Poetry springs to life this month in Chapel Hill with haiku project

Roses are red, violets are blue and this month, Chapel Hill is writing haiku.

Throughout April, the town of Chapel Hill is inviting locals to take part in a haiku project.

Sarah Wagner, Chapel Hill Public Library experience specialist, and Molly Luby, Chapel Hill Public Library experience assistant, created the project together. In doing so, they hope to celebrate the community and National Poetry Month. 

Luby said for the past three years, the library has celebrated National Poetry Month with a community haiku project. Last year’s theme was libraries. But they sought to take a different approach this year with a theme of Chapel Hill and North Carolina.

“We love reading haiku with specific local references and images, especially,” Luby said.

The reason behind using haiku rather than other forms of poetry, she said, is its simplicity. Haiku is a Japanese form of poetry — there is just one stanza, consisting of three lines and 17 syllables total.

“Kids can write haiku,” she said. “People who don't write poetry can write haiku. The basic framework is so simple that it invites participation from unexpected sources.”

One of these participants is Chuck Fleming. Fleming is a resident of Durham and an administrator and social worker at Charles House Association. 

“I stumbled into haiku about 10 years ago as a way to entertain my wife and myself,” he said. “I send out emails to our team at work every week and I include a haiku to evoke the spirit of the week.”

While Fleming did not become interested in poetry until his mid-30s, he has grown to love the imagery, story and the different ways to interpret words in poems. He typically writes about the weather and traditions of the seasons.

Other writers, like Mary Arnold, have been interested in poetry their whole lives. Arnold’s poems focus on the American South, her memories of her parents and their stories. 

“I’ve never actually put my work out there,” she said. “It’s something that I’ve shared with friends and family for many years. I saw the contest and I thought, ‘Well, no time like the present.’ I had a couple of haikus that I had written and liked well enough, so I submitted them.”

The final submissions to the project will be accepted April 30. During May, the submissions will be on display at the library in a booklet. Luby said haikus that have already been submitted are open to view in a poetry display at the library. 

Not only does the project bring light to poetry, but it also brings pride to Chapel Hill and the rest of Orange County. Arnold has a deep appreciation for both and enjoys being able to combine poetry with the love she has for her home.

“It’s a place that I feel comfortable in," she said. "I’m glad to be here."

arts@dailytarheel.com