Poetry and visual art transform downtown Tulsa this week with the return of the public art project “Curbside Haiku.”
Ten winning haiku were selected out of 154 submissions. Those winners are now featured on art boards throughout downtown neighborhoods.
A haiku is a Japanese poem that consists of three lines and 17 syllables – five, seven, five.
LaShandra Keel, who wrote one of the winning haiku, says she’s been writing since she was a kid.
“I actually was probably about six, maybe, six, seven years old when I first started writing poetry and short stories,” she said. “My mom was my audience.”
Before submitting her work, Keel tested it out on a new audience.
“I said to my son, ‘let me slow down for a second and let me try this, let me get in here,’” she said. “I’m not usually one to just win something like this, but, you know, I love to write.”
Keel’s haiku includes a positive message about getting through difficult times.
“Marching day to rain,
while preparing with the sun,
Growing has begun!”
The “Curbside Haiku” poets perform at Magic City Books this Saturday.
