T Minus 17

If anyone out there is keeping score at home, you may have noticed that we have a mere 17 haiku left to go before we hit 365 (far behind schedule, but hey -- life happens). The big question is, what should I do next? Keep haiku-ing? Do I stop at the magic number? Start a new writing project? Try to get a haiku book deal?

I'm joking about the last one. Mostly.

Ideas?

I'm still here

I have a bunch of haiku in the pipeline, and it's all about one thing. I attended Occupy Wall Street's Day of Action in November. It was a very interesting experience, both intellectually and emotionally, and it provided me with a lot of material. Whether you agree with OWS or not (or simply don't care)I hope that you will read my upcoming posts with a sense of objectivity and see them for what they are: one observer's artistic/factual interpretation of what felt like an historic event.

I haven't posted the haiku yet because I saw and heard a lot of things that day that I am still processing.

Also...

I would just like to point out that I have officially written and published a whopping 265 haiku. Sure, I'm significantly behind schedule, but I'm only 100 haiku away from my original goal of 365!

(B)rain delay

I know I've been delinquent in posting lately. Believe it or not, I have a tidy little backlog of haiku just waiting to be posted, but I've had some other things on my plate -- like starting a brand spankin' new genuine full-time job. That's right. I'm employed. As a lawyer.

Luckily for you, I spend about two hours on the subway most days and considerably more when they send me out to Jamaica.* I hope the F train is prepared for my keen eye and rapier wit.

*For those of you who were about to get jealous, I'm not talking about this Jamaica. I'm talking about this Jamaica.

...And we're back!

After a brief hiatus to study for and take the New York bar exam, I am back and ready to haiku. It's not like I have a job or anything, so I'll have plenty of time (sigh). Stay tuned.

I will let you in on a secret

I'm hesitant to let the internet know too much about my true identity, but I feel that my loyal readers (both of them) deserve to know why I haven't been posting regularly. I will let you in on a secret: I am graduating from law school tomorrow.

Interestingly, 3 years of legal education is not enough to prepare one for the bar exam. You have to pay an exorbitant amount of money to take a review course -- so exorbitant, in fact, that I am working part-time while studying for the bar (everyone I meet really enjoys telling me this is a bad idea, which is exactly what someone in my position loves to hear). This means I spend 4 hours in class and 4 hours at work, then scoot home on the old bicycle for many, many hours of practice essays, problem sets, and reading. This has been going on for a few weeks and will continue through the end of July.

It doesn't leave a lot of time for haiku-ing (or much else).

Nonetheless, I've made a commitment to writing a year's worth of haiku and I intend to do just that. I'll try to write and post one a day, but sometimes I may get backed up. I hope you'll stick with me.

Day 90: a celebratory freebie

And as a special bonus, a bit of ego-stroking:

A smallish milestone
But impressive nonetheless
Ninety haiku down!

(That's 1/4 of the way through, for those of you keeping score at home.)

Day 78

Heading out of town
For a haiku hiatus
But I'll be back soon

(I don't normally travel very much, but this has been a busy couple of weeks! Back in a few days with more haiku.)

Day 56: going on hiatus (briefly)

Starting tomorrow:
A much-needed vacation!
Back in a few days

Don't worry, I'm sure I'll come up with at least 3 snarky haikus about the subway ride to the airport and another 12 about the TSA.

Life in 5-7-5: Now available in technicolor!

Well, not exactly. But I've added "like" and "dislike" buttons at the bottom of each post. Use them! I'd like to know what you think, and I promise not to take it too personally (I'll just post another haiku when I finish crying).

Exciting news!

I know what you're thinking: "That FiveSevenFive. She is so derivative. I could do a much better job of writing classical Japanese poetry about modern crap."

You're in luck. As of today, A Life in 5-7-5 is accepting reader submissions for publication on the blog! Here's how it works:

1. Encapsulate your musings into a 17-syllable poem following the traditional 5-7-5 haiku format.

2. Email your submission to lifein575@gmail.com. Be sure to note the name you would like to have attached to your haiku if it is selected for publication on A Life in 5-7-5 (or whether you wish to remain anonymous), and your geographic area. Feel free to include an explanation of your haiku, but only the haiku will be posted.

3. Depending on the amount of interest, I may publish several haiku each week in addition to the daily posting. Be sure to check back daily to see if your submission has been posted.

In closing, here is a special bonus haiku to get you started:

I can't wait to read
Your many witticisms
Let's see what you've got

Idea in the Works

Sure, I've only been at this blogging thing for a week, but I've got ambition. And I'm guessing you have it, too. What do you, my loyal readers (both of you), think of the idea of publishing a reader-submitted haiku once a week? Let me know by leaving a comment.

A Belated Introduction

I love the simplicity of haiku. In a culture that constantly inundates us with words and images, it's refreshing to find an entire story in 17 syllables.

I hope to spend a year using haiku to capture the goings-on in my city. I plan to use the traditional 5-7-5 model to do so -- I'm thinking of it as "word photography." In the interest of the reader (assuming I have any), I don't plan to write a description of the scene or incident that inspires each haiku. Isn't it more fun to wonder?

If this collection of haiku truly captures the essence of New York City, it will be intermittently funny, poignant, joyful, depressing, and offensive. Apologies in advance.

One last note: please feel free to leave comments or a haiku of your own in response to any post. I would like to hear from you.

My Life in Haiku

Welcome to A Life in 5-7-5 -- or as I like to think of it, A Year in the Life of New York: A Story Told in Haiku.

The Mission: one haiku a day, one day at a time, 365 illustrations of the people, places, and events that make this town so brilliant, grimy, exciting, and fascinating.