About two months ago, I started this small Haiku project, and casually asked about 20 friends. 14 of them eventually joined me.
We are all beginners in poetry. For some of us, this was the very first time hearing the word “Haiku”, not to mention writing one.
We are all non-English-native speakers (except two school children who are considered bilingual), but the decision was to try English as it can easily mimic a traditional Haiku, which contains a 5-7-5 rhythm with a mix of single-syllable and multiple-syllable words.
Despite all the challenges and nuances, everyone tried their best to leverage a second language to share day-to-day observations from this small yet big and amazing life, while expressing some of their deepest feelings, ranging from great joy to immense sorrow.
Some only wrote one, some wrote 20 plus, some wrote other types of poems in different languages, and some felt inspired to move on to something else.
In the end, no one would cling too much on the quality of each individual poem. (A steep learning curve is clearly shown from the first Haiku to the last one.)
Personally, the process of such a collaborative and communal effort has its own power, fun and inspiration. It brought us together.
I am deeply grateful for your presence in my life.
Attached here is the original project plan and invitation letter that I used to reach out to the folks.
After the letter, let me humbly present the 130+ Haikus written by 14 friends in the past two months.
[The Original Letter]
You are cordially invited to join the Project Fall Leaves with me.
Let's write and share Haiku together.
Inspired by Billy Collins' masterclass
How to start?
Get familiar with the form – you have two options:
Haiku: 3 lines with syllables 5, 7 and 5.
Tanka: 5 lines with syllables 5, 7, 5, 7 and 5.
Feel free to search the terms "Haiku" and "Tanka". You will find a bunch of examples written by both master poets and kindergartners.
Why stick to a form?
If we don't have any forms, it's very hard to find a place to start, especially for beginners. Of course we all improvise from time to time and get free-form, if we really feel a sentence or stanza is brilliant.
Why English Haiku?
English Haiku has its own tradition for over 100 years. Compared to Mandarin Chinese (where every character is single-syllable), English (with multiple-syllable words) can help us get the rhythm of Haiku fairly quickly. Anyone speak Japanese?
What if I never wrote poems before?
Treat it as a game or word puzzle. No pressure.
No need to be fancy or complex. No one will judge. Just use basic English and simple words from your daily life to talk about your life and feelings. We may all throw in some fancy words or sentences occasionally. Who knows?
How to discover the subjects to write about?
Anything! For now, let's start with free writing.
We may add in some more fun later by throwing in some games – e.g. set a theme, specify a subject, specify a rhyme or rhythm, write a riddle, if we are all up to it.
How to share and keep going?
Write directly in your chat box with me. Or use "notes" to type and paste in the chat box. There are also one or two mobile apps available to help you count syllables.
I will save all the Haikus in a shared doc for us. It will be fun to look back in a few months.
Let's start with daily or twice a week? How about test-run for a while. Don't worry, I will nudge you.
Got stuck? Check out a few tips from Billy -
1. Find a few Haikus and Tankas online, and start from mimicking.
2. Take a seat, take a breath, think about what I did yesterday, and write down whatever comes to mind. Don't write them down logically or chronically. Just follow the flow. E.g.
"I ate an avocado, I called my dad and he didn't pick up my phone, I didn't eat breakfast, I was tired, the leaves started falling, the sky was grey, the wildfire didn't stop..." Anything! Literally! Seriously, Anything!
3. Start with a bunch of first lines, and see which one you like the best to continue.
4. Best advice ever: don't sit there and decide to start writing a poem right now. Everyone could get stuck in front of a blank paper. Some ideas/words/sentences could hover in your mind every now and then, while you eat, walk around in house, work in the garden, drive, pick up your child from school. Try to capture them by note or voice memo. Later, when you sit down, you already have something to start working with.
Useful resources:
If you have an account at masterclass.com, Billy Collins' poetry course is awesome.
Free Coursera from CalArt "Sharpened Visions: A Poetry Workshop".
Websites:
Do not overthink
Be playful! Let's start and have
some fun together
See you on the other side...
September 14th, 2021
[The Collection]
Project Fall Leaves Collection
Season I
September 14th to November 7th (daylight saving ends) 2021
By a group of friends: SS, XW, ZZ, MP, JL, CL, YX, MQ, AX, GY, CZ, JZ, YH, JP
Listed chronically
9/14 SS
Endless summer winds
Winding roses are still pink
Pink hydrangeas pruned
(#1)
9/17 MQ
It was a great night
Wake up in drizzle morning
Unbelievable!
