Like cockroaches gathering instinctively in hidden corners, here lines of poetry appear from different voices and perspectives, creating something communal, surprising, and oddly elegant. This is a collaborative writing thread where members build haiku one line at a time, each person adding to the poem as it scurries forward.

One cluster begins with a single starting line, left out in the open. From there, other members jump in to contribute the second and third lines, following the traditional Japanese 5-7-5 syllable structure. You may know exactly what you want to add, or you may be inspired by whatever strange little direction the poem is already crawling toward. Once a haiku is finished, another starting line can be posted to begin a new cluster.

Clusters are low-stakes, fast, and welcoming. You can drop in for one line and disappear, or linger to help complete multiple haiku as they emerge. The joy is in the collective movement!

The following is an example of how the haiku clustering process works:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Post #67

Portraits clear their throats.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Post #68

Portraits clear their throats.
The staircases shift again.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Post #69

Portraits clear their throats.
The staircases shift again.
Night learns all our names.

With all that said, it is time to scuttle in and add a line:

Candles drift above

Original concept posted by Jessiqua.