Haiku Kukai 3 Favorites
PACE Global Haiku--Kukai 3, July 2006
breezy afternoon Greg Lock (5) I can picture a kite up in the air. This haiku takes me back to when I flew a kite as a child. I can see my dad helping me when the wind took the kite away from me. This haiku is beautifully worded. Elaine |
wax melting down Neisha Joyner (3) |
teeth marks Julie Crabtree (7) |
family rocker Mary Birmingham I chose this haiku because it definitely stirs up that old familiar feeling. My grandmother has a rocking chair like this. The old wooden kind that really does rock, not glide like the new ones do now. I remember sitting on her lap and rocking in that chair when I was a little girl. It really does creak its own song. To some it might sound annoying, but with the steady rhythm of Grandma’s foot it was a comforting sound to me. Beth |
pumpkin Greg Lock (7) This haiku reminds me of my children every year around Halloween. They go with the school every year to the pumpkin patch to get a pumpkin for the house. No soon they get it home they want to cut it up. They do not give me time to sit down before they are ready to attack the pumpkin. I always tell them wait until it gets closer to Halloween, so everyday until we finally cut the pumpkins my little girl will say today mama. Sometimes I get so tired of her bugging me I just go ahead and cut them. Neisha |
kindred spirit |
heads bowed in prayer Amber Anderson (5) |
hot summer day Dee Spates (5) |
she dyes her hair Carrie White (8) I like this because it says the woman is still the same inside. Although she has aged and she disguises the evidence of her fading hair color, she is not saddened by it. Her smile will never fade. Her inner being which is not reflected by her hair color will withstand weathering of time. Patricia |
summer heat John Sullivan (4) I liked this one because it reminded me of when I was a child and would wait to hear the music from the ice cream truck and couldn’t wait for it to come by. I love ice cream and as a little girl that was the high light of the day. I saved my allowance so that I could get ice cream during the week. The other day, I went to visit my aunt and I heard the ice cream truck and I told my husband, we have to get ice cream and it brought that feeling back. It was so nice. Connie Immediately I’m drawn to this haiku because of my experiences of summertime. I can feel the hot sun beating down on me while playing in the yard. Before the new style of ice cream truck blaring music, the old trucks simply played a dinging bell. Everyone in the neighborhood knew what was coming our way. Those friends of mine who carried no cash quickly ran into their respective houses to quickly beg mom or dad for a few dollars. Fortunately back then, most adults carried some amount of cash to provide for a successful one-way transaction. We all would then quickly run out to the edge of the street to carefully listen for the ding of the bell again. Once heard, we all would run into whichever direction the bell directed us. A small dessert was a perfect ending to the spontaneous hunt of the day. Greg This haiku makes me think of my childhood. When it was summertime and very hot, the sound of bells ringing down the road was music to my ears when I was a child. As soon as I heard the bells, I knew it was the ice cream truck. I would run into the house to get money from my dad to buy an ice cream or snow cone. My dad seemed to always know when the ice cream truck was in the neighborhood, because when we heard the bells, we ran right to him. Chonda |
Dear Kitty: |
my senior in dog years Wendy Miller (3) I really liked this haiku when I read it. I found it to be humorous in the way this person played with the words. It gave me the image of a young man who married his highschool sweetheart. Now maybe ten years later, she still greets him with the excitement she did back then. Connie |
tattered bear Tina Calhoun (10) This haiku reminds me of my sixteen-year-old son. For his first Easter he received a fuzzy bunny with silky ears from his Grandma. Ever since that day Ryan received that bunny he has taken it to bed with him, rubbed the bunny’s silky ears, and slept with it. Now you can only imagine what that fuzzy bunny looks like after 15 years. His fuzziness is almost all gone. His ears, where silk use to be, is now just threads but Ryan doesn’t care what “pup” looks like it is his security blanket to fall fast asleep. Now he thinks no one knows but he sticks pup down the side of his bed and sneaks him up when no one is around. It doesn’t matter that you are a big football jock if you have a security blanket it can still be special to you. Jacqueline |
filthy river |
no words needed Patricia O'Dear (10) This haiku reminds me of my best friend from high school. She came to my house for a visit this past May. She and I have not been close since high school, but we were comfortable with each other. We didn’t feel like we had to talk a lot all the time. Elaine My best friend, Shannon, for twenty years. We tell each other everything. We even finish each other’s sentences. No one can follow our conversation and really understand what we are saying. And then there are times, we just look at each other and instantly know what’s going on or what’s wrong. Christina I read this haiku and instantly think of my best friend. We are taking a road trip together, just as Thelma and Louise did. Our children are grown and we are finally able to live for our own lives only. We are traveling down the road in our vintage convertible listening to good music. I can see mountains in the distance. No words are spoken as we just stare out into the beautiful landscape. We finally did it! We look at eachother and smile. Tobi |
