Though I didn’t share many of the haiku I wrote in October to WordPress, I still want to talk about the challenge, why I chose to do it, and what I got from it–the good and the bad.
I was stumbling around on Twitter and came across this post by Holly. On a whim, I decided to give it a try. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to 1) force myself to write and 2) practice my digital art skills. And it was a prompt list all about autumn and Halloween, two of my favorite things.
Why did I choose to write all haiku? Because I find haiku to be rather easy to write, and I’m good at them. I also didn’t want to spend a lot of time writing long poems as it was my intention to finish a 31-day challenge in only 15 days. Because I’m extra af sometimes.
For the most part, I really enjoyed the challenge. And I like most of the poems I wrote for it, Death being one of the best (in my most humble opinion). There were a few I felt were not my best work, especially towards the end of the challenge, but nonetheless, I’m proud of myself. I did finish the challenge, after all. It’s not very often I get to say that.
Endeavoring to write 31 poems in 15 days did what it was supposed to: it forced me to write. Multiple times per day, in fact. Which is somehow both a positive and negative thing. I definitely started feeling some burnout towards the end of the challenge. The last few poems felt like pulling teeth. I started to hate what I was writing and didn’t want to do it anymore. But I was determined to finish the challenge, so I made it easier on myself in the only way I could: I stopped drawing illustrations for each poem and used stock photos to complement each piece. That helped a lot, and I was able to finish on a high note.
For the last poem, I chose to break away from the haiku format. It is, of course, titled Halloween. Enjoy!
Read the rest of the poems here.
Beware:
when the nights grow chillier
and a red moon turns clouds into rivers of blood —
Hallowe’en is here.Look:
the pumpkins put on smiles,
jagged teeth gnashing fire into pulp —
Hallowe’en is here.Watch:
the witches take their vengeance to the sky
phoenixes risen from the ashes of their abusers —
Hallowe’en is here.Listen:
to the breaths of ghosts on the wind,
the long-lost souls doomed to roam earth —
Hallowe’en is here.Duck!
The bats in the belfry have awoken,
a black cloud that blots out the moon —
Hallowe’en is here.Scream:
the doorbell is a too-normal sound
among all these phenomena.
Hallowe’en is here.Smile:
at the painted faces of the children
dressed as ghouls and ghosts and gross things.
Hallowe’en is here.Sink:
into warm blankets, autumn treats at hand,
and wait for the next round of haunts.
Hallowe’en is here.
Cassandra Armstrong Writing 