PACE Global Haiku • Spring 2007 Dr. Randy Brooks

Philip Davidson

Remember When by Philip Davidson Haiku writing has many essential elements; they often appeal to our senses, posses a natural juxtaposition, and invoke feelings of personal experience or memories. My collection is titled: Remember When, because for the reader to enjoy my haiku they must call to mind their entire experience that makes them the people they are with emotions and experiences. It is the entirety of our experiences, thoughts, and emotions that together make us what we are today, and what we will be in the future. My haiku are worthless to the reader absent these things. Haiku appeal to the senses but also encourage us to go beyond the narrow scope of what our senses can perceive. Haiku posses natural juxtaposition that seem vaguely familiar, perhaps they were experienced in a past life, or all these ideas are telepathically communicated amongst all of creation. Haikus do more that remind us of memories; they help us to engage in the absurd activity of placing an irrational importance to past experiences, thus giving birth to nostalgia. In short my haiku are a snapshot of just one person in a sea of people all living, loving, hurting, and dealing with the human condition in the best way they know possible. My haiku are valuable to me and I hope you the reader can find some value in them as well.

she pulls a note from her pocket that is wet with tears

cocktail sting my wife Is flirting

lemonade cool sweet smelling breeze from the open window

he plays for tips as the busy commuters board the train

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