Hello, Gallopers & Gamblers!
What risks are you willing to take with your life and poetry?
a gentle river
Impressionist painting of
its banks and the sky
Poetry Risks
Before we get to this week’s haiku prompt, let’s talk about risks.
I don’t believe you achieve greatness without taking some risks. Growth of any kind requires you to take steps towards something you do not fully understand, and away from your comfort zone. At my children’s middle school, they have a concept called responsible risk.
Responsible risk is the idea of doing something you think might work. It includes small acts such as raising your hand to ask a question to bigger risks of trying something new on an assignment.
One beautiful thing about poetry is that you take a lot of risks, knowing that you will not die or cause bodily injury to anyone else.
One frightening thing about poetry is that you do risk humiliation. But the reward when a poem works is unforgettable, and for me at least, unattainable any other way.
Below are three risks you can take with your haiku this week.
After you write a haiku, switch the first and last lines. Often, I’m surprised how much more interesting a poem becomes just by this simple swap.
Clark Strand is a master haiku poet and writes an incredible column about haiku for Tricycle, a magazine focused on Buddhist thought. In the Summer 2023 print issue1, he wrote, “Just read the Earth as a love letter and write back in 5-7-5.” Make your next haiku a love letter to the Earth.
Scroll through your camera roll on your phone and randomly pick a picture to write a haiku about.
Last week, many of you took the ultimate poetic risk and shared your haiku in the comments. Thank you for all the beautiful poetry. I encourage more of you to take a risk and post your own responses to this week’s prompt.
Haiku Prompt
Write a haiku or series of haiku about something you observe with a sense other than sight. You can even spice it up by using one or more of the other risks mentioned above. Feel free to write in either the 5-7-5 format or in free verse haiku format.
Drop your haiku in the comments below!
Be the poetry you want to see in the world!
Cheers!
P.S. This afternoon, I’ll be in Vancouver, Washington, checking out the
’s art exhibition. I know a few of you hail from that area, and I’d love to see anyone who is interested in meeting in real life. I realize this is late notice, so if you cannot meet up, no worries. Email me at jason@weirdopoetry.com if you want to meet up!https://tricycle.org/magazine/haiku-love-letter-to-earth/
We like the idea of switching lines. And, in longer poems, even taking the last line and making it the title of the poem. :)
Also, how delightful to think of haiku as a love letter to the Earth! Perhaps the opposite, too? The Earth's love letter to us.
Ah, the birds, the breeze
Here inside, Send in the Clowns
Open up the doors