I want to be more creative! Haiku to the rescue…

It’s easy for writers to get in a rut, so I jumped at the recent invitation (challenge, really…) from Denice B., a friend in my Facebook group “The Art of the Heartspoken Note,” to join her and two others in sending each other monthly letters containing Haiku poetry (a Japanese poem of seventeen syllables, in three lines of five, seven, and five syllables each). Denice mails a letter with some challenges (and her own Haiku) each month and we share our results with each other.

I had no idea I would enjoy this so much, and there have been some real surprises:

• Writing Haiku actually rests my brain because it requires an entirely different mindset than blog and note writing.
• I’ve stretched my vocabulary while looking for words that fit my meaning but have the right number of syllables.
• Instead of feeling restricted by the form of Haiku, I find it releases me to approach a topic from an entirely different perspective.
• In its simplicity, Haiku can sometimes be incredibly profound

Stuff your stuffiness away and pull out your playfulness. Haiku may be just what you need to unleash your hidden creativity.

Summertime at Riverwood

“Riverwood” is the name of our home here in the Shenandoah Valley on the North Fork of the Shenandoah River.

Summer heat and drought
Grass brown—river rock exposed
Deer drink from birdbath

Too hot to walk far…
The breeze makes it bearable
Look for shady spots

White-tailed deer—so cute
until they eat all my plants
and mess up my mulch.

Some things that make me happy this summer

Sweet summer evenings
sitting on the patio
watching the sun set

Summer night descends
Eastern Screech Owl’s haunting “Whooooooo”
Time for ghosts to rise…

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Time to get the mail
One third mile, hot and uphill
Let there be a note!

Anticipation
Open the box…only bills?
No…a real letter!

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Tasting summer fruits
peaches, melons, and cherries
exquisite…sublime

Soft burst of flavor
Sweet with a touch of tart
Sunshine and sugar

These tastes take me back
to childhood picnics and fun
Spitting out the seeds

Thank you, God above,
for such bounty from the earth…
your sweet summer gifts.

Thanku

Yes, it’s real thing — thank you messages in Haiku format. You’ll be hearing more about this in my “Today’s HEARTSPOKEN Note” newsletter soon. Go subscribe so you don’t miss it.

You welcomed us all
Sweet tea…wine and cheese
We felt so at home.

What a gift it was—
this gathering of like minds,
shared values…new friends

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You listened for an hour
A gift of your precious time
I am so grateful

Lagniappe

In Louisiana, our Cajun friends used this word to mean “just a little extra.”

Some are born “blue-blood.
Some can’t rub red from their necks.
Who cares? God loves all

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Etiquette’s not hard
Even if we forget rules
Just be kind to all

I’ve shared mine. Now you share yours (in the comments below). What summertime joy might inspire a little Haiku for you?

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