The idea for this blog started out as a simple exchange of text messages between myself and my daughter Samantha. Every once in awhile, when I thought of it, I would send her a text with the heading “Your Daily Haiku”. This was followed by a haiku of some sort just based on whatever I felt like writing that day. These original haikus can be found here, if you’re so inclined to read them. Just like the poems that will be gracing this blog, they vary in quality, content, and tone. After a time, she began to respond to me in kind and before long we were having extended haiku battles via text messaging.
I thought a wider audience with some more participation would be fun, and so, the Iron Haiku was born. I started by posting a status update starting with “Iron Haiku”, and then added a secret ingredient, something the haiku would be about, even tangentially. I then posted a haiku waited. The idea was that people would see it, maybe like it, and hopefully post a response in haiku form as well.
After doing this on and off for a few months, I thought it might be interesting to try to bring together a blog where these older posts and new ones could live out their lives in peace and tranquility, so here we are. From the beginnings of this humble idea, I now welcome you, honored reader, into the pages of iron haiku.com. Please peruse to your heart’s content, and, if the mood strikes you, feel free to contribute to any of the Iron Haiku challenges that strike your fancy.
Jason