(#2)
9/17 JL
White big peach in box
Yellow small orange in bag
Bye-bye! Long workday
(#3)
9/18 MQ (from camping site)
The rain gets heavier
Lie down, listen to raindrops
Completely relax
(#4)
9/18 YX
Yellow autumn leaves
Leave the dust in emptiness
Empty your worrying mind
(#5)
9/18 JL
I see summer breeze
Green leaves, blue sky and white cloud
What comes to my mind
(#6)
An old man came first
A young girl jumped up and down
And many others
(#7)
Why the self not come
Ah, cogito ergo sum
You know what I mean
(#8)
9/19 YX
Raining on the lake
Drops run after drops and drops
Grasshopper awaits rainbow
(#9)
9/19 SS
Wildfire in northland
Ocean wind toasts maple leaves
Dylan book of lyrics
(#10)
9/20 SS
Chairman on a chair
Spinning up keeps spinning fast
Home away from home
(#11)
9/21 JL
Two worlds cut by doors
Chilly sluggish me inside
Come, come, said the sun
(#12)
I have what you need
Sunny happy energy
And a cake like moon
(#13)
Your bonus tonight
Enjoy the nature my friend
In the hardest time
(#14)
9/21 MQ
It’s full moon tonight
We go for a full moon hike
Beautiful moon-rise
(#15)
9/21 SS
6am con-calls
Zooming through the entire day
Mid-fall never falls
(#16)
9/22 MQ
Four nights out of home
Camping site with wine tasting
What a pleasant trip
(#17)
9/22 SS
Sub-boomers opera
Atlantic tweets Pacific
Yellow nautilus
(#18)
9/22 JL
Mornings come and go
Evenings come and never leave
I am evening
(#19)
9/23 CL
Baby crying much
Sucking milk in mother’s arms
Both smiling again
(#20)
9/24 AX
My boy doesn’t wake up
It’s already time for his school
Alarm keeps ringing
(#21)
9/24 CZ
Sunshine on table
Such a wonderful morning
With the ones you love
(#22)
9/24 JZ
Moonlight shatters me
As torrential memories
Permeate my heart
(#23)
9/24 YX (Haircut by my hubby)
New style with short hair
His stress from mediocrity
Mine is the grey hair
(#24)
Cellular shuts down
Quietness is my luxury
Inner-outer peace
(#25)
9/24 SS
Sunrise on Hudson
Boys and girls boogie all night
The sound of ashes
(#26)
9/24 CL
Good morning coffee
Keeps me going every day
Wind or sun or rain
(#27)
9/24 JL
Virtual remote
distance you further away
I miss you so much
(#28)
9/24 MP
Kitchen windowsill
Tomatoes turn red yellow
Colors of the life
(#29)
9/25 MP
Toothaches all night long
Where does the problem belong
Night will soon be gone
(#30)
9/25 MQ
Back from camping trip
Face my fumigated house
So much work to do
(#31)
9/25 SS
Tip-toe with mask on
Crimson fever inside out
Until autumn falls
(#32)
9/25 AX
Wind starting to blow
Gopher hiding in the hole
Leaves keep falling down
(#33)
9/26 SS
Hide behind the drapes
Two calico cats inside, stare at
The black one outside
(#34)
9/26 GY
Oh, the orange light
The air is thick and smoky
It scares me daily
(#35)
9/26 MQ
Drove to testing site
Thought it’s drive-through COVID test
How come the set changed?
(#36)
9/26 XW
This is a nice day
I went outside for a walk
It’s full of sunshine
(#37)
9/26 YX
Coffee grinder comes
My new toy for addiction
Tea still No.1 choice
(#38)
9/26 CL
Ants on the table
Don’t know danger approaching
Run for your life, run!
(#39)
9/27 MQ
Fall breeze refreshing
Calligraphy practicing
My strings still waiting
(#40)
9/27 SS
Sunset through glass door
Breaks porcelain at its core
Kaleidoscope
(#41)
9/27 ZZ
In the autumn night
Shadows of deer and baby
Impression of moon
(#42)
9/27 XW
Autumn is coming
Leaves turned into colors
The air gets so crisp
(#43)
9/28 MQ
Someone in the dark shadows
whispered to me “They are all over the place...”
Scared me a bit - here comes a deer!
(#44)
9/28 CL (Financial Times)
Black words on pink sheets
Sheets fluttering with the wind
Wind takes thoughts away
(#45)
9/28 SS
Winter at doorstep
The squirrels collect acorns
Shout “Yo La Tengo”
(#46)
9/28 YX
Breeze through silver birch
Small town of gold ginkgo leaves
Full of city crowd
(#47)
9/28 JL
Silent the meeting
Turn off shining monitors
Gimme back my life
(#48)
9/28 XW
Books on my shelf
A way to look at the world
Reading enlightens
(#49)
9/29 XW
Wind, rain and lightning
A small ship sails on the sea
Oh, how dangerous!
