Don’t fear the haiku – Rhythm is gonna get you – Not chalkdust torture
It was a cold November Day when this idea floating through my mind for the past 2 years- brainstormed on countless bar napkins and discussed in the hypothetical with any and all unsuspecting listeners- became a real, living thing. A wee group of dear friends both old and new met me at Bryant Square Park where we were not-so-warmly welcomed due to the holiday market (yes…at the beginning of November…) that was threatened by our chalk bearing. Scary chalk-bearers.
Two groups were sent off into the urban wilderness, to the Financial District and the Village. I meandered Midtown, following my wild lone fancy. Each group had five clues to follow. (I initially experimented with separate sets of clues for each crew…um…VERY time-consuming.) And what we noticed is that the BEST moments were when we got other people to play, and the clues took us away from that very goal. Lesson learned. And OH, what a remarkable day was had by all.
When walking by Washington Square Park after our post-event debrief at FatCat, a host of haiku decorated every paved surface.
Guerilla Haiku Movement took its first breath.
I smiled.
Here you can see the best of what we saw that day, if you want to hear more from each of the neighborhood teams, they await you HERE.