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Click here to write your poem
GUIDELINES:
– it doesn’t have to be good. it can be funny, poignant, terrible, or wonderful. up to you.
– try to keep it PG or PG-13 if possible.
– a haiku has three lines. the first line has 5 syllables, the second line has 7 syllables, and the third line has 5 syllables. if you don’t exactly follow that format, no biggie, just have fun.
– suggested topics are seasons, nature, or whatever tickles your fancy really.
– submit as many poems as you like. i’m currently posting one a day on instagram but will start posting more frequently as more submissions come in.
– you can submit anonymously or with your info if you want published-poet street cred. unfortunately, literally no one follows the account. p. s. please follow
– just for my personal sanity, please no coronavirus… unless you absolutely must then that’s totally cool too.
This is a collaborative art project to encourage everyone to…
live in the moment;
inspire others;
foster creativity;
observe and be present;
stop and smell the roses;
build a community;
reconnect with nature;
take five minutes to do something ephemeral.
STILL READING? WONDERING “WHY SHOULD I DO THIS?”
To get those creative juices flowing.
To practice having a beginner’s mind.
It’s fun.
To practice awareness.
To accept that not everything is perfect.
To try something you probably haven’t done since 5th grade.
It’s quick.
Because language is something we use everyday, why not practice using it with purpose?
Because you probably could’ve written one in the time it took you to read this page. 🙃
OK, COOL, BUT WHY ARE *YOU* DOING THIS?
I suck at writing but I wanted to practice so I was trying to think of the quickest way to have a finished piece of writing every day. Tim Ferriss has a mantra – “make before you manage”. TL;DR he says to start the day with something – anything – creative, even if it has to be quick.
There’s also this idea floating around in the collective zeitgeist about having hobbies – doing things for enjoyment that you aren’t particularly good at where it doesn’t matter if you never get good at them. There’s this article from the NY Times that talks about how all of our time has become a continuous stream of side-hustles and lifehacks. It goes on to detail some of the benefits of leisure – although it’s kind of funny that even leisure has to be framed as productivity boosting or something that will make us better people for most of us to consider it. #leisureasalifehack
I thought writing dumb little haikus was fun and I wanted to share the fun with other people.
I hope you think it’s fun too.
A really lovely, unexpected outcome has been seeing how relatable everyone’s poems are. When we all stop and embrace the moment it seems like many of us have pretty similar experiences even though we’re separated by so many other things.
ARE YOU REALLY INTO THIS IDEA AND WANT TO HELP OUT?
I’d absolutely love it if you shared this website or the instagram account with your friends, family, classroom, etc!
If you have other ideas, please drop me a line – all ideas and assistance welcome. Especially someone who wants to edit my terrible writing. 😎 I’d really love some pointers if there are any photoshop ninjas out there too.
