Get Your Pens Ready For Poetry At Work Day

I’m always impressed by people that can recite #poetry.  They look so clever and urbane  – perhaps that’s why I find Poetry At Work Day (PAWD) a little bit intimidating.   

I like the idea of #poems and expressing oneself, but the subject seems to have so many rules, it’s hard to know where to start.  Are we supposed to rhyme?  Do the lines have to be a certain length?  And what’s iambic pentameter?

So, after doing some reading, I think PAWD should be about the #OfficeHaiku

A #haiku is a Japanese poem, traditionally about nature, that is three lines long and which has seventeen syllables: the first line has five, the second has seven syllables and the third has five again.

Another aspect of haikus is that they express quirky ideas or little contrasts.  Coming up with one is more like doing a puzzle than writing a poem.

And since they’re so short, the Office Haiku fits perfectly on our Euroffice Sticky Notes 

…so you can put your 5-7-5 (syllable) Haiku’s on our 3-4-2 (Buy 2 Get 1 Free) Sticky Notes

Here’s one I wrote earlier:

HOW ABOUT… we try a Haiku with 3-4-2 syllable format in honour of our 3 for 2 offer…here goes…

STICKY NOTES
THREE FOR TWO AT
EUROFFICE

I’m terrible at counting syllables, so I used Write A Haiku to do it for me.  Annoyingly, different websites gave me different syllable numbers, but as long as it looks OK I think it’ll be OK.  (It’s fine to cheat a bