A Couple Points Of Light, Part 3: A Haiku Workshop By Romaine Demarco

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A Couple Points Of Light, Part 3: A Haiku Workshop By Romaine Demarco

       Today is probably the last installment of my "Couple Points of Light" series on people who, during these days of sickness and social upheaval, have been using their Facebook pages to bring a bit humor, beauty, or inspiration to brighten our days in these troubling, turbulent times.
          My first Point of light was author Mark R. Harris (See post from 5/28/2020),

...a college professor from Lynchburg, Virginia who posts jokes every day on his Facebook page. For example:

      My second Point of Light was Sara Swain (See post from 6/4/2020),

...a cellist from Chicago who took up the #Songs of Comfort challenge from Yo-Yo Ma to musicians everywhere to post their music online in order to spread some joy and cheer. Sara responded to Yo-Yo Ma's challenge by performing a cello piece every day and posting her performances on her Facebook page.  Here's the link to Sara playing the beautiful Fauré Elegy:
                    www.facebook.com/sara.swain.77/videos/10163147222995150/

       My third and final (probably final) Point of Light is my sister, Romaine DeMarco,

...a quality assurance engineer in video computing who dabbles in art,

...and, more recently, haiku.
     A few months ago Romaine began posting pictures on her Facebook page, each picture accompanied by a haiku poem she wrote that was inspired by the picture, such as:

                                                              fuchsias or fairies
                                                     twirling spinning floating sprites
                                                          spring ballet in bloom

       
 luscious dessert dream
 they call this cake a trifle
it's anything but

deep breath in and hold
count one two three four exhale
mini vacation

      Romaine invited her Facebook friends to participate as well, to try their hand at haiku if they felt so inspired and to share their poems on her page, which she declared a judgment-free zone.
        And so Romaine's Facebook page has blossomed into a haiku workshop, where her pictures and descriptive three-line poems serve as prompts for her readers, who, when they feel inspired, come up with their own three-line ideas and interpretations of the pictures.
         So, for example,  this haiku of Romaine's

squirrel proof feeder
where there's a will there's a way
plan is in the works

...inspired this poet's haiku:

Squirrel confession
I pole dance all over town
A gals got to eat

       Sometimes a prompt:

tulip unfolding
one last beautiful array
carpe diem girl

...inspires a haiku:

Vibrant Dutch tourist
Double bright blooms wooden shoes
Windmill landscaping

...:which inspires its own spin-off:

Dutch people are cute
They wear shoes that look like boats
And they sell you paint

       And though I've never considered myself a poet, a couple of the prompts have inspired me to try my hand. Romaine wrote:

skin like a ‘gators
watch out for this fruit named jack
he’s a seedy guy

...and I wrote:   

My, my, what to do with this guy?
Maybe whip him right up
Into a Jackfruit cream pie?

      Here's another prompt:

lightning striking down
thunder reverberating
from earth to heaven

...which for me inspired this bit of fancy:

If I look at the lightening just right
I see a couple of swells
struttin' their stuff on the town

       Sometimes Romaine adds a new challenge, such as the day she asked readers if they had a picture or item that brings them  happy memories or takes  them away for a moment of happiness when they see it. Romaine offered her haiku:

parrots and toucans
perched by my kitchen table
tapestry of birds

...and other readers wrote theirs:

Satisfied feline
Agile paws stealthy sharp claws
Beware all fishies

Grandmom's coffee pot
Still perks on my stove today
Best coffee ever

      Romaine's prompts are often whimsical in nature:

jazzy bird blows sax
song he’s singing is the blues
this crow’s one cool cat

...though sometimes they are of a more somber tone:

shattered glass reflects
anguish, pain, oppression, fear
lives left in pieces

      And though most prompts inspire the writing of haikus, many readers simply enjoy reading the haikus.

wake up my darling
set aside your sleepy ways
new day dawns for you

translucent beauty
unfurling with the current
going with the flow

       So if you're feeling shut in, at loose ends or lost at sea during this epidemic, maybe you'd like to delve into composing - or just reading - haiku. If so, check out Romaine DeMarco's Facebook page.
           And if you, too, end up feeling inspired to put down a few words on Romaine's page, don't be afraid to give haiku a try. And above all, don't worry that your words might not be good enough.
         Haiku is, after all, an art; and, as Romaine once said, sometimes the palette is more interesting than the painting.