Haiku trail to bring peace at VB State Park

VAN BUREN — Power up the computer or grab a pen and paper — it's time to write a haiku that may be included along a new haiku trail being created at Van Buren State Park. The poems will be selected through a Van Buren State Park Haiku Trail Contest, according to Melody Flick, an adult services librarian at the Findlay-Hancock County Public Library. "A haiku trail is basically a storywalk," she said. "So instead of pictures of a storybook, there will be haiku written by anyone who submits a poem to the contest and wins." The Ohio Department of Natural Resources and Ohio State Parks in conjunction with the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation are sponsoring the permanent installation of the trail. The library, meanwhile, is partnering with those organizations to run the contest, Flick said. She explained that haiku, traditionally speaking, is a three-line poem that originated in Japan. "They usually would have a set number of syllables for each line so it would be 5-7-5. But a lot of modern English language haiku don't necessarily use the syllables in such a strict fashion. So really it's any brief, three-line poem," she explained. "It doesn't have to have a set number of syllables." Writing a haiku can be difficult, said Flick. "When you sit down to write a haiku, you don't necessarily think it's going to be a hard thing because, oh, it's so short. But it is sometimes difficult to narrow down the image or the feeling that you want to capture," she said. But a haiku doesn't have to rhyme, she noted. "So that's very freeing, just whatever you want," said Flick. A panel of judges will select 15-20 haiku for the trail. Flick said they will also use some of the haiku written by Michael Rosen from his book, "The Cuckoo's Haiku." Rosen has given permission to use some of his published poems, she said. The haiku will be on panels interspersed along the trail, said Flick. "So as you're walking, you can sort of look out and see, oh, there's a haiku. And you keep walking and think about it," she said. Decorative signs are being planned. These may look like a bird or a leaf so they blend in with the trail, she said. The path will be located in a blue bird grove. "A lot of Michael's haiku focus on birds so we've also asked people who want to submit haiku to the contest to use birds or nature for a theme," she said. The trail will also provide a mindfulness exercise, she said. "So when you're walking, it sort of gives you something to ponder, sort of give your mind something to work on, like the juxtaposition of poetry and nature is kind of good for your brain," said Flick. Van Buren State Park is following in the steps of Hueston Woods State Park which installed a haiku trail last year. Organizers are hopeful that the trail in Van Buren will be completed by the end of the year. The contest is open to anyone and both published and unpublished haiku are welcome. However, all submissions must be the original work of the entrant. All haiku must be submitted online. Flick said there's a link on the library's website. It's also included on posters and social media. The deadline to enter a haiku is May 17. Winners will be announced at the end of May or early June. Flick said there are books and materials at the library if people aren't sure how to write a haiku or want help. For more information, she can be contacted by calling 419-422-1712 or at mflick@findlaylibrary.org.