My latest literary project involves blending a classic form of poetry with a stark, ominous topic. It's a series of haiku documenting my take on violence in Philly. Each individual haiku stands on its own, but in a series it tells a cohesive story. As I started to write them I had the idea of breaking them up into smaller story arcs because a lot of them had similar themes. There's actually more to this project, which I feel should be explained after I show you what I've written so far:

To get to my house:
Just follow the stray bullets,
Make a left on Fifth

Murder 203
Happened right by my front step
...Quite literally.

I don't know his name
The man whose blood stained my street
I'm sure someone knew.

Old men on the porch
Say they miss the good ol' days
Whilst the young men die.

March on violence!
Old Bill Cosby says his part
Yet, the men still die.

People lie, although
Crimson concrete tells the truth
Which should we believe?

Wanton criminals
Paint the town red their own way
They bleed just like us.

What of the victims?
Are they black or are they white?
No! They are human.

Ruthless homicide
Part of Philly culture now...
Almost like cheesesteaks!

The tourists visit
Even though they know our plight
Tarnish the veneer?

Welcome to our town
We are Philly's citizens
But what's your excuse?

Knowing what they know
Tourists climb museum steps
Pumps fists like Rocky

Noble William Penn
Looks upon the cityscape
Then begins to weep.

Founder of our town
Perches on our City Hall
But spins in his grave.

Mayor John F. Street
Wakes up to the horrid news
Then goes back to sleep.

Just imagine this
The Mayor meets Mister Penn
Scorn is palpable

Penn asks Mayor Street
"What have you done to my town!"
Street can only grin.

Check out what I've learned:
Children aren't bullet-proof
I saw it in the news.

To add to the appeal of the haiku, I want to print out, laminate and post them in places across the city. Each haiku will be in a certain part of the city where its placement would be most significant. They'll go at certain tourist spots, transportation terminals and any other place where there's a lot of foot traffic. This is my way of coping with the ongoing bloodshed in my city's streets.

Comments

• Related Posts: