Thank you again to all who participated. I’ve drawn the name of the winner — Dr. Robb Scott. (He certainly had the best chance of winning with the number of haiku he shared!)
Thank you to Robb and to all who shared your haiku. I sincerely enjoyed reading them all, and hope you’ll continue to write them!
Three lines with a total of seventeen syllables:
Happy Day 30 of National Poetry Month. I’ve enjoyed counting syllables each day — it’s been good brain exercise!
I’ve especially enjoyed reading the haikus of those who shared them. I hope you’ll continue to write them.
This last haiku was inspired by all the ways I think about how quickly time flies. This is especially true as we watch our granchildren growing up!
Today is your last chance to share a haiku for a chance to win a copy of my book, Life: Haiku by Haiku. I’ll draw tomorrow morning and will announce on this blog.
Thank you again to all who participated!
Three lines with a total of seventeen syllables:
Anyone who shares a haiku in the comments is entered into a drawing to win a copy of my book, Life: Haiku by Haiku!
Nature stimulated our minds long before social media did. I admit to sometimes scrolling mindlessly, sometimes getting caught up in the disagreement of the day, though I usually end up hitting “delete” before “send!”
But for me, getting out in nature restores what social media has stolen. So, Nature was my inspiration for Day 29’s haiku.
As always, if you share your haiku in the comments of this blog, you might win a copy of my book, Life: Haiku by Haiku!
Three lines with a total of seventeen syllables:
Anyone who shares a haiku in the comments is entered into a drawing to win a copy of my book, Life: Haiku by Haiku!
As I mentioned in my Day 16 haiku post, before the end of National Poetry Month, I would post a haiku for each of the three men in my life who I consider the “Unrequiteds” in my memoir-in-progress.
I’ll admit, the haiku for Unrequited #3 is not a new one. I wrote it for him not too long after we broke up. There’s no reason to write a new one, because I’ve always thought this one captured “us.”
It’s the most difficult haiku to post, too, because the truth is hard to face, even twenty-five years later. It’s true, and it’s tragic. Because now, he’s gone.
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Three lines with a total of seventeen syllables:
Anyone who shares a haiku in the comments is entered into a drawing to win a copy of my book, Life: Haiku by Haiku!
We’re getting to the last couple of days of National Poetry Month, and I just want to have a little fun. So tonight, I’m sharing a photo that always makes me smile, even if the two Batgirls aren’t smiling. This, of course, inspired the last line of Day 26’s haiku, which is my subtle commentary about recent news stories about women being told they should smile more, often by grumpy old men. 🙂
As always, if you share your haiku in the comments of this blog, you might win a copy of my book, Life: Haiku by Haiku!
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Three lines with a total of seventeen syllables:
Anyone who shares a haiku in the comments is entered into a drawing to win a copy of my book, Life: Haiku by Haiku!
In my Day 16 post, Unrequited #1, I said I would attempt to also write haikus for the remaining two men in my memoir-in-progress, tentatively named Unrequited #2 & Unrequited #3. But tonight, it occurred to me that I only have 5 days left in National Poetry Month to do so!
I attempted to summarize Unrequited #2 in seventeen syllables — not an easy task! If you don’t believe me, give it a try — summarize a love, or any relationship in seventeen syllables. 🙂
As always, if you share your haiku in the comments of this blog, you might win a copy of my book, Life: Haiku by Haiku!
Stay tuned for Unrequited #3’s haiku.
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Three lines with a total of seventeen syllables:
Anyone who shares a haiku in the comments is entered into a drawing to win a copy of my book, Life: Haiku by Haiku!
I used to love playing on swing sets — even hanging upside down. Though I still occasionally swing beside my grandchildren, I can’t tell you the last time I hung upside down. But I can tell you if I were to try to hang like a monkey, I’d probably walk like a monkey for days after.
