A baiku book in the works

Rode sixty miles

Uphill was nothing but slow

It seemed all uphill

Remember these little poems? I've posted them here every now and then. Does the May blogathon rink a bell? That's when a whole gang of us writers have shared our haiku poems. Me? I write a different kind. It's called baiku, found as #baiku on Twitter, where I'm known as @bikelady. It's poetry for the bicycle enthusiast. That's me!

I've composed enough baiku now to fill a few books. So I wrote one. I pulled about 50 of these fun poems together, added some backstory about my BIKE story and information about the poetry, included writing prompts and space so readers can write their own poems, and there you have it...a book. It's done!

I'm now beginning the challenging and lengthy process to get it published. Please spread the word. And when it's out, I hope you'll buy a copy. I assure you, it will be fun, inspiring, quirky--a good read worth sharing.

Expect the best!
Jackie

Benefits of riding a bike -- in verse

For whatever reason, my thoughts have been hijacked by short snippets of verse in haiku form. Bicycle enthusiasts call this style of poetry #baiku. I wrote three of them last week, and here are three more that I posted on Twitter. This time, I post them with titles. I think of them as healing words:

THE START
Bike trail begins
thin line embedded in dirt
can't wait for downhill.

THE CHALLENGE
Uphill I go...slow
sometimes I have to walk up
but I never quit. 

A REASON TO RIDE
When bike takes you there
to paradise and then back
your life will be changed.

Inspired by poetry, 3 baiku poems

I think of my bike / its two thick sturdy tires / pushing me through mud. #baiku

I live for the bike / her images around me / also the real thing. #baiku

Inspired by Trek / she pushed me past obstacles / and showed me my strength. #baiku 

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

Join me for the 2012 WordCount Blogathon!

It's that time of year again.

May 2012 represents the 5th year of Michelle Rafter's 

WordCount Blogathon. Here's sample of this year's badge:

It's also my 5th year participating. We started getting 

our badges three years ago, and they've added an extra 

ounce of fun to the month-long event.

If you haven't been around long enough, let me 

share with you that the annual May Blogathon

offers a whole new dimension to BIKE WITH JACKIE.

I use the 31 days of daily blogging to focus 

on a theme. Since I've recently gotten the sense

knocked back into me, I'm choosing the "bike"

as my theme this May. So I'll be blogging about

all things bike-related. It'll help me stay focused

on the bike, and it'll give you a greater 

appreciation for what those two wheels really mean. 

Expect to see photos of bike imagery I have collected

over the years. Expect to read about other bike blogs,

maybe a few interviews and guest posts. Expect to find 

out what the bike means to the folks I follow on Twitter. 

And when Haiku Day rolls around, you can expect 

to read more Baiku, instead.

It'll be a fun month. We'll keep it upbeat, and 

I'll toss in some inspiration for you as well. You'll 

also be introduced to a whole slew of blogs you 

might not have visited otherwise.  

To find out what exactly this Blogathon is, click on 

the link above. It'll take you to the registration

page, where, if there's still time, you can sign up. 

Also, Michelle invited me to guest post about the event

last week, and she ran the post yesterday. Visit her site 

to find out why I keep signing up for the challenge.

And be sure to keep coming back here to read

all the about the bike. Lance Armstrong may say in 

his book that it's not about the bike. But I say, 

yeah, it really is. 

See you in May when you'll find out what I mean.