Are you stuck in traffic with the rest of Atlanta, wondering when the state will reopen I-85?
You can curse your fate or pass the time with a podcast. Or you can vent your frustration in verse. Haiku, to be specific.
The Spinning Our Wheels blog announces the I-85 Bridge Collapse Haiku Contest, honoring the poems that best exemplify Atlanta's recent traffic apocalypse. Here's what you need to know:
The rules:
*A haiku is a Japanese poem generally consisting of three unrhymed lines. The first line has five syllables, the second has seven and the third has five. Sure, a haiku typically focuses on images of nature. But this is Atlanta; highways are our nature. You can read more about haiku poetry here.
*Feel free to warm up in the comments section of this post or on social media. But official entries must be e-mailed to dwickert@ajc.com. Please use the subject line "Haiku contest." Include your name and place of residence (Atlanta, Lawrenceville, etc.).
*Please keep it “PG.” This is a family newspaper.
*The judging is strictly arbitrary – whatever tickles my funny bone, moves me to tears, etc.
Prizes:
*The pleasure of lifting the spirits of your fellow commuters.
*The honor of being a published poet. We’ll print five winning entries in the May 2 print edition of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and on the blog the same day. It goes without saying (but we’ll say it anyway) that if you enter the contest, you’ve given us permission to publish your work.
To get your creative juices flowing, here’s my first shot:
Waze has no wisdom
Google Maps has given up
Atlanta traffic
Surely you can do better than that?
