Haiku A Day

Drawn Conclusions

2012-12-31T23:50:00.000-05:00

I began this blog one year ago, the idea for it coming to me and evolving over the month of December 2011. I thought it would be an interesting experiment to record my year in the form of one haiku each day. As you might have noticed by the numbering, I posted two haiku in the same day without realizing it, May 4th, amusing considering it's science fiction nerd connotation ("may the 4th be with you"). #125 was posted at 12:30 in the morning and #126 was posted at 7:30 pm.

Posting multiple haiku a day was obviously the least of my problems since it only happened the one time - pretty good since I wasn't able to establish a regular posting schedule given my erratic work hours amid other responsibilities. The hardest part was in early April when my roommate and I moved into a new apartment and lost our at-home internet. Writing haiku wasn't difficult, it was getting to the internet to post them. I often had to write a bunch ahead of time and post them in advance, or let days slip by without posts, then backdate them when I could get to the internet again. It was very frustrating.

But I persevered, and I did succeed in writing at least 366 poems, one for every day of the year (2012 was a leap year). I tried very hard to stick to the original intention of traditional haiku that included seasonal key words. It proved to be quite difficult, however, mostly because the days in the seasons do not change all that much. Though seasonal haiku do make up the bulk of the blog, I feel.

I came up with my own little theme briefly during the summer. I tagged them "words," and they were mostly comprised of definitions for unusual English words, or incorporated uncommon words into the haiku. I had a lot of fun with that series! Words included callipygian, abstemious, curmudgeon, and festoon among others. Click here to read them all.

I don't quiet know yet what my writing challenge will be for 2013. I think I'd like to start an online literary magazine, but I will need quite a bit more free time than I have right now to do so. I'd also like to return to some of my early novels and rework them. I just hope I can find the time!

Time passes quickly;
Sometimes, it's hard to keep up.
Or too exhausting.

There is haiku #367 to complete 2012 and begin 2013.

#366

2012-12-30T00:19:00.001-05:00

Three days off from work?
I don't know how it happened,
But I'll make good use!

#365

2012-12-29T23:59:00.000-05:00

The church bell sings out:
Six o'clock! It's six o'clock!
Time to go to work.

#364

2012-12-28T23:56:00.000-05:00

The roads are icy,
And in the shadows of night,
They are dangerous.

#363

2012-12-27T01:17:00.000-05:00

A creature of snow,
Stones for eyes and sticks for hands,
Now guards the back door.

#362

2012-12-26T22:11:00.001-05:00

Family dinner
With turkey, stuffing, gravy
Is good for the soul.

#361

2012-12-25T22:10:00.000-05:00

A fit of damp snow;
A spinning car on the road.
Driving in winter.

#360

2012-12-24T00:00:00.000-05:00

The pond's still surface
Today remained quite frozen.
Many birds have flown.

#359

2012-12-23T23:30:00.002-05:00

The return to a book
That was long ago put down
Proves quite difficult.

#358

2012-12-22T00:43:00.000-05:00

The end approaches.
No, I don't mean of this world,
Of this haiku blog.

#357

2012-12-21T00:00:00.000-05:00

A day full of rain,
Large, cold droplets from above,
Still better than snow.

#356

2012-12-20T12:08:00.001-05:00

Once again the snow,
Much touted by so many,
Has failed to appear.

#355

2012-12-19T12:07:00.000-05:00

The clouds still move in
As the temperature drops.
Perhaps it will snow.

#354

2012-12-18T12:04:00.000-05:00

They say snow's coming,
Mountains of powdery snow.
Hm, we may yet see.

#353

2012-12-17T22:44:00.001-05:00

Too many hours
When the holidays arrive
Makes a sad panda.

#352

2012-12-16T12:28:00.001-05:00

A happy day off,
Spent with friends and purring cats,
More precious than gems.

#351

2012-12-15T12:24:00.000-05:00

One more day til rest,
Faced with determination,
And a few regrets.

#350

2012-12-14T12:23:00.000-05:00

No time to relax.
A merry season for some,
But not for retail.

#349

2012-12-13T12:22:00.000-05:00

A long day ahead,
Filled with some uncertainty,
But faced without fear.

#348

2012-12-12T12:20:00.000-05:00

The long-promised snow
Has turned to cold drops of rain,
Putting off winter.

#347

2012-12-11T14:24:00.001-05:00

Flocks of geese and gulls
Gather in the pond outside.
When will they fly south?

#346

2012-12-10T00:00:00.000-05:00

The rain turns to snow.
Winter weather's determined
Despite the warm temp.

#345

2012-12-09T14:08:00.000-05:00

A grey rainy day,
More fitting of November.
Hope it doesn't freeze.

#344

2012-12-08T00:00:00.000-05:00

Handcrafted presents
Are fun to make and to buy.
Craft revolution!

#343

2012-12-07T00:00:00.000-05:00

The temperature
Has rapidly plummeted.
Michigan winter.