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HAIKU DIALOGUE – Haiku Prism – Red

Haiku Prism – A World in Color

During this dark time we could all use something to brighten up our weeks. I believe that each one of us carries an inner light that can be a source of solace for others. So let’s take that light and channel it through the magic and wonder of haiku to express our world in all its glorious colors. Let’s let haiku be our prism.

Each week I will be providing a new color for you to meditate on and write about. You do not need to name it in your haiku, simply let it be an aspect. You can take this in any direction you like from various flora & fauna, fruits & vegetables, clothing items, celestial bodies, household objects, etc…to various associated moods. Even think in related colors such as pink for red or gold for yellow. I am also happy to accept sub-genres including scifaiku and mythku.

next week’s theme: Orange

Please send up to two unpublished haiku by clicking here: Contact Form, and put Haiku Dialogue in the Subject box. The deadline is midnight Eastern Standard Time, Saturday, May 30, 2020.

Selected haiku will be listed in the order they are received with a few chosen for commentary each week.

Please note that by submitting, you agree that your work may appear in the column – neither acknowledgment nor acceptance emails will be sent. All communication about the poems that are posted in the column can be added as blog comments.

Below is my commentary for Red:

Red, the color of extremes. From passionate love to anger, fiery danger to adventure, it is primal, the color of our blood. It draws out intense emotions, many of which can be found in this week’s haiku and senryu. It has truly been an exhilarating ride through your submissions, and I thank you all for giving me such an exciting week!

There is nothing more iconic than red lipstick when it comes to expressions of feminine beauty. No wonder it showed up so often! I’ve gathered the “red lipstick” senryu out of my selections for this week, as a mini-collection for commentary. Each one presents a different situation, as well as a strong “aha” moment.

office party
her scarlet lipstick
everywhere

Marion Clarke

This must have been quite a party! I enjoy the amount of space a reader is given to play with the interpretation. Is this a secretary? Is this the boss? Or is it the same shade of red on every woman’s lips?

funeral…
the red shrill
of her lipstick

Brăilean Mirela

“Shrill” is not a word I see often in haiku or senryu. It is visceral and arresting. Was the deceased done up in shockingly red lipstick? Is there a woman in attendance whose lipstick color feels out of sync with the somber atmosphere? Or is there a woman grieving whose lips match the intensity of her pain?

red lipstick kisses
smudged on my cheeks
gramma’s love

dianne moritz

I wonder how old the subject of this senryu is. Is it Dianne as a little girl? A teenager? A young woman? Did Dianne mind the kisses? Was it an obligation her parents required her to put up with? Or a joy she looked forward to?

dress-up game
she puts red lipstick on
daddy

Pat Davis, NH

The love of a father for his little girl knows no bounds. Even if that means letting her doll him up in, most likely mommy’s, makeup. Did he take it off as soon as playtime was over? Is this a regular part of their playtime together? How comfortable is he wearing lipstick? Does this challenge in any way his ideas of what it means to be a man?

Chanel rouge lipstick
just the right shade to say
I’m in charge

Peggy Hale Bilbro, Huntsville, Alabama USA

A bold accessory or lipstick color can be quite a “power move.” It could be a way of commanding respect at work, by making people take notice of her, or a means of taking control of a situation at home by exuding a sense of authority. What I want to know is: did it work?

wedding day
through the veil all he sees
is her red lipstick

Minal Sarosh

Is the bride in this senryu so heavily veiled that her red lips are all that can shine through? Or is it that her lips are all that he is able to focus on? Is this a hint at the groom’s thoughts of the soon to be had enjoyment of his wedding night? Or does he find it intimidating?

coloring
outside the lines
mommy’s lipstick

Rich Schilling, Webster Groves, MO

I envision a small child drawing on the walls or furniture, somewhere way out of bounds. Perhaps innocently, perhaps not, depending on the age. I can also see the laughter or anger on the mother’s face as she discovers what her child has done. From a different view, though, I can see a mother who is aging and has shaky hands. Thus, her lipstick goes where she doesn’t want it to be.

red lipstick …
a tilt of desires
under the burka

Vijay Prasad

This is a topic that is rarely touched on in senryu, let alone this effectively, and myriad questions come to mind every time I read it. Where did she get the red lipstick? Is this the first time she’s done this? How old is she? If she is a mother, do her children know of this little rebellion? Does her husband know? What desires are welling up to the surface for her? There are many ways to finish this story and each one as rich as the last.

