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.
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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!
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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.
