Monday, December 31, 2012

Drawn Conclusions

I began this blog one year ago, the idea for it coming to me and evolving over the month of December 2011. I thought it would be an interesting experiment to record my year in the form of one haiku each day. As you might have noticed by the numbering, I posted two haiku in the same day without realizing it, May 4th, amusing considering it's science fiction nerd connotation ("may the 4th be with you"). #125 was posted at 12:30 in the morning and #126 was posted at 7:30 pm. 

Posting multiple haiku a day was obviously the least of my problems since it only happened the one time - pretty good since I wasn't able to establish a regular posting schedule given my erratic work hours amid other responsibilities. The hardest part was in early April when my roommate and I moved into a new apartment and lost our at-home internet. Writing haiku wasn't difficult, it was getting to the internet to post them. I often had to write a bunch ahead of time and post them in advance, or let days slip by without posts, then backdate them when I could get to the internet again. It was very frustrating.

But I persevered, and I did succeed in writing at least 366 poems, one for every day of the year (2012 was a leap year). I tried very hard to stick to the original intention of traditional haiku that included seasonal key words. It proved to be quite difficult, however, mostly because the days in the seasons do not change all that much. Though seasonal haiku do make up the bulk of the blog, I feel.

I came up with my own little theme briefly during the summer. I tagged them "words," and they were mostly comprised of definitions for unusual English words, or incorporated uncommon words into the haiku. I had a lot of fun with that series! Words included callipygian, abstemious, curmudgeon, and festoon among others. Click here to read them all.

I don't quiet know yet what my writing challenge will be for 2013. I think I'd like to start an online literary magazine, but I will need quite a bit more free time than I have right now to do so. I'd also like to return to some of my early novels and rework them. I just hope I can find the time!

Time passes quickly;
Sometimes, it's hard to keep up.
Or too exhausting.

There is haiku #367 to complete 2012 and begin 2013.

Sunday, December 30, 2012

#366

Three days off from work?
I don't know how it happened,
But I'll make good use!

Saturday, December 29, 2012

#365

The church bell sings out:
Six o'clock! It's six o'clock!
Time to go to work.

Friday, December 28, 2012

#364

The roads are icy,
And in the shadows of night,
They are dangerous.

Thursday, December 27, 2012

#363

A creature of snow,
Stones for eyes and sticks for hands,
Now guards the back door.

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

#362

Family dinner
With turkey, stuffing, gravy
Is good for the soul.

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

#361

A fit of damp snow;
A spinning car on the road.
Driving in winter.

Monday, December 24, 2012

#360

The pond's still surface
Today remained quite frozen.
Many birds have flown.

Sunday, December 23, 2012

#359

The return to a book
That was long ago put down
Proves quite difficult.

Saturday, December 22, 2012

#358

The end approaches.
No, I don't mean of this world,
Of this haiku blog.

Friday, December 21, 2012

#357

A day full of rain,
Large, cold droplets from above,
Still better than snow.

Thursday, December 20, 2012

#356

Once again the snow,
Much touted by so many,
Has failed to appear.

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

#355

The clouds still move in
As the temperature drops.
Perhaps it will snow.

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

#354

They say snow's coming,
Mountains of powdery snow.
Hm, we may yet see.

Monday, December 17, 2012

Sunday, December 16, 2012

#352

A happy day off,
Spent with friends and purring cats,
More precious than gems.

Saturday, December 15, 2012

#351

One more day til rest,
Faced with determination,
And a few regrets.

Friday, December 14, 2012

Thursday, December 13, 2012

#349

A long day ahead,
Filled with some uncertainty,
But faced without fear.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

#348

The long-promised snow
Has turned to cold drops of rain,
Putting off winter.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

#347

Flocks of geese and gulls
Gather in the pond outside.
When will they fly south?

Monday, December 10, 2012

#346

The rain turns to snow.
Winter weather's determined
Despite the warm temp.

Sunday, December 9, 2012

#345

A grey rainy day,
More fitting of November.
Hope it doesn't freeze.

Saturday, December 8, 2012

#344

Handcrafted presents
Are fun to make and to buy.
Craft revolution!

Friday, December 7, 2012

Thursday, December 6, 2012

#342

A cold afternoon
Brightened by fluttering wings
And giggling fairies.

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

#341

In the wee hours,
A cat pads into the room.
Lousy alarm clock.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

#340

Wisps of fog linger
Like puffy ghosts in the air.
Can this be winter?

Monday, December 3, 2012

#339

Like San Francisco,
The fog today is deep, dense;
Clouds touching the ground.

Sunday, December 2, 2012

#338

A morning monsoon.
Is this really December?
Today feels like fall.

Saturday, December 1, 2012

#337

A white sky at night,
Lit by the city below,
Must mean fog above.