I hope you enjoy this week’s selections as much as I have. It is a week full of surprises and depth. Orange will be the last prompt in the Haiku Prism series, so stay tuned for what’s next! Happy reading!

car argument
seeing red
in the roadside trees

Kristen Lindquist

 

home alone
a cardinal
mends its nest

Agus Maulana Sunjaya, Tangerang, Indonesia

 

tomato sauce-
in each jar
grandmother’s smile

vincenzo adamo

 

bloodshot
the sleepless nights
take their toll

Christina Sng, Singapore

 

thinning red
of the rainbow
both sorry

Güliz Mutlu

 

the red flag
in your silence
blood moon

Jackie Chou, Pico Rivera, CA, USA

 

red eye
the silent skies
these days

Nancy Liddle

 

just that
touch of red
feng shui

Rehn Kovacic

 

make belief brides
little fingers stained
in beet

Christina Chin

 

beach–
her red rose tattoo
burning

Teiichi Suzuki

 

love blooms —
a rose is a rose
is a rose

Willie Bongcaron

 

rust …
november rain
on my sill

ruggine…
la pioggia di novembre
sul davanzale

Daniela Misso

 

evening horizon
the flying birds uplift
the crimson waves

Hifsa Ashraf, Pakistan

 

snowflakes
but for the red
of this fox

Alan Summers, England

 

spring creek
a cardinal knee deep
in its reflection

Bryan Rickert

 

first tattoo-
next to your name a red rose

primo tatuaggio-
accanto al tuo nome una rosa rossa

Angela Giordano

 

on the table
a glass teapot of rooibos
she pours out her heart

Sari Grandstaff, Saugerties, NY

 

red kimono…
the silence before
the ceremony

Tsanka Shishkova

 

on the highway
the red stain
and a feather

Slobodan Pupovac, Zagreb, Croatia

 

deep-red
in the inkstone
a poppy erupts

Pamela A. Babusci

 

red beans and rice
first date
with a vegan

Valentina Ranaldi-Adams, Fairlawn, Ohio USA

 

he doesn’t want kids
the yellow flags
redden

Tim Cremin

 

new moon
the red hot shriek
of a siren

Sandi Pray

 

prom night
a touch of blush for
Daddy’s little girl

Carolyn Coit Dancy, Pittsford, New York

 

new stilettos
discovering her stocking’s hem
with my tongue

Joshua Gage

 

rose trellis
pinning up
the red silk

Laurie Greer

 

her lips grow nearer Nepenthes ventricosa

*carnivorous pitcher plant with a red rim

Robin Anna Smith

 

still wrapped in plastic
the tiny red shoes
she never got to wear

John McManus, Carlisle, Cumbria, England

 

twilight
the red moon
bathing in the river

Nisha Raviprasad

 

her red shoes –
every step
in pain

Dorothy Burrows

 

VA ward –
nurse gathers
unfinished poppies

Jacqueline Watanabe

 

caught
between grass blades
ladybug

Ann K. Schwader, Westminster, CO

 

the first bite
into a strawberry
pursed lips

Christa Pandey

 

blood brothers…
the tree fort
outlasting us

Michele L. Harvey

 

red red wine
the two a.m. confession
i left on her lips

Clifford Rames

 

divorce-
her vermilion box
on the dresser

*vermilion in India symbolises marriage. Many traditional women wear vermilion in their hair or on the forehead

arvinder kaur, Chandigarh, India

 

funeral day
the mourners wear
rose-coloured glasses

Louise Hopewell

 

blood moon
forced to become
a woman

Isabel Caves

 

bloody mary
the girl talk becomes
saucier

Vandana Parashar

 

higanbana…
will you bloom again
in late summer?

*”Lycoris radiata” or “red spider lily” is called in Japanese “higanbana”, because it blooms during the Buddhist festival of Higan to celebrate the autumnal equinox

