Skip to main content

Urban Haiku

We haven't had many entries in our Urban Haiku contest. But several of our Dream Keepers have been writing Haiku over the past few weeks on Wednesday nights. One of the Dream Keepers wrote poems suitable for publication. Enjoy!

Wanted: Tom Jackson
Wanted since June, 2000
Worried about pollution?
—Elisha Branch

Bethel Baptist Church
Rummage Sale is this Friday
How much for Jesus?
—Elisha Branch

No child left behind
Have faith in education
I'm ten; I can't read.
—Elisha Branch

Comments

Neat contest, and great organisation!

For a simple clear intro to haiku:
what is haiku


crowded street
the space
a dog’s deposit


Alan Summers
Haiku Presence ISSN 1366-5367

night empty streets
a siren alarm pierces
the souvenir shop


Alan Summers
Ritsumeikan University Peace Museum Award Commendation

Haiku don't need to be 5/7/5, it's what's inside, not the number, that counts.

Good luck with the contest though, and I hope you get more entries.

I also think a string of haiku could make a potential Hip hop track, which is what I'm hoping to do with a youth group in the deprived North of England.

Maybe a thought?

all my best,

Alan, With Words
Alan,

Thank you for the amazing poetry, information, and ideas. I appreciate it. I like the idea of using Haiku to create a hip hop track. Let me know what happens with your project!

Best wishes,
Rochelle

Popular posts from this blog

Six-word Scary Stories

We've done six-word memoirs. Tonight the Dream Keepers wrote six-word scary stories. Read and enjoy! (Then write and submit your own in the comment field!) A vampire destroys the city with power. —Tramonta Garner (pictured above) One virus. One town. No survivors. —Jaimee Bogard-LaMar, 14 One girl. Many monsters. What's next? —Jaimee Bogard-LaMar, 14 Big zombie eats eyeballs. City blind. —Elisha Branch, 14 One house. One family. Both gone. —Elisha Branch, 14 Knock, knock. Who's there? Killer mysterious. —Derranesha, 12 Baby cries. No answer. What happens? —Derranesha, 12 Ring, ring. "Hello." Please help me. —April, 12 The spooky monster ran towards me ... —Sonya, 17 The worm crawls into the brain. —Sierra The slippery, slimy monster grabs two. —Quintoya Eskridge

Long Titles, Short Poems

Tonight the Dream Keepers tried to write short poems with long titles, an assignment from Dawn DiPrince's wonderful book Yoga For the Brain . Here's the example I wrote: What Happened when John decided to Do His Laundry the Old-Fashioned Way: with a Bar of Soap, a Rock, and a River. Threadbare Underwear. The assignment is harder than it sounds, and the Dream Keepers had a tough time with it. But they still came up with some good samples. Read their work, and then try writing your own! By Elly: What Elly Was Left with After She Ate A big Juicy Hamburger in Two Bites. Yummy Tummy. By Leroi: What the Owner Said When He Took His Pet to Meet the New Vet, who Already Had Met a Dog, a Frog, and a Bunch of Cats. Oh No. By Daquan: What Happened When I Took A Bone from a Dog Who Had Had It a Long Time. Fight. Bite. By Tierra: The clock stopped at 11 O'Clock. Tick Tock?

To Be Young, Gifted and Black

Last night the Dream Keepers and I met for the second time this fall. As usual, our time together begins slowly. We would rather talk and eat than write. Giggles abound. I'm tempted to be more teacher than facilitator. Both are necessary--but I sense that the young women work better for the facilitator. Last night we read together the poem, HOWL by Nikki Giovanni from her new book of poems, Acolyte. The poem is dedicated to singer Nina Simone, who write a song called To Be Young, Gifted and Black inspired by a play of the same name written by Lorraine Hansberry. After reading the poem, the two young women decided to write on this theme. Here is their work. As usual, it is moving to me and I hope for you. Young, Gifted, and Black by Natalie Branch I am young, smart, and African American. I know that may seem like a little, but it's saying a lot more than you know. To people like my sister, being young means not having your own voice and always having to prove yourself. To me, be...