A wee Haiku to end the Poemapalooza

May 1, 2008 in Uncategorized

You might know that I like Haiku. I like writing book reviews in Haiku. I like trying to capture the essence of a day, or a conference, or a walk, in a Haiku. The limitation of the syllables is what creates the safe, clear playpen.

We believe creativity comes with wide, free reign–no holes barred, whatever that means–but sometimes creativity comes instead with stricture and closeness and tight form imposed onto it. Rhyme schemes and color wheels. I know this to be true, as much as I have railed against it in years past. The form paradoxically releases the art. And yet…

The Problem with Haiku

Of all the things I
Wish would be, the one that most
Occurs to me is

-Michael S. Glaser

(made me laugh).

And so, our National Poetry Month Poemapalooza comes to an official end until next year. In the next few days, you’ll find a PDF of this year’s poems, just as I did last year. I hope you’ll enjoy it.

And now, on to a month of a different kind, the writing kind, the finished-the-book-need-to-move-on kind. Back to challenges, back to the instruction manual for my daughters, back to paying attention, and back to the urgency of the timeline. 37 days. If we got that awful diagnosis today, we’d be dead by June 7th. What’s the biggest, best, most meaningful, deepest use of our next 37 days we can imagine? I wonder. Let’s ponder. June 7th. What can I create in the lifetime between now and then? Memories? A book? A relationship? A letter to each person I want to have understand what they mean to me? What’s my art form between now and then?

About Patti Digh

Patti Digh is an author, speaker, and educator who builds learning communities and gets to the heart of difficult topics. Her work over the last three decades has focused on diversity, inclusion, social justice, and living and working mindfully. She has developed diversity strategies and educational programming for major nonprofit and corporate organizations and has been a featured speaker at many national and international conferences.

6 comments to " A wee Haiku to end the Poemapalooza "


Miss G. Marshall

May 1, 2008 AT 1:39PM

Dinner for your sisters?

Dancing Kitchen

May 1, 2008 AT 1:41PM

Patty,
I loved the poems!! How glorious that made April. What a good grouping of questions. As always you make me think.
~Cynthia

Jim Ley

May 1, 2008 AT 3:58PM

Earlier today, I was reading about constraints influencing creativity. In the book, The Fifth Discipline, Peter Senge writes, “…for painters, composers, or sculptors, creating involves working within constraints–for example, the constraints imposed by their media. If one had but to snap one’s fingers and the vision became reality, there would be no creative process.”

Synchronicity Anyone?

Chris

May 1, 2008 AT 5:31PM

Dear Patti, I’m sad to see Poemapalooza come to a close. I’ve savored what you’ve posted, picked out a few phrases from the poems and poured into my journal. Very rich time, indeed. It seems to take a while to settle down into the quiet. It’s nice to get lost in a poem! Thank you!

Judy Rapp

May 2, 2008 AT 5:30AM

Crow at my window –
harsh cries disturb
my slumber

The dawn chorus is beautiful at this time of year, birdsong starts at about 3:30am as birds proclaim their territory. I hope this crow hasn’t decided on my eaves as his, he woke me more than I wanted this morning.

This is what I would describe as a haiku, even though it doesn’t keep to the rigid 5,7,5 form. I like it. I think I will make this into a haiga – Illustrated haiku

Dharmamama

May 2, 2008 AT 1:27PM

Not haiku (in English, anyway), but takes my breath every time:

A trout leaps;
Clouds are moving
In the bed of the stream.
—Onitsura