Elisa Allo

 

where she lived before the war poppies

Marisa Fazio

 

bloodshot eyes…
a late night movie
and then another

Madhuri Pillai

 

chickenpox
the boy with a red crayon
poxes everyone

Randy Brooks

 

even through
the morning fog
a cardinal

Jessica Wheeler

 

at the turn-off
to the old logging road
wild strawberries

Olivier Schopfer, Switzerland

 

initiation
his gang’s color pools
on the asphalt

Jonathan Roman

 

seeing red
a crowded market
without masks

M. R. Defibaugh

 

the pain
behind her words
red poppies

cezar-florin ciobîcă

 

red amaryllis
rekindling the passion
in our relationship

Cristina Apetrei

 

red crayon on the wall unleashing her inner Picasso

Susan Burch

 

self-isolation—
we squeeze out the last
of the boxed wine

Carole MacRury

 

hand-dancing
in the car to bob marley
no red lights for me

isabella mori

 

raspberry patch
the songbirds and I
breakfast together

Greer Woodward, Waimea, HI

 

morning prayer
carpet of gulmohar petals
on the road

Neha R. Krishna, Mumbai, India

Guest Editor Tia Haynes resides in Lakewood, Ohio, near her beloved Lake Erie. She was featured in New Resonance 11: Emerging Voices in English-Language Haiku and has appeared in journals and anthologies worldwide. Much of her inspiration comes from the landscape and people of the American Midwest as well as life with her two small children. Her chapbook, leftover ribbon, (Velvet Dusk Publishing) is available on Amazon. Follow her on Twitter: @adalia_haiku

Lori Zajkowski is the Post Manager for Haiku Dialogue. A novice haiku poet, she lives in New York City.

Managing Editor Katherine Munro lives in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, and publishes under the name kjmunro. She is Membership Secretary for Haiku Canada, and her debut poetry collection is contractions (Red Moon Press, 2019).

This Post Has 45 Comments

  1. Congratulations, Christa Pandey, on this lovely haiku! I think your first appearing in THF Haiku Dialogue? Perfect image in each line… ending in “pursed lips”
    the first bite
    into a strawberry
    pursed lips

    Christa Pandey

  2. Commercial or corporate parties can get wild with copious alcohol mixed with adrenaline with or without John McClane! 🙂
    .
    .

    office party
    her scarlet lipstick
    everywhere
    .
    Marion Clarke
    .
    .
    This can be of course a harmless excited employee, or boss (Tia mentioned?) merely pecking everyone on their face. In six words this haikai verse perfectly highlights the wind down of business stress for at least one evening-into-morning party, possibly a Christmas party.
    .
    One of my best Christmas parties ever was an off-duty Santa invited along by my elves, and we had ice fights and more in Nandos, as well as a number of us chased by security smoking cigarettes (nothing heavier). I only wish we had been in full costume and caught on cellphone footage, darn it! 🙂

  3. It is a great treat, and also a useful discipline, to see haiku poems under a single theme of red, in its various manifestations. Writing to a prompt is something that will occur from time to time for a poet, whether the haiku dialogue themes, or anthology themes such as set by recent anthology editors.
    .
    .
    This haiku reminded me that on occasion I will unwind by being transfixed by the old method of sitting before a television! 🙂
    .
    .
    bloodshot eyes…
    a late night movie
    and then another
    .
    Madhuri Pillai
    .
    .
    Often if I find a new series that I can green link, I’ll click the green button to see the next episode instantly, while in olden times I might have to wait another seven days!
    .
    That was the case of a previous night! 🙂 While last night it was to watch a derivative movie by a company that makes low-budget versions (mockbusters) of blockbuster movies, followed by half a Cloverfield movie, which I’m sure I’ll see the other half later this year!
    .
    .
    It will certainly be fascinating to see what comes up next week with ‘orange’! 🙂

  4. Thank you for including my haiku here Tia! Lots of excellent choices as always. This one especially caught my eye:

    red eye
    the silent skies
    these days

    Nancy Liddle

  5. Ok Robin,

    I thought long and hard about entertaining your invitation.
    So, a work of unbridled genius. An offering to be savaged.
    A focus for ‘the community’ to devour.
    How very Japanese and historical.
    A fencing competition.
    .
    The sun rises.
    Curtains keep it back.
    “Play with your sister.”
    .
    Enjoy!
    .
    I only asked a question.
    And, if the prompt had been ‘lipstick’ I would have composed thusly.
    I didn’t pose to grief.
    I just like answers to questions.
    .
    My rebuttal. (And last word, I assure you).
    .

