Poetry is what gets lost in translation.
– Robert Frost, American poet

April is National Poetry Month and to celebrate creation and beauty (amidst destruction and sadness but also hope and humanity in and outside of Boston), I’m posting volume 1 of book spine haikus. My friend Kathy introduced me to this very fun form of poetry making. You form the three-line poem by using the titles of three books, following the 5-7-5 syllable format. It’s also fun to find out what books people have on their bookshelves.

This post features six book spine haikus, two each by friends of mine and two by me. I’ll be posting subsequent volumes, so if anyone wants to contribute, I’m happy to receive them. I have more of my own to share, as well. This is a great exercise – not unlike a puzzle – to try to make some sense of three existing lines. Some of us were also trying to see if we could make two of the book titles describe or summarize the third title. Yet other suggestions included using books by just one author or married authors.

The first two are from my friend Kathy Verschoor. The next two are from my friend Barbara Hanscome (we go way back to my first job as an editorial assistant for a business-to-business publishing company in 1991). And the last two are mine.

Send in your contributions! And “like” and “share” these book spine haikus on Facebook if you enjoy them!

Kathy’s first book spine haiku.

Kathy’s second book spine haiku.

Barbara’s first book spine haiku.

Barbara’s second book spine haiku.

My book spine haiku.

My second book spine haiku.

This outfit has a beatnik sensibility to it: Vegan leather and real leather, lace and ruffles, reclaimed vintage jewelry, and black and white.

Beatnik outfit collage of opposites: Black and white, leather and lace, contemporary and reclaimed vintage.

White vegan peplum top is the perfect canvas for this reclaimed vintage necklace by jewelry designer Michael Hickey (Feathers, Austin).