Haiku$%*&? Gesundheit! : by Devi Laskar

You could say that I may be starting to saturate on the “once a day” philosophy.

I’m hard at work on the second year of the “365-art-a-day challenge” where I’m now either submitting two photos that I’ve taken, or I’m submitting two pieces of art that I’ve drawn, painted, or somehow spewed on to a blank medium.

Then, long ago (okay, okay, last week) Elizabeth somehow talked me in to joining her on 750words.com where I’m writing at least 750 words once a day. I (Hope I) will have completed nine days in a row by the time this blog gets published.

And here’s my little confession. As a poet, I’m always pretty desperate to find people to write poems with. When I say “with,” I don’t mean we write the same poem and pass the words back and forth like the salt- and pepper-shakers at the dinner table. I mean “with,” as in that camaraderie of having other poets write their own poems every day too.

So my wonderful friend Molly Fisk, a talented poet and author of The More Difficult Beauty, way back in June says “Hey, who wants to write a poem a day for the month of July?”

And, like an idiot, I said, “me, me, me.” Don’t get me wrong. I love it. Writing poems is my favorite thing to do. And Molly has made it super easy by posting poetry prompts every day.

But this has been a hard month! For the past three weeks, I’ve been pretty darn mum on the subject, just burying my head in the sand and writing those 5-7-5 three line haiku because while I may not be able to churn out a sonnet a day while doing the art challenge and the 750 words, I can definitely write 17 syllables.

That got me thinking that pretty much anybody and everybody interested in writing or thinking of getting back into writing can write 17 syllables in a 5-7-5 format as a way of “warming up” and getting back into the groove of writing every day. It is possible to write every day, it is possible to make writing part of your daily routine, and to make it a habit that is not only sustainable but also essential. It only takes a few minutes, and you’ll have something to show for the use of your time.

Go ahead, try it. You’ll like it.