Tomorrow is the last day of National Poetry Month. Poetry also happens to be the first thing I started writing when trying to process the impending difficult and quick decline of my Dad’s health this past fall. Though I dabbled in writing before, the need for my creativity and words to dance to the music of my pain was becoming impossible to ignore. I wanted to start with something small and structured so I used the syllable count of a traditional haiku (5|7|5).*

cancer gives— it takes

sheds new perspective on — life

Futile yet designed

There is so much more I could write but what I love about poetry, specifically using this rule of writing haiku, is that I do not have to. There is enough to reflect on without the pressure of more words. It’s not even allowed. Boundaries provide | so much freedom you see | the joy of writing

*If you want to dig a little deeper on proper form of a haiku here you go. For me I just needed a little structure without too many rules otherwise it may have smothered the joy of writing at that moment.