, which is what bittersweet does here. Of course, dark chocolate itself is literally “bittersweet”, which is one end of the double entendre. The other is the new neighbors part, which could be bittersweet for a myriad of reasons; maybe they just moved out and are in a new neighborhood, so it’s bittersweet knowing they’re not in their same home, or it’s bittersweet because an old neighbor moved out who the author was close with. Matt Kordesh, Fall 2024 |
21 grad school visit Katelyn Wend (3) I love this haiku because every time I think about grad school, I think this is exactly what my brain thinks. Nowadays, school is so expensive, so the thought of even being in so much debt before starting a real job is scary. For many, they can never recover from the debt traps that occurred while in school. Gracie Shaffer, Fall 2024 |
22 the monster Abby Wilken (9) I thought this haiku was funny, and very relatable. Any windy day can ruin my mood because it ruins my hair. It can be impossible to look good on a windy day when you have long hair. It becomes tangled and ratty and uncontrollable. I thought the haiku was worded cleverly. Rachel Nott, Fall 2024 I thought this haiku was really relatable and funny. I like the use of the word “monster” to describe the hair. It gives the haiku a playful tone but also helps the reader visualize just how messy the subject’s hair really is. I related to this haiku because my hair is always a mess when it’s windy. Since I have longer hair, the wind usually blows it in my face to the point where I almost can’t see where I’m going sometimes. Then once I get inside, I have to frantically try to fix it. Katelyn Wendt, Fall 2024 This is so relatable. The wind is a huge opp. It really does mess up my hair so bad. It always made me look so disheveled and messy. I like how the author initially says monster too. It kind of throws you off that the subject is messy hair from the wind. Izzy Jones, Fall 2024 This was my favorite haiku from Kukai 9. It is so creative and visual. As a girl with long hair, I have experienced this many times unfortunately. It is so frustrating when you are walking to class after doing your hair for the day, and the monster that is wind ruins it before you even get there. On the flip side though, it is funny to see others who are experiencing the wind and the hair in their face. Charley Condill, Fall 2024 |
23 fall break |
24 trip up the stairs Abby Wilken (6) |
25 late-night debrief Natalie Mase (8) I love this haiku because of how relatable it is, and I love how they ended on a funny statement that really brings you into the world of the conversation. This also put a very specific image in my head of a memory from freshman year, and funny enough, that memory included Natalie and then I found out she wrote it, which only strengthens that image. But in a genius way, she kept it vague enough to relate to a number of situations or memories or experiences. Rachel Nott, Fall 2024 |
26 fresh haircut Natalie Mase (4) Whenever I am in a funk or I am not having the best day, I need something that resets my mood so that I can start fresh again. A haircut is something that makes you feel so renewed, like you are almost a new person. Hair makes up a lot of your identity and personality. Ava Zukowski, Fall 2024 |
27 giggling in the hallway |
28 orange and yellow leaves |
29 shorter days, longer nights |
30 riding in the buddy seat Gracie Shaffer (3) |
31 timidly raise my hand Ava Zukowski (6) |
46 cute guy Katelyn Wendt |
32 cheeks flaming
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This is a pretty obvious matched pair; both being about roughly the same awkward experience. They do vary slightly, though—46 reads as though one has fully committed to the awkward action, while 31 has some uncertainty. They have subtly different flavors because of this. In 31 the awkwardness stems from the confusion about who this person is and why they are waving, with the sting of a stranger possibly thinking ill of you. 47, though, places some level of admiration on the person encountered, making the interaction painful in a different, arguably sharper, way. It also uses a technique that I’ve written about a few times, where each line represents an action/moment, with all happening in sequence. This places us more firmly in the narrator's shoes and makes the twist more impactful. It also manages to effectively imply action from the narrator (returning the wave) when it is not directly stated. For these reasons I prefer 41. Dan Mungons, Fall 2024 |
33 “easy test” |
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34 showing my friends |
35 I love the moon Lily Moore (3) |
36 study study study Lily Moore (3) |
