17 syllables say so much: my end-of-year haiku offer

 

On December 30 at around 1:00 p.m. I was on Twitter and impulsively posted the following tweet:

A year-end offer:
Give me ONE WORD, and I'll write
a haiku for you.

What happened in the next nine hours (and probably longer if I hadn't eventually had to time-limit my offer) was amazing. 

First I got a few words from people I was already connected with on Twitter. I composed and posted a haiku for each of them as quickly as I could, knowing I wouldn't really have time for planning or rewriting. (I used the standard 5-7-5 syllable pattern, but I didn't adhere closely to other common rules of haiku like seasonal references or the hinge word at the end of one of the lines; I just kept it simple.)

Then I started getting words from people I didn't know -- dozens of responses.

By the time I gave up and muted the thread at around 10:00 p.m., I 'd written about 140 haikus.

Some of the people who gave me a word were familiar to me from Twitter or I could tell a little bit about them from their Twitter bio; this made it slightly easier to know what direction to take with the haiku I'd write for them (for instance, I would not say something about God or faith unless I knew they would be open to that). Other responders I knew nothing about, including why they gave me the words they did, so I just went with whatever their word brought to my mind.

Some words appeared multiple times, such as grief and hope -- and I wrote a new haiku each time a word was repeated. Some words seemed to be niche things of interest to a particular person (like badminton or drummer); others were fun or silly like supercalifragilisticexpialodocious and moist. Someone offered cannabis but then deleted it -- I'm not sure what I would have done with that one.

I definitely made a couple of mistakes as I was writing; I saw afterward that two or three of the haikus had mis-numbered lines. That was bound to happen when I was putting out so many in such a short time. You know what they say: "Haiku in haste, repent at leisure." I also fear that I may have missed one or two words people gave me; it got quite difficult to keep track of the thread after a while.

Many people expressed gratitude for the haikus I wrote for them, some telling me that what I'd written was just what they needed. After the year we've had, I think people are looking for things that make them smile, that bring delight and encouragement.

An unexpected byproduct was that I also got about 100 new Twitter followers (and lots of new follow-ees too) out of this exercise. For me Twitter is primarily about connecting with people and sharing ideas and interests, so this was a bonus.

What follows is the list of haikus I wrote that day, in alphabetical order. First I considered grouping them thematically, but I think part of the fun is having odd juxtapositions like compassion appearing between coffee and cookie. That's what life is, after all: one moment you're pondering the importance of resilience and the next you're looking for pickles in the refrigerator. Or maybe that's just me.

 *********

Affogato

Though I've never had
affogato, coffee and
ice cream sure sound good.

 

Always

Sometimes our feet take
the same paths we always take;
other times ... we stray!

 

Anime

Anime: art form
with many faces. It brings
whole new worlds alive.

 

Baby

God as a baby?
There's enough mystery there
to fill the cosmos.

 

Badminton

Badminton was once
a game for rich folks' leisure –
now so fast and fierce!

 

Bagpipes

When I hear bagpipes,
I'm transported to a place
of lochs and green braes.

 

Balm

Some voices are like
a balm to the spirit – they
bring rest, calm, and peace.

 

Beauty

To seek for beauty
is a worthy quest. It's there,
waiting to be found.

 

Beloved

To walk through the world
as one beloved by God
is to carry light.

 

Bilgepump

Ah, lowly bilgepump,
friend to those who go to sea,
we wave our respect!

 

Boundaries

Like a fence line marks
what's yours and mine, boundaries
demarcate our selves.

 

Bowling

Spare a moment, yes,
strike up the big brass band for
bowling – what a ball!

 

Calvinist

What's a Calvinist's
favourite flower? The TULIP.
Hey, it's just a joke...

 

Candle

Candle flame flickers
So small, yet darkest corners
Are suffused with light

 

Change

"The only fixed thing 
is change": there is so much truth 
in paradoxes.

 

Clarity

We seek clarity 
but must often be content 
with a bit more light

Coffee

How do I love thee?
Black? With cream? With some sugar?
Coffee, you're the best.

Compassion

Without compassion
we don't truly live; hearts were
made to care deeply.

Let me lose all things
but compassion. Others' pain
must matter to me.

 

Confused

Such a confused year:
we hesitate to ask what
the next one might bring.

 

Connection

To forge connection
when life pushes us apart
is hard but worth it.

 

Consistency (or Commitment – she told me to choose)

A strong commitment
to consistency can lead
others to trust us.

 

Cookie

Our neighbours brought us 
cookies. So much kindness in 
a sweet, small morsel.

Courage

It takes courage just
to face the future, to take
steps toward the light.

 

Dauntless

This past year, the most
dauntless spirits were tested.
We're strong together.

 

Deeper

The quiet water
looks serene, but go deeper:
there's so much beneath.

 

Defenestration

Defenestration
should be a last resort. Try
talking things out first.

