Requesting Haiku Poems for the Peace Tree Plaque by May 4, 2025
The Peace Tree Plaque Team (Arliene Oey, Esther Oey, and Kim Bouchard) is inviting the congregation and friends of all ages to submit an original haiku on the theme of peace. This is inspired by National Poetry Month (April), in preparation for the Peace Tree Dedication on the International Day of Peace (September 21st) and our Bicentennial Year.
NOTE: Arliene Oey donated the cherry tree for our church as a Peace Tree to honor those who have led a life of activism for peace and to promote greater consciousness for world peace and non-nuclear solutions to conflict. Her friend Hideko Tamaru Snider was one of the group “Nihon Hidankyo” who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2024 for “demonstrating through witness testimony that nuclear weapons must never be used again.” All submissions will be displayed on September 21st as part of the events scheduled for the International Day of Peace. One of the haikus will be chosen to be engraved on the plaque that will be installed and dedicated that day.
A traditional Japanese haiku is a three-line poem with seventeen syllables, written in a 5/7/5 syllable count. Often focusing on images from nature, haiku emphasizes simplicity, intensity, and directness of expression.
You may submit your haiku online here or you may place a hard copy of the haiku in the manila envelope marked HAIKU SUBMISSIONS on the bulletin board in the Social Room.
Deadline for submissions is Sunday, May 4th.
Visit the Grammarly website for a better understanding of Haiku poems and how to write them.