With any creative project, especially one that relies on repetition to reach some unknown goal, the most important step is to look back afterward and see what has come of all those little pieces of effort. This has been a more valuable project than I ever would have guessed when I came up with it… lots of aspects turned out differently than I had projected. Overall, the year’s worth of mini-poems shocks me with its depth and significance.

What the Haiku Have Taught Me.

• Brevity.
  The compactness of a haiku is what lends it all of its depth. Condensing words, feelings, images into such a small space often grants it greater meaning than the same image would have had in another type of poem or expression. The skills developed here can be applied in all forms of writing.
• Universality.
  With seventeen syllables, it’s impossible to get too personal. Small references to memories I hold will spark entirely different thoughts in anyone else, leaving everyone with a unique and meaningful experience. The haiku lack the specifics that would make them resonate less with their readers; they serve as a jumping off point where everyone can leave with his or her own interpretation and thoughts.
• Post Value.
  Blogs are instantly more valued when there are posts occurring on a daily or at least regular basis. I had become infamous (at least with myself) for my brief, infrequent postings, and posting every day kept me on track. They were little: seventeen syllables + picture, but they had meaning and were usually something that most people could connect with on some level. My blog traffic increased 58% between December 2008 and December 2009!
• Journaling.
  Although many of the haiku were much more poetic than a simple summary of my day, they almost always had a direct connection to something that had happened to me. Looking back, I can remember very small experiences that I certainly would have forgotten without these reminders. From the beginning to the end of 2009, I can witness in myself a measurable growth: a year’s worth of maturity. And it’s really nice to be able to reflect on all the little things that would have been lost otherwise.
• Perception.
  The daily poems forced me to have a greater perception of the world. There were many days when I would be sitting at my computer at near midnight, struggling to remember anything significant from my day. Some of these sleepy haiku were of poor quality, but they have all taught me something: there is value and importance in every single day, and if we don’t look for it we’ve wasted that day.

As a final wrap-up, I want to say that I found this to be a very worthwhile project. It was challenging, because some days just don’t feel like creative days. This was a good daily practice because of its simplicity… even on lazy days I could get myself to spit out my three lines of poem. That’s the key: if you want to challenge yourself by doing something creative daily, by all means, go for it, but don’t make it something too complex or too limited. It has to be something that can grow on itself, not something that will shrink in possibility as time passes. But at the end, it’s amazing to see what can come out of those small time investments once they’ve been added up.

seventeen syllables: a reflection is a post from: Fluffyland Craft & Sewing Blog

I love thunderstorms. I love watching the rain race across the street as lightning breaks through the midnight black. I love becoming so engrossed in the movement of the rain that I jump when it thunders. I love how the house suddenly feels warmer, more cozy, and even more loving each time we are sheltered from the downpours.

Today was the last day of classes: Monday, Tuesday, & Wednesday I have finals and then I’m done. I couldn’t be happier. I’ve been waiting for summer for so long, and I have finally found it: it’s here, in the lightning and the thunder. And I’m going to sew the summer away.

i live for the thrill of summer thunderstorms. is a post from: Fluffyland Craft & Sewing Blog

cheerful, smiling girl
a helpful sewing genius
dons her green apron.

cut, cut the fabric
was that one-half or quarter?
perfectly straight line.

updated wordpress
no more spam for me – hurray!
other features too.

must speak in haiku
no time for a real posting
maybe tomorrow.
(or tuesday.)

a few haiku for you is a post from: Fluffyland Craft & Sewing Blog

I’m taking Creative Writing as my elective this year, and I’m enjoying it greatly. For the first quarter we’re studying poetry, and we’ve had poems due every 2 weeks. For the final one, I decided to finally write about sewing. It’s not that I ahdn’t thought of it as a topic, it’s always been the first to come to my mind, it’s just hard to explain sewing in terms that most people will understand. It’s also a broad topic. So I stuck to whales.

Plush whales swim down the assembly line,
Pink tummies to tails then beady little eyes.
Turn out, then stuff, and handsew shut
And they cluster with their friends on the shelf.

She proudly watches her works of love
As they smile back in their silent way,
Thanking her for creativity and cuteness
And for the fact that they are no longer flat.

But one by one they are taken away,
Like newborn puppies from a sorrowful mother.
They are separated to happy homes and still,
She misses her flock of whales.

But again the fabric is cut and shaped,
Pinned, sewn around, and turned.
The eyes are snapped on, they quickly expand
As their bellies fill with stuffing.

The cycle repeats again and again;
When one herd departs, another is born.
For hands without sewing would be sad indeed,
And a shelf without whales would get lonely.

:) any comments/suggestions/criticisms/title ideas are welcomed :) it’s still mostly rough draft.

oh the whales is a post from: Fluffyland Craft & Sewing Blog

sewing and stitching, so much to do

by hand, by machine, and ironing, too.

patterns, new fabric, and ribbons galore,

whatever you buy you’ll always want more.

ruffly ruffles and frilly frills,

these are the things that give me thrills..

if you want my heart to be filled with glee

it’s locked-in-the-sewing-room day for me!

sewing is a post from: Fluffyland Craft & Sewing Blog