    1. Fools rush in where angels dare to tread. Okay, Darren, I can be considered a fool.Having said that, I generally submit every week, but I don’t always find my haiku in the mix. Case in point, neither of my haiku was chosen. So, I can appreciate the ones which were. Yes, normally there are a few haiku that Tia focuses on for commentary and are disparate from each other. This time all happen to use the RED of lipsticks, but they also demote differences in tone, and I thought her commentary was wonderful because of it. Would another editor, especially a male, choose different poems to comment upon? Possibly. Would another editor choose other haiku? Again, possibly. In a sense, we are all held to a kukai standard, in which poets choose what they think is a good haiku on
      a theme. I have participated in several, and not only is difficult to narrow down many good haiku into the three best from 100 or more, your own haiku is being chosen for votes (or not). Tia has to do this every week. A very difficult task in my opinion. She has asked for people to make comments about those haiku that they connect with or even to give up what prompted their own haiku, also. The back story, if you will. It’s funny that people read into an individual haiku something the poet never ever considered, and they do remark on those haiku that resonates with them. Those short three lines can be construed in so many ways and that is one of the beauties of writing in this genre of poetry.
      .

      Now, exiting soapbox mode…I have a kukai that I need to look over and choose three haiku from a long list of excellent haiku. Not an easy task, but that is the nature of competing in the kukai.
      .Darren, I wish you well and don’t forget that you have until tonight under 11:59PM to write a haiku or two on the theme of Orange. Good luck.
      .
      Congratulations to all of the poets on the theme of red.

        1. Sorry to disappoint you, Darren, but I don’t disparage any haiku. I am still trying to learn to write a good haiku. Sometimes I get close; most times I don’t so I am not going to ‘savage’ any haiku here including yours.
          .
          If you read all of the comments, I was one of the first to comment, and yes, I called out my fellow poets where I live because I happen to personally know them. I also referred to Alan Summer’s red fox haiku and the crayons on the wall ones, which resonated with me because as a young child, my best friend Jeff B. and I colored the wall of the closet in a bedroom. I used purple, my favorite color, as my mother reminded more than once through the years. That wasn’t the only time I did something to add art to the walls, either, which is why when my young sons colored the wall in our dining room, I was not that upset…and repainted it.
          Peace
          .

    2. Women wear lipstick; men have women in their lives who wear lipstick; some men even wear lipstick. The commentary doesn’t mean they are necessarily the best of the selections, just the ones the editor chose to comment on. Unbridled, genius?

  6. Thanks Tia, for your color themes this month and your interesting choices and commentary.

    I wanted to highlight a few of my favorites too, and surprisingly, they were all found next to each other in about the middle of the list of poems.

    at the turn-off
    to the old logging road
    wild strawberries

    Olivier Schopfer, Switzerland

    Having traveled on many a logging road myself, I appreciated this setting, and the pleasant discovery of wild strawberries in a place where trees are being cut, the land ravaged to the logging industry. Of course, my imagination took me to thoughts of bears too, knowing how they can also be found on those roads, and probably appreciating the berries too.

    even through
    the morning fog
    a cardinal

    Jessica Wheeler

    So enjoyed this simple image, not so simple really, as it shows just how ‘red’ a cardinal in that even morning fog can’t hide it. A lovely moment.

    chickenpox
    the boy with a red crayon
    poxes everyone

    Randy Brooks

    Had to laugh at this one, brought out my inner child. I remember chicken pox…itchy horrible for kids, and loved this boy’s efforts to share his chickenpox. LOL

    caught
    between grass blades
    ladybug

    Ann K. Schwader, Westminster, CO

    Simply love this image…..this focused moment. The writer is obviously very observant, and it helps to be a bright little red dotted ladybug to stick out among those blades of grass. Something I see often, but nice to see in a haiku. The definitive word, caught….which of course makes me look at the ladybug just a little bit differently than I might have…

    Carole

    1. Sorry…it looked great before I clicked send…not sure how formatting works in here…but hopefully you can read it all even though jammed together… 🙂
      Carole

  7. I’m quite sad at certain comments aired here, but can’t reply directly to them, maybe because they’ve run their course.

    As a relative newcomer to micro-poems of the Japanese ilk, I had first been attracted to this genre for their perceived gentleness and empathy, especially important these days.

    1. Dear Ingrid,

      It’s an extremely rare occurrence on this side of the THF site. Be assured, that on the other side we have only lovely inclusive comments made. Lipstick or no lipstick. 🙂
      .
      .
      It’s a one off this side, the THF blog. I’m no longer a moderator but have witnessed years of just friendly banter and rarely had to step in other than in a good humoured way. 🙂
      .
      .
      Enjoying the ongoing themes that Tia sets everyone, and so well!
      .
      .
      warmest regards,
      Alan
      .

