However, once upon a time, I had the preconceived notion that I could never write haiku. I resisted the idea of my poems having to follow the syllable count rules of 5/7/5. It seemed too restrictive.
Then I met friends who encouraged me to give it a try. I kept wondering if I could write one but didn't dare until the evening of May 29, 2020 when a switch was flipped. Something happened to me that night. The cause may have been juxtaposed events of (1) fearfully arriving home with a husband fresh out of surgery to find helicopters circling, the streets of Minneapolis Minnesota under curfew because of riots and, (2) a stranger leaving a bouquet of flowers on my doorstep.
While my husband was recovering in the guest room an inner voice compelled me to photograph the bouquet of flowers, which wasn't all that unusual. But the surprise was the poem that burst forth without any preconceived intention. That poem was to become my first haiku. My first experience at how haiku poems can literally burst out of you when you give yourself permission to write them.
In the beginning, I was very timid and wrote sporadically until I dared myself to write every day, which I do now, sometimes 3 - 4 per day. To a large degree this is thanks to THE DAILY HAIKU community on Facebook which I discovered early on my haiku journey. I will be forever grateful to founder Amanda White @AmandaWhite10 and the countless poets, in Minnesota and internationally, who encourage my photopoetry with their "Likes," positive comments, and constructive criticisms.
You may discover that my new Instagram name where I share my photopoetry is @wendywalks.photopoetry. Titled as such because my photopoetry are usually created while taking walks and writing haiku with a dear group of kindred spirits who join me for both activities: Melissa Moore, Lisanne Winslow, Nicole Mautz, Karen Graham, and Arianne Winslow. I am so grateful for their companionship and inspiration.
I cannot imagine how I would have survived without having the creative practice of (1) writing haiku poems (2) making photographs, and (3) communicating with my poetry friends.
