Haiku minus H plus B equals Baiku

Today marks Haiku Day, another Theme Day for the participants of the WordCount Blogathon. Just as I did last year, I'm posting haiku with a twist, giving you what's known in the cycling world as Baiku. Yes, that's right. We're talking HAIKU centered not around nature, necessarily, but definitely around the bike ride. The short poems are still written in three lines, with the general haiku syllable count: first line, 5 syllables; second line, 7 syllables; and third line, 5 syllables.

So for your reading pleasure: 3 BAIKU 

UPLIFTING
by Jackie Dishner

The ride lifts me up
Higher than I'd like to go
Otherwise, I'm down

MINDFUL
by Jackie Dishner

Those long, bumpy rides
will teach you about your life
if you are in tune


PEACEFUL
by Jackie Dishner

Empty streets in town
Nobody walking around
Just me and the bike

Haiku Day! Celebrating the joy of bikes and biking

In celebration of the bike, and to follow today's WordCount Blogathon theme to share a Haiku Day, I went in search of the three-lined poems on Twitter. I looked for biking and cycling enthusiasts to share what they had to say in verse. There's actually a community of poets, if you will, who specialize in the subject, and they call it baiku. I love that! I don't think folks give cyclists, bike riders, and the biking community the creative credit they so deserve. So, in honor of Haiku Day, I'm doling out the credit here, sharing with you what this special community can do with just a few words when they're writing about something they love.

Drumroll please...and let the haiku begin, starting with mine:

The Trek of my dreams
takes me places on two wheels--
a land of freedom
     ~by Jackie Dishner (@bikelady on Twitter)

Joyful May weather!
Birds and flowers celebrate
Cyclists enjoy spring.
     ~by Richard Masoner (@cyclelicious on Twitter) 

Cool breeze on my face

Wind chimes calming melodies

crickets sing along 

     ~by Martha A. Boyd (@twittyboyd on Twitter) 

Bike tires deflated

The frame gathers cobwebs, dust

TLC a must!

     ~by Jennifer Derryberry Man (@mamahhhjenni on Twitter)

You can find more of these #haiku on Twitter at #baiku. The photo above, by the way, was taken by me in Portland, Me., last summer at Brad's, a bike rental shop on Peak's Island, after I returned my rental. And for another look inside the world of #baiku, here's a screen shot of one, sent to me by @bikerly. Thanks, Jim!

Inspired by color

Playing with color
Looking for inspiration
between the pages

(Another haiku to let you know I'm reviewing a book today by a woman I want to interview for my blog before the month is up. She's a color expert, and I just found the books on my doorstep last night. So excited to spend the morning with yellows, reds, greens, blues and other hues! What is it about color that inspires? I'm about to find out.)

Haiku Day: Inspiration in a poem

Thanks to Twitter, Michelle Rafter, our blogathon cheerleader, says haiku has made a comeback. After all the hard work we've been doing for the WordCount Blogathon this month, she says it's time for a break. So today is Haiku Day!

If you haven't written one in a while, don't remember writing them from your elementary school days, or aren't even sure what they are, here's the quick refresher Michelle provided:

Haiku is a three-line poem encapsulating one thought in approximately 17 syllables broken down as follows: 5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables. Her example:

First sip of coffee
Recharges my batteries
Now the words will come.

For more inspiration, visit The Haiku Foundation and read through the poems in its archives. If you're any good at this, you could win a $25 prize from DenverPost.com, which publishes the poems regularly.

Meanwhile, here's my take on the poetic form:

Water everywhere
Flooding my ugly backyard
Hoping grass turns green

Can I prompt you into trying your hand at the haiku game? If so, post yours below.