  8. Thank you to Tia, Lori and Katherine for their roles in putting together another fascinating column. I am delighted to have a poem included in this eclectic and thought-provoking collection. Again, I enjoyed reading all the poems. Again, I find it challenging to pick out particular poems for praise as I liked so many of them. My personal favourites included
    *
    beach–
    her red rose tattoo
    burning

    Teiichi Suzuki

    I love the image of sun burn on the beach and the untold story of her red rose tattoo burning. Is it burning because her relationship is deteriorating? Or is it just sunburn?

    *
    seeing red
    a crowded market
    without masks

    M. R. Defibaugh

    A very pertinent image for these troubled times. It captures the zeitgeist.
    *
    initiation
    his gang’s color pools
    on the asphalt

    Jonathan Roman

    This is so cinematic. There’s a film in these three lines.
    *
    snowflakes
    but for the red
    of this fox

    Alan Summers

    Another great cinematic image!

    Many thanks to all the poets. I have learnt so much by reading your work.

    1. Thank you! 🙂
      .
      .
      I’ve been doing round the clock Call of the Page commentaries so I haven’t got round to fully reading every haiku and commenting, but great set.
      .
      .
      Being able to use these themes as a resource has been a brilliant asset. I know if I want to look at a certain theme, there might have been one set by the various Haiku Dialogue editors! 🙂
      .
      Alan

  9. chickenpox
    the boy with a red crayon
    poxes everyone
    .
    Randy Brooks
    .
    red crayon on the wall unleashing her inner Picasso
    .
    Susan Burch
    .
    blood moon
    forced to become
    a woman

    Isabel Caves
    .
    snowflakes
    but for the red
    of this fox
    .
    Alan Summers, England
    .
    a brief focus!
    how wonderful they are
    together
    .
    Thank you guys!

  10. I’m a bit confused. The theme was ‘red’ ? Maybe ‘lipstick’ or ‘lips’ would have been more appropriate or maybe restrict the theme to women only or whatever is clearly on the mind of someone…
    Last time for me reading this fiat.

    1. The theme was red. It just seems that many of the writers first thought was of lipstick or lips. That doesn’t change the theme. There were many haiku written on poppies, several on the blood moon, raspberries, strawberries, red crayons, and at least one on a red fox. I think that’s a pretty broad range of topics. Anyone is welcome to respond to the theme as he or she is inspired.

      1. You miss the point. Only lipstick was selected. I do not argue that anybody is not free to submit what they like. That is irrelevant. But never mind I can see you wish to avoid my point.

        1. There seems to be a clique here to be honest. Full of cliches, sexism and students marking their own homework. It’s ok to be negative, but defensiveness plus diversion…The poetry of power…the poetry of I’m in charge.

          1. So, let’s see your prize-worthy haiku. The rest of the community will be happy to judge you, I am sure. I don’t know who you’re calling defensive when you just posted to whine.

        2. Perhaps you would’ve rather seen posts about footballs or fishing rods or other manly pursuits.

          Or perhaps you think the color red is the color of misogyny. It certainly is the color of the puffed up penis…such as you are.

  11. Dear all responsible for this creative forum,
    greetings. Many thanks for this educative insightful writes,
    published. List is endless.
    Of so many my picks for this week comprising:

    red kimono…
    the silence before
    the ceremony

    Tsanka Shishkova

    the pain
    behind her words
    red poppies

    cezar-florin ciobîcă

    snowflakes
    but for the red
    of this fox

    Alan Summers, England

    ed crayon on the wall unleashing her inner Picasso

    Susan Burch

    How many different perspectives of RED images dipped in words of wisdom,indeed words beggar description

    1. Dear Radhamani sarma,
      .
      I agree, a wonderful array of haiku on the theme of red.
      .
      Hope to see how poets approach the color of orange! 🙂

  12. Another wonderful batch. Thanks, Tia, and everyone who contributed. As usual I liked too many to mention them all. These seemed to have special resonance:
    *
    just that
    touch of red
    feng shui

    Rehn Kovacic

    *
    yes, who can say why something works? Color, balance, visible and invisible harmonies–same goes for a good haiku
    *

    red kimono…
    the silence before
    the ceremony

    Tsanka Shishkova

    *
    wow–would never think of red for quiet! Loved the disrupted expectation, the sense of passion disciplined–or the passion for discipline–fascinating to imagine the ceremony

    *
    the first bite
    into a strawberry
    pursed lips

    Christa Pandey
    *
    so precise! red of berry and lips, plus all the contrasting shapes. A beautifully painted detail
    *
    blood moon
    forced to become
    a woman

    Isabel Caves

    *
    a lot behind that “forced”! I sense it’s as much cultural as biological, or even more so..
    *
    at the turn-off
    to the old logging road
    wild strawberries

    Olivier Schopfer, Switzerland
    *
    I hope it remains a disused “old” logging road! Such a hopeful sign for berries to take root where nature was plundered and wrecked.
    *
    seeing red
    a crowded market
    without masks

    M. R. Defibaugh

    *
    boy oh boy–I see it every day on uncrowded sidewalks. People think carrying a mask is good enough, it seems.
    *
    Looking forward to the oranges!

