Lara Tupper: Swift Ink Stories

Think Spring: Haiku Stew

what a strange thing,
to be thus alive
beneath the cherry blossoms
                                                –  Kobayashi Issa (1783-1827)

Here's to spring, when nature tries her best to remind us of sensory details. (And gifts us with April snow, as evident in Massachusetts today!) For me, writing haiku is a helpful way to notice the senses. And to bring myself back into the present moment. For more on what I love about haiku, here's an article I recently wrote for Kripalu Center.

As promised, here's your monthly writing prompt: 

April writing exercise: Take a haiku walk! Take a leisurely stroll around your yard/neighborhood/block. Move at an unhurried pace and with one purpose in mind: to notice sensory details (sights, smells, sounds, sensations). No pens or cell phones allowed. Just observe. (Don't worry if you receive strange looks from passers-by.) Then give yourself ten minutes (or more) inside to write it all down. If you're moved to do so, compose a …