37 quiet cafe Maliyah Battle (14) I liked this haiku for a few reasons. First, I really enjoy the contrast between the first and the second line, from quiet to loud. The third line is an explanation of the second line, allowing for a moment of suspense before knowing what caused the bang. It is then comedic to discover that the bang was just someone walking into a door. Dayton Lasack, Fall 2024 I have done this exact thing numerous times in the café. You would think after being here for so long that people would realize it’s a pull door, however it still is a common occurrence to hear that loud bang of the metal doors. It is a humbling moment, and then to walk into the cafeteria and have people look at you adds to that burning feeling on your face even more. The haiku also made this seem comical with the use of the word bang, and I can imagine the sound it makes. Charlie Armstrong, Fall 2024 This haiku was one of my favorites because it is so relatable, and I appreciate when haiku can be well-written but also be relatable. It paints a funny image in my head of someone being super embarrassed because they caused a scene in the quiet café. Specifically, it reminds me of going to Chipotle in Decatur because nobody knows whether the door to exit is push or pull and every time I go there, at least one person does it wrong. It is such a simple little thing, but it is funny to think about a door being so challenging. The emphasis on quiet is very important because it implies that everyone stares to look at who made the loud noise. Charley Condill, Fall 2024 I liked this haiku because it was relatable, and likely has happened to everyone at some point. It was funny because of how simplistic the haiku is, yet it has the bang which makes you notice how loud it was. Abby Wilken, Fall 2024 |
38 pigeon flying low Maliyah Battle (8) I enjoyed this haiku because I always like it when haiku involves animals with hidden, human-like, agendas. The idea that there is a secret X located on your head in the eyes of a pigeon is just really funny to me. The haiku also feels like it's written from the viewpoint of someone who had just gotten pooped on by a pigeon. This makes it even more enjoyable. Dayton Lasack, Fall 2024 This one is funny. I love the creativity of the wording. I really like how the writer did not say what was happening. It indirectly leads you to the point and I think that adds a lot to the poem. Overall I just really enjoyed this haiku and thought it was super funny. Izzy Jones, Fall 2024 |
39 eyes glance away— Maliyah Battle (6) |
40 in my own world |
41 I love him |
42 orchestra pit Randy Brooks (3) |
43 tiptoeing around Matt Kordesh (9) I liked the way this haiku compared stepping around puddles to dancing. I also think that “tiptoeing” is the perfect word because I feel like I’m always trying to maneuver around puddles and sometimes even have to stand on my toes to do so. It does feel almost like a dance. I think the word dance also works well because it suggests that it’s something everyone knows like a waltz or other popular dance. Even if you aren’t an “expert” we all innately know the “steps” that are necessary to avoid the puddles, just like popular or local/traditional dances. As a Midwesterner, I definitely know this feeling just from reading it. Natalie Mase, Fall 2024 |
44 shower warming up Matt Kordesh (10) I thought this haiku was clever and relatable. I have had this same thought before as I am getting unready for the day. Oftentimes when I am trying to actually make my hair to look nice for the day, it doesn’t cooperate. Then at the end of the day, it looks better than it did that morning. It’s annoying because I don’t care what my hair looks like at that point, since I’m about to shower and wash it anyway. I also think this haiku could be read as someone who has had a crazy day, so they are surprised that their hair doesn’t reflect that craziness at the end of the day. Katelyn Wendt, Fall 2024 |
45 faucet drips |
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47 tonight Dayton Lasack (6) |
48 sunny day Dayton Lasack (5) I liked this haiku because it talks about later in the year when the weather gets cooler. You’re used to looking outside and seeing if it was sunny or not. If it is sunny, it is probably warm so you can wear a t-shirt. However, now that it is getting later in the year and it’s getting cold outside, the sun being out doesn’t mean it is warm outside – super misleading. Lily Moore, Fall 2024 |
49 stranded at school Melis Barutcu (7) |
50 evening stroll |
51 sunset on the lake Melis Barutcu (3) |
52 all the stress |
53 long drive home Rachel Nott (4) |
54 crocs on Izzy Jones (6) |
© 2024, Randy Brooks • Millikin University
All rights returned to authors upon publication.