    1. Laurie, Thank you so much for commenting on my poem. I really appreciate it.

  13. Just been reading through these again this morning.
    .
    raspberry patch
    the songbirds and I
    breakfast together
    —Greer Woodward
    Not only a wonderful image, but such a delightful way to start the day. You have certainly seized the moment with this gorgeous verse.

    1. Wow, Carol, for mentioning my poem! I don’t think I’ve ever received a nicer compliment. Sadly, I can no longer eat raspberries because of their seeds, but I have a thriving raspberry bush in my backyard and plenty of songbirds. This poem was a combination of putting two and two together and wishful thinking.
      Thanks also to Tia for including my poem in this week’s collection.

      1. Always a pleasure, Greer, and thanks too for your reply, have many more seed free mornings while enjoying that sharing caring moment 🙂

  14. Thank-you Tia for editing this column and for including mine. Congrats to all the poets.

  15. red crayon on the wall
    unleashing her inner
    Picasso

    Susan Burch

    This one really stood out for me. Sometimes parents don’t recognize their children’s talents and why they do what they do, instead seeing only the result…a wall marked with crayon instead of an artistic rendering.

    This makes me think of several childhood memories.

    1. I had read a story once about a mom walking in on her child who was coloring in all the square tiles on the kitchen floor. Before getting angry, she stopped and asked herself why this was happening. Was her child intentionally misbehaving or did they not realize what they were doing was against the rules because they were so lost in their coloring? The take away was that “it’s not about the tile.” That has stuck with me as I’ve navigated life with my own wall-drawing children who are both wonderful artists. My youngest has even created a large mural next to her bed.

    2. Wow! What a pleasant surprise to see my senryu commented upon by Tia! Thank you! There are so many wonderful pieces here that I will have to come back and read them again to decide which I might mention as a little more special for me than all the others. Congratulations to all.

  16. Thanks to Tia, Lori, and kj.
    I’m happy to be included with the other red-lipstick poems, and appreciate Tia’s commentary. So much strong work in the whole collection!

  17. A wonderful collection, I too loved the lipstick verses.
    Congratulation to all poets.
    Thankyou Tia and all the unseen who work tirelessly to bring us this very entertaining feature.
    .
    funeral day
    the mourners wear
    rose tinted glasses
    —Louise Hopewell
    Not only is this true it is also uplifting, and has a touch of humour, even when the person is no longer present, we all look for the good things to remember and talk about.
    However what is said behind closed doors is another matter 🙂

    1. Apologies –
      .
      funeral day
      the mourners wear
      rose – coloured glasses
      —Louise Hopewell

  18. Quite a collection this week. Loved all of the lipstick haiku and the various interpretations. I rarely wear lipstick especially red, but am always impressed with those who have the courage to do so. Alan’s red fox in the snow stood out for me as well as the war ones and the red crayon walls. Mine was a purple crayon.
    .
    Congratulations to my fellow Ohio poets and to Tia for another outstanding column.

    1. Thanks Nancy! 🙂
      .
      .
      Yes, get set of red-colour-haiku! 🙂
      .
      I remember being sponsored for visiting schools while I was a haiku poet-in-residence for the first and biggest Festival of Nature. Along with easy visits I also visited a special needs school, and a pre-school. It was at the pre-school that a four year created a poem out of purple! 🙂
      .
      She used the sheets of paper I had, with that purple crayon, and then continued off page onto her coat and onto herself! 🙂
      .
      I just had to show the entire poem to the class and her class teacher. Such ingenuity for someone so young! I’ve been inspired to replicate that poem which turned white space on its head and became purple space! 🙂

        1. It was very rewarding. So I’ve had renga events where the youngest was perhaps a year old, with mother, and someone just short of 100 years old, with the SAS in her garden, as I talked to indoors! 🙂

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