Spring-centric haikus pop up in D.C.’s Golden Triangle

Over 1,000 entries were collected; here are some of the winners

By Michelle Goldchain@goldchainam Feb 27, 2017, 1:50pm EST

The cherry blossoms are blooming. The weather is getting warmer. It’s not yet spring, but it’s close enough, and that means that it’s time for some haikus.

In the streets of Washington, D.C.’s Golden Triangle—a neighborhood stretching from the front yard of the White House to Dupont Circle—there is a myriad of signs posted with the poems.

One might notice a peculiar thing when reading the haikus, though. They’re not technically haikus as they don’t follow the syllabic formula of 5/7/5. Regardless, they still brighten up the streets with some nature-focused literature.

The haikus were chosen by an award-winning panel of authors, including author of The Haiku Apprentice: Memoirs of Writing Poetry in Japan Abigail Friedman, managing editor of The Heron’s Nest and former President of the Haiku Society of America John Stevenson, and columnist for The Japan Times and winner of Japan’s Ito-en Oi Cha Haiku Contest Kit Pancoast Nagamura.

Over 1,000 entries were collected between January 9 and February 6 of this year when the Golden Triangle Business Improvement District (BID) held the contest. Those who won the first, second, third, and global prize were awarded gift cards that were priced all the way up to $400.

To read all of the winning haikus, check out the Golden Triangle BID’s website here.