child traces Carrie White (12) I see a young woman who is pregnant and is showing her growing belly to her young daughter. She is telling her about the baby inside her belly. The little girl notices all the lines on her mommies belly and ask about them, while tracing them with her finger. Her mommy tell hers that she made all those lines when she was in her belly and they will help give the new baby more room to grow. I chose this haiku just because it tugs at your heart strings. Anything to do with being a mom or being pregnant gets my vote. Wendy This is precious. The thought of a child understanding the origin of her existence. You can imagine the bond between mother and child as they are together thinking about the same event. Patricia I love this haiku, I can definitely relate to this one. This reminds me of my figure before I had my first child. I had a pretty nice shape, back then I thought I was a little over weight. When I look back at those old pictures from six years ago I think to myself “I had it going on”. After I gave birth to my daughter my stomach never went back to its pre-pregnancy state. I too have many lines that my daughter left behind plus a few more from the twins. Tamika I see the mom lying on the bed and the daughter comes in and wants up on the bed too. The mother puts her up on the bed next to her and she immediately notices that her mom only has on a bra. She starts to check things out as every child does and notices that there are lines on her mommy’s belly. She starts to touch them and follow them with her finger, from start to finish of each line. The mom begins to laugh and the daughter’s fingers loose their spot. She says “no mommy” and the mom laughs even more. Then they both begin to laugh and roll around on the bed. Sometimes letting your children discover things is funnier than you expect. Julie |
the locket he gave me Chonda Chisenall I saw this one as anything given to someone of some importance, is always cherished no matter what. It not necessarily has to be something that a man gave me, but my mother or grandmother. Usually it signifies something, a birthday, Christmas present, or just a present for no apparent reason. You will always keep that present as long as you live, whether it breaks, rusts, or maybe just goes out of style. It will always take you back to that day you received it and you will remember a happy moment. Andrea |
around me completely Chonda Chisenell (5) It is so easy to imagine being wrapped in a warm blanket on a cold evening. It wouldn’t matter how many holes or frayed edges were there. The blanket warms from the inside with memories of grandma holding me tight. Wrapped up like a cocoons while sleeping on the floor was a treat during a blizzard. The holes gradually appeared after numerous washings but the old blanket is just as warm as ever. The colors have faded and stains have multiplied. There is a brown stain where the hot chocolate was spilled when my brothers and I were having a pillow fight that cold evening so many years ago. Diana |
grandma's old box |
bedtime story Elaine Agnew (6) This reminds me of Allie, my daughter, when she was around three. We used to snuggle up in her bed. Allie always had her ratty special blankie in tow. Allie’s blankie was her security. We had to always know where it was. I bought another one just like it for emergences. I kept a look-a-like blankie because she was endeared to the thing and would throw a horrendous fit if it were missing. I would read to her, and she attentively listened to the story. After the story, we gave each other hugs & kisses. I made sure her night-light was on, and she insisted on sleeping with the book. She was obsessed with books from the time she could walk. She referred to books as “bookie”, and the library was her little sanctuary. She pronounced it a “libury”. The librarians all recognized Allie as she frequented it. Of course, we attended the Mommy & me story hour. Susan |
first love Dee Spates (8) |
winding dirt path Greg Lock (2) This makes me think of camping and wandering the trails through the woods. I first started camping as a child, going to church camp and girl scout camp. I would always make new friends at these camps and today when camping I tend to still meet new people and make new friends. When reading this haiku I can see the dirt path scattered with dry leaves. I could feel the wonder of where the path might lead. The most recent path that this haiku makes me think of is one my husband and son took to see the waterfalls in the northern part of the upper peninsula in Michigan when we were on vacation. The trail was very winding and we always looked up at any sound of rustling of leaves for signs of bear. Erica |
grandma’s gift |
can’t fix it John Sullivan (3) To me this haiku means even when things get worn out or can not be fixed, whatever it is, still has value. The reason I think this is because there is meaning and memory involved, which creates value in a personal aspect to the owner. So, I really like the part about better than ever because it lets us know even though it can’t be fixed it looks good to the eye of the beholder. John |
© 2006, Randy Brooks • Millikin University
All rights returned to authors upon publication.