When I see an old photo like this one, the question of where that little girl went pops into my mind, but only for a moment. Because I know the answer. She hides in my characters, especially Jubie.
I’ve been told by some (and I always appreciate critique) that perhaps I should tone Jubie down. I understand, and reluctantly agree. But it kind of reminds me of when my mom used to tell me to “curb my enthusiasm” when I was a little girl. 🙂
So, Day 23’s haiku is to honor the inner child in all of us. How does your inner child reappear? Write a haiku! You might win a copy of my book, Life: Haiku by Haiku!
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Three lines with a total of seventeen syllables:
Anyone who shares a haiku in the comments is entered into a drawing to win a copy of my book, Life: Haiku by Haiku!
How does one capture Earth and in seventeen syllables? I will say this haiku did not come as easily others, probably because Earth is so immense with its oceans and mountains and cultures and species and colors and scents and the way it all works together and the way we take it for granted and the greed that has raped so much that makes her beautiful.
I’ve listened to several astronauts talk about how their perspectives change when they see Earth from space. They’ve talked about the overwhelming feeling of our insignificance. They see Earth as a vessel carrying a variety of passengers, which makes us all the same. And in the immense, black emptiness, there is the realization that this is all we have and we’d better take care of it.
So, as I thought of all of this, I wrote a lot of syllables and did a lot of scratching-out on my scratch pad. But I finally whittled down Day 22’s haiku to celebrate both Earth Day and National Poetry Month.
Give it a try — if nothing else, it will inspire reflections of your own feelings about Earth! Remember, you might win a copy of my book, Life: Haiku by Haiku!
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Three lines with a total of seventeen syllables:
Anyone who shares a haiku in the comments is entered into a drawing to win a copy of my book, Life: Haiku by Haiku!
Tonight, we went out for sushi, and as usual, I ordered Ikura, one of my favorites. For those of you unfamiliar with the various kinds of sushi, here’s Copilot’s definition:
Ikura nigiri uses salmon roe—large, translucent orange eggs that are salted or soy‑marinated—as the topping. The chef forms a small oval of vinegared rice, adds a touch of wasabi, and then places a generous spoonful of ikura on top. Sometimes a thin band of nori is wrapped around the rice to help hold the roe in place.
Ikura itself is known for its bursting texture and briny, slightly sweet flavor, which contrasts beautifully with the soft, lightly seasoned rice.
As I placed the tiny, round salmon roe on the tip of my tongue, I savored the salty flavor before crushing it against the roof of my mouth and it burst, releasing what tasted like a tiny drop of ocean. And of course, I was inspired to write a haiku.
As is often the case, I’m not sure I accurately captured the pleasure of the senses Ikura brings me:
Alas, I only had seventeen syllables!
What food do you like? Let’s see a haiku! Remember, you might win a copy of my book, Life: Haiku by Haiku!
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Three lines with a total of seventeen syllables:
Anyone who shares a haiku in the comments is entered into a drawing to win a copy of my book, Life: Haiku by Haiku!
Maybe it’s a kind of wisdom that comes with age, because over the years, most of what I’ve worried about didn’t come to be. Or, maybe it’s the song my mom used to sing to us when we were children, “Que Sera.”
Maybe it’s both. All I know is, even with the plethora of things to worry about these days, my attitude is usually, “Whatever will be, will be.”
It’s amazing how freeing that can be.
So, my Day 20 haiku is a kind of tribute to my mom, and to the song she always used to sing to us. I used to sing it to my kids and now, sing it to my grandchildren, too.
Do you have a song you can condense to a haiku? Maybe a haiku about how you relieve stress or worry? Actually, counting syllables is, in itself, a stress relief. After all, how can you worry if you’re counting syllables? 🙂
Remember, you might win a copy of my book, Life: Haiku by Haiku!
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Three lines with a total of seventeen syllables:
Anyone who shares a haiku in the comments is entered into a drawing to win a copy of my book, Life: Haiku by Haiku!
