April is National Poetry Month and for this Wordy Wednesday here's a little dose of HAIKU.
A traditional Japanese haiku is a three-line poem, 17 syllables, written in a 5/7/5 syllable count.
I am the first with five
Then seven in the middle
Five again to end.
As the form has evolved, many of its regular traits - including its famous syllabic pattern - have been routinely broken. However, the philosophy of haiku has been preserved: the focus on a brief moment in time; a use of provocative, colorful images; an ability to be read in one breath; and a sense of sudden enlightenment.
On a trip to Washington DC a few years ago, T was doing his mortgage banking conference work and I was wandering through the Golden Triangle neighborhood. (I definitely had the better deal). As I walked with no specific purpose along the streets, eye-catching signs with haikus popped up here and there. Come to find out, since 2014 the Golden Triangle neighborhood has sponsored a poetry contest to bring pops of warmth, color, and inspiration to the streets of downtown DC during the late winter months. Not the traditional 5/7/5 format but on point with the haiku philosophy. What a serendipitous find!
My office is in that neighborhood,
ReplyDeleteWhat a great location. So close to many major attractions. Love the Renwick Gallery.
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