 

Dejected

How often this year
we've felt dejected -- such loss!
O God, make things new.

 

Delight

In a year like this
it's hard to find delight,
but it waits to be found

 

Delphinium

Bees flit among the
delphinium, drawn by
their purple beauty.

 

Determination

Determination
takes us just so far; we fall,
but friends help us rise.

 

Diamond

Stars shine like diamonds
in the velvet nighttime sky:
so close, yet so far

 

Disestablishmentarianism

Disestablishment-
arianism fills up
a haiku quickly.

 

Distant

Our love's distant, but
just geographically.
Our hearts are still close.

Distant from loved ones,
we zoom the miles between us;
it's the next-best thing.

 

Drummer

Little Drummer Boy
gets a bad rap, but admit:
his timing's perfect.

 

Embrace

This year we found out
how much we need to embrace
the people we love.

 

Empty

After such a year
we can feel empty -- so spent!
God, fill us again.

 

Energy

This year has taken
such energy just to live.
Next year -- let us dance.

 

Envy

Envy: deadly sin
or seed of holy desire?
Purify it, Lord.

 

Ephemeral

Life's ephemeral:
we pass away, yet leave our mark,
our stamp on this world.

 

Epiphany

Men bow to toddler:
Epiphany! Another
of God's reversals.

 

Exuberance

Life's exuberance
can't be contained -- like water
it flows and rushes.

 

Faithfulness

There is faithfulness
in choosing to do the next,
nearest, needed thing.

 

Family

We are family.
What hurts you hurts me; your joy
can make my heart sing.

 

Fear

Sometimes what we fear
becomes a friend, showing us
a new place to grow.

 

Flourishing

Under the snow, plants
lie dormant: waiting for spring
and new flourishing.

 

Focus

Sometimes our focus
is drawn to our faults – but we're
all so beautiful!

 

Forward

As you go forward
into this new year, may you
always walk in hope.

 

Goodness

Surely Your goodness
will follow me. May I not
be lost from Your sight.

 

Grace

We encounter grace
in some unlikely places
as well as faces.

 

Grief

Don't deny your grief:
it means you are alive, with
a heart that still beats.

I hold grief awhile:
Don't tell me to cast it off.
It can be a friend.

 

Hallelujah

Leonard, I love you,
but "Hallelujah"'s wrong: SHE
wasn't on the roof.

 

Healing

God, bring your healing
to our bodies, our hearts, and
this brutiful world.

I asked for healing;
God sent laughter, deep and rich
and restorative.

 

Hedgehog

The hedgehog looks like
a boot-cleaning brush, but he
thinks he's quite handsome.

 

Help

The smallest kind act,
helping  hand: these have power
to change the whole world.

 

Hippopotamus

Hippopotamus,
do you ever wish to be
graceful like a swan?

 

History

Will history show
that we cared for each other?
What's our legacy?

 

Homeless

This night, spare a thought
for the homeless, who just want
the same things you do.

 

Hope

The year slips away;
we face the new with a hope
softened by sorrow.

Like a small candle
sputtering in wind, hope shines
through the darkest night.

Hope is like a light
we carry, casting a glow
'round our walking feet.

Emily D said
hope has feathers, and it sings.
Sing over us, hope!

Hope, stay by our side
as we enter this new year.
We have such need of you.

Hope takes one more step,
carrying just enough strength
for this day's walking

 

Humpback

Majestic humpback:
you sing your haunting song as
you swim deep and far.

 

Impatience

Impatience to hug,
hold those we love, grasp their hand –
it's holy longing.

 

Infinite

The Great Conjunction:
infinite space draws our gaze
up to planets' dance.

 

Integrity

Inside meets outside
in a sweet integrity:
a life of wholeness.

 

Introspection

Year-end calls us to
introspection: what to leave,
what to take forward.

 

Jeannie

Jeannie did wonder,
"Will I regret doing this?"
She hasn't so far!

 

Journey

The journey of life:
a thousand miles made up of
many single steps.

 

Joy

Step outside your door;
hear birds sing, watch them flit, swoop.
Birds are joy with wings.

 

Justice

Justice is a stream
that flows down with power from
the place our God dwells.

 

Kindness

We all need kindness.
A stranger's smile – even masked! –
can lighten our step.

 

Knitting

Knitting is an art:
stitch by stitch, something is made,
unique and special.

 

Lackadaisical

Lackadaisical
lockdown days: we learn to move
at a slower pace.

 

Lament

This year has been hard.
We can lament that, yet be
thankful for what's good.

 

Library

The library's closed
for lockdown. Can't wait till we
can go back and browse.

 

Liminal

Narnia's wardrobe
exists - that liminal place
between the two worlds.

 

Love

When the way is hard,
love can give strength, remind us
our small life matters.

Love's never wasted,
never falls futile to earth.
It always gives life.

 

Malamute

Malamutes frolic
in snow, await instructions
to run, pull, race -- GO!

 

Manwich

Hunt's Manwich:
the lunch of kings! Well worthy
of its own haiku.

 

Moist

There’s always one guy
who asks for a word like “moist” –
I know he loves haiku!

 

Oak

Lean against the oak.
Listen: its pulse is sure, strong --
And so is your own.

 

 

Passing

As we are passing
through life, we hope to be loved
and love in return.

 

Patience

"Patience, but not yet,"
we laugh -- for its lessons take
a lifetime to learn.

 

Patient

A patient person
has learned their place in the world:
no better, no worse.

 

Peace

Peace falls like dark
at the end of a hard day.
Soft sleep restores us.

There's peace in sunrise,
sunset, the rhythm of days –
just let it happen.

Peace dances with play
Water splashes over rocks
They need each other

 

Perseverance

The road can be long.
Perseverance takes one step
and then another.

 

Perspicacity

Perspicacity
is a rare gift. We marvel
at its wise insight.

 

Pickle

A pickle haiku
can be sweet or sour, briny
or sharp; try a taste!

 

Pie

Let us shake the hand
of whoever first put fruit
in pastry. Mmm, pie!

 

Possibility

Every new day has
its possibility, its
chance for grasping joy.

 

Presence

Practicing presence
calms, connects us to God,
others, earth, and self.

 

Prism

Prism, bend the light.
Break it. Send colours flowing
in all directions.

 

Radiant

The full moon last night
was radiant; its soft face
smiled reassurance.

 

Reese’s

Peanut Butter Cups:
food of the gods. Dear Reese's,
we give you our thanks.

 

Refrigerator

"Your next word is not
in the refrigerator" –
sounds fake but ok....

 

Release

Release the old year
but carry the gifts it gave
into the new one.

 

Renaissance

Let the old year go;
it won't be missed. Let the new
bring renaissance.

 

Resilience

We fall, get back up,
praying our resilience
keeps our hearts soft still.

 

Resilient

We're resilient
yet weak. None of us can do
this life thing alone.

 

Restore

Time cannot restore
what this year took from us, yet
we go forth in hope.

 

Serendipitous

Serendipitous?
Or just planets lining up?
Either way: lovely!

 

Salami

So much depends on
whether you slice salami
thinly or thickly.

 

Shelter

When winter winds blow,
we seek shelter, a warm place
to rest and find peace.

 

Silence

In silence, we meet
ourselves – and learn to befriend
the person we are.

 

Sparkle

The stars sparkle
in the evening sky – the world
is full of magic!

 

Stand

Like trees, we stand tall:
deeply rooted in the earth,
reaching for the sky.

 

Sublime

Life can be sublime
yet ridiculous: we laugh
and we bow in awe.

 

Supercalifragilisticexpialodocious

Supercalifrag
ilisticexpialo
docious -- I did it!

 

Surrender

Surrender is trust:
not white flags to enemies
but a Friend's embrace.

 

Survivor

You mustn't say,
"Oh, I was just a survivor"--
that is no small thing.

 

Teach

Essential workers –
what would we do without those
who teach our children?

 

Tendril

A tendril of hair
pushed behind the ear – a touch
that speaks gentleness.

 

Thanks

We pause to give thanks
for love, joy, even mistakes
that caused us to grow.

 

Threshold

I cross the threshold
between two years, leave the door
ajar behind me.

 

Toddler

Toddler takes first steps:
so much laughter, such delight
on their face and ours.

 

Tomorrow

Tomorrow, draw us
forward in hope, even when
yesterday's been hard.

 

Trust

Lean in -- trust, don't fear!
Strong arms hold you -- and your arms
hold someone else fast.

 

Ubiquitous

Ubiquitous words
like mask, distance, lockdown – but
we just want to live!

 

Uncertain

Uncertain future,
I won't grasp or control you
but let you unfold.

 

Unlearn

Life is unlearning
old, unhelpful ways, turning
to embrace new ones.

 

Unprecedented

God, nothing can be
unprecedented for You:
You dwell beyond time.

Courage, dear pilgrim:
these unprecedented times
can still hold deep joy

 

Wait

It's so hard to wait
for news, for change, for that word
that brings the heart peace.

 

Wholehearted

The wholehearted life
lets inside and outside meet
in sweet harmony.

 

Winter

Winter days lengthen
after solstice: a few more
minutes' worth of light.

 

Yearning

God, my yearning heart
meets Your own in this still place
where we both kneel, known.

 

Yet

The year has held joy
yet has been hard. We need words
like "yet"; they speak truth.

 

Yoda

Yoda, Jedi Master:
your wisdom's great, belying
your very small size.

 

And finally, to the guy who complimented me on the speed and quality of my responses:

The secret is not
to overthink – let instinct
take the reins and run!

 *********

I hope you've enjoyed reading these little poems. Maybe you've found a haiku in this list that speaks directly to you at this moment and gives you something to carry into 2021. Happy New Year, everyone.