OK, perhaps you’ve heard there’s going to be this PrairieFest shindig at Tandy Hills Park on Saturday. The West and Clear posse will be out in full force to support this wonderful park, and to help spread a little more beauty in the Panther City, we’re sponsoring a Haiku Contest at our booth.

It was either that or have Pete Wann wrestle a bobcat, and this just seemed more earth friendly.

So, for those of you who have forgotten the haiku skills you acquired in fourth grade, a haiku is a Japanese short form, three-line poem that usually emphasizes some aspect of the natural world. The first line is five syllables, the second is seven syllables, the third is five syllables. Here is an example I just came up with. I call it, “Tandy Hills.”

Big Bluestem Grass waves
Ripley Arnold saw this once
Past and present meld

Of course, haiku as it is practiced in America is much looser than the traditional Japanese form. It can be humorous, satirical or ironic, like this one I like to call “FW TX BS”

Barnett Shale’s a boon?
Give me an effing break, dude
Chesapeake sucks gas

I kind of like that one. Sort of jaunty. OK, OK … I’m feeling it now. I call this one “Citizens of the Shale.”

What’s sadder, Fort Worth?
Chesapeake’s TV shilling,
Or its two viewers?

You get the idea. So here are the rules:

All haiku must be at least vaguely Fort Worth related.

All entries must be submitted in person at the West and Clear PrairieFest booth by the author.

Entries are free, but are limited to three per person.

Deadline is 5 p.m. Saturday

Entries will be judged by West and Clear writers. All decisions are final, no matter how biased and wrong they may be.

By submitting an entry, you agree that we may publish it on this here site. We’d like to shoot some video of you, too.

We reserve the right to reject entries for any reason or no reason.

And what would a contest be without fabulous prizes? We will award a first, second and third prize. We’ll tell you what they are after we shake down our friends, er … I mean, get our community partners to donate said prizes.

Oh, and we might make up some more rules. There’s really no telling.

Hope to see you there.

Tags: brave combo, contests, Environment, events, nature, outdoors, prairie fest, Tandy Hills

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• April 23, 2008 -- Hey! Do You Haiku?
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