(#50)
9/29 CL (Eye checkup)
In the hospital
Staring at the lines and dots
Are my eyes ok?
(#51)
9/30 SS
Freeze some ice cubes and
Run! Lock the sadness into
sub-zero darkness
(#52)
10/1 XW
This is a small park
Neighbors all come here and play
Busy and crowded
(#53)
10/1 CL (Grieving)
Sitting by the porch
Woman in black gown mumbles
Sayonara
(#54)
10/2 SS
Hydrangeas being trimmed
Endless speechless summer wind
Autumn sinks in ink
(#55)
10/2 XW
The clouds are heavy
and grey, it’s raining all day
At home, have to stay
(#56)
10/3 XW
Learning has much fun
It gives me new perspectives
I enjoy myself
(#57)
10/3 JL
Even worm knows to
Live a full life while it can
“Ghost won’t do after”
(#58)
10/4 XW
Good friends seldom meet
When will the restrictions end?
Blame the pandemic
(#59)
10/3 MQ
Life almost halfway
Upfront still a long journey
Look forward to it
(#60)
10/3 YX
Chasing in the wind
Flying with the dandelion
Seeds of hope awaits
(#61)
10/4 MQ
No time today for
my dear books, who mourn on shelf
I apologize!
(#62)
10/6 SS
Lie down on the floor
Listen - the knocks at the door
Let it come and go
(#63)
10/6 CL (Squid Game)
So fake yet so real
456 flighting for life
Humanity rules
(#64)
10/7 XW
Oh my dear daughter
A wonderful day in life
Happy birthday
(#65)
10/7 SS
Eat birthday cake piece
by piece. Grow old as you sit
by me day by day
(#66)
10/7 CL (Happy Birthday)
Bright and elegant
You are a dear to my heart
Feliz Cumpleanos
(#67)
10/7 YX
Bridal veil in white
Happiness covered with tears
New chapter, it is
(#68)
10/8 XW
Day by day passed by
We grow old year after year
It’s law of nature
(#69)
10/9 SS
Foggy hills Chilly Dew
The fifth autumn solar term
Winter at door step
(#70)
10/9 XW
Winter is coming
Weather changes - it’s getting cold
Have to dress warmly
(#71)
10/9 JL
Fast technology
Fast food fast delivery
Fast to heaven or?
(#72)
10/10 YX
Tattoo since teenage
Fading in the dawns of life
Script wasn’t written down
(#73)
10/10 XW
Everything in pan
Rice, vegetables and sauce
Now it’s clay pot time!
(#74)
10/11 SS
Breakfast of west coast
Toss in avocado toast
Orchards swipe forest
(#75)
10/11 XW
Sun, sand and cactus,
Ocean and an old captain
think of an old song
(same old song)
(#76)
10/12 XW
I got some fresh fruit
A box of love from a friend
Delicious apples
(#77)
10/12 YX
Paint a picture, while
Listen to “iridescent”
Indian-summer heat
(#78)
10/13 XW
Nobody knows who
was that charming young lady
Oh, Mona Lisa
(#79)
10/14 XW
The sun shone gaily
Sunlight poured into my room
Through crystal windows
(#80)
10/14 YX
Peace, love, on paper
How does mankind term, esti
-mated, in the end?
(#81)
10/15 SS
A flock of seagulls
Glide through skyline, effortless
angle of attack
(#82)
10/15 CL (Pollution)
Haze filling the air
Fogging hills and the city line
Wait for the sea breeze!
(#83)
10/15 XW
“Double Ninth Festival”
Older people climb up hills
Careful! Don’t fall!
(#84)
10/16 SS
Purple raw crystal
Corner office nested in trees
Look through double-panes
(#85)
10/17 YX (All alone)
All-in while together
All-out while saying goodbye
Make peace with fate
(#86)
10/17 SS
A team of team players
March toward the highest peak
Such a lonely trip
(#87)
10/18 XW
Picture on the wall
A dragonfly hovers above
a lotus who buds
(#88)
10/18 YX
Still a week to go
Let the pink champagne bubble
So's my heart sparkle
(Can't wait!)
(#89)
10/19 SS
March to snowy peak
Friends and folks all-together
Such a weary trip
(#90)
Paddle in whitewater
Friends and folks on the same boat
Such as lonely feel
(#91)
Hike through forestry trail
Friends and folks hug in laughter
Such a starless night
(#92)
10/19 XW
I went to market
where they sell organic food
Indulged a lot
(#93)
10/19 YX (My masterpiece)
Puzzle of my half
Always search for the next piece
Almost fifty years
(#94)
10/20 SS
The moon casts moonlight
The mountain shapes mountain waves
I lost my own voice
(#95)
10/20 XW
Stay at home all day
I enjoy chat time with friends
And afternoon tea
(#96)
10/20 YX
Being asked once again
Where’s the happiness on earth?
Always somewhere, alw(ays)
(#97)
10/21 SS (For Christo and Jeanne-Claude)
White cliffs, waves go pink
The curtain is up? Or down?
Go ahead, wrap my heart
(#98)
10/21 XW
What a sunny day
We like to bask in the sun
on fake grass playground
(#99)
10/21 CL (Cantonese Idiom)
Blame on the weather
For all things can’t be explained
This is how it works
(#100)
10/23 XW
My teeth hurts again
Treatment is a long process
Taking a pill first
(#101)
10/24 SS
Rainy winds whole night
Message from North Pacific
Time to sort out cashmere
(#102)
10/24 XW
Time flies like a bird
This year is ending again
You have a good day
(#103)
10/24 YX
“You can run, sweetheart.
Do not let anything stop you.”
“So do you, Chuan-Mom.”
(#104)
10/25 XW
This season, old times
We preserve all kinds of food
to survive winter
(#105)
10/26 XW
Outbreak here again
I got a boost vaccine shot
Fingers crossed for best
(#106)
10/27 XW
The Golden Gate Bridge
A world infamous red bridge
Flies over the bay
(#107)
10/28 GY and AX
Buildings, more buildings
Rabbit is trapped in the land
Nowhere else to go
(#108)
10/28 MQ
Every night, look
at my to-do’s. How to do
better the next day?
(#109)
10/29 XW
Enter the compound
Travel pass, health code and more
Have to show them all
(#110)
10/29 JZ
Shackled by turmoil
I imbibe the last vestige
of joy you bestow
(#111)
10/29 CL
Golden sunlight shines
through pink cotton candy clouds
A beautiful day!
(#112)
10/30 YH
The end of October
Crickets chirping, fading into silence
Last sip of summer
(#113)
The silver lining of cloud
Shed by the glorious moon, never tired
Buried in the ever growing tide
(#114)
A night in the autumn
Your name suddenly rises, from deep down
With a bottle of osmanthus wine
(#115)
10/30 CL (Haiku Social)
What a sweet burden
strained but don't want to give up
a friendship precious
(#116)
10/30 XW
Today is weekend
Cleaned bathroom and kitchen
The dust swept away
(#117)
11/1 CL (Climate Change)
Climate is warming
Polar melting, storms surging
blue planet's crying
(#118)
11/1 XW
Jujube, ginger
I drink it in the morning
Kind of healthy tea
(#119)
11/1 GY
Look at yellow trees
They liven up the forest
The leaves slowly fall
(#120)
11/2 SS
Nimbus clouds rising
Wake me up when October ends
Fire clouds fall from sky
(#121)
11/3 XW
Double eleven
Online shopping carnival
Everyone buying
(#122)
11/4 YX
Don't be somebody
Bounce, bounce, I write my story
Don't be Nobody
(#123)
11/4 JL
Hunger in stomach
Food can cure hunger in mind
Nothing can help more
(No one can help you)
(#124)
Media creates
onlookers and loneliness
Who is real product?
(#125)
11/4 SS (Practicing Calligraphy)
Thousands of Kan-Ji
Pour into zillions of bytes
Lost-and-found in time
(#126)
11/5 XW
It's time for winter
Weather is getting colder
Like everyday
(#127)
11/5 CL (Kids)
Boy one, boy two, plus
a girl so cuddly and cute,
happiness explodes
(#128)
11/6 GY
Cars, cars and more cars
Longer waits in the traffic
Listening to honks
(#129)
11/6 CL (Lightness of Being)
Blue sky and light breeze,
butterfly flutters above,
may it every stay.
(#130)
11/6 SS (First snow in Peking)
The very first snow
Some old song for an old soul
Long long time ago
(#131)
11/7 SS (Finale)
Daylight saving ends
Earlier sunsets, longer nights,
Dark winter starts
(#132)
Bonus
(A Haiku written by a 6-year-old a few years ago)
9/14 JP
Going to the farm
Farmers working very hard
The sound of the dirt
(Two tanka try-outs in this collection)
9/14 SS
A sip of coffee
Crisp morning, sun is rising
The door is ajar
Birds are chirping, bees humming
No! The door is open!
(The cat must run out, again)
11/4 SS (Study of Chinese calligraphy)
Thousands of Kan-Ji
Pour into zillions of bytes
Digital rivers
Lost-and-found in this life
Carry into next round
(Last but not least, a random one for someone who really likes cats…）
A cat named Ravioli
Sitting by the window
As her designated guard post
Restlessly day and night
diligently she watches outside
moving her neck like an owl who stands
on top of an alpine in the mountains
“I ain’t looking like a bird.”
Said the cat, “Hoot, hoot.”
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