Big Trees Trail: Earth Day Haiku

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The CWC tabled at the Earth Day work day this year, with a simple writing prompt for all participants: 

Write an Earthday Haiku!



Because haiku as we know it has a direct lineage to Joaquin Miller Park! Learn why here.

Crafting a haiku is something you can do while your hands are otherwise occupied. All you need your fingers for is to keep track of syllables. One hand plus two fingers. 

In the back of my mind as I invited passersby to write a haiku, or to read poems written on this land by Joaquin Miller, I cranked them out. Once you start forming 5-syllable phrases, it's very hard to stop!

(And yes, oops, I did bring a patch of it home!)



Every so often, someone would come back to the table and write down a haiku they'd created. I'd tape them along the table's edge. This one was hilarious!

It felt so special hearing each person read their poem out loud to me, heartfelt, among the trees. This kid blew me away....just an hour before, I'd taught him what a syllable was! I feel like I made a difference in the world.



After the event, I taped all the haikus up in the Ranger Station near the Noguchi exhibit. Stop by and read them! Add your own!

(Just beyond the Noguchi exhibit...!)

Location: Big Trees Trail, Oakland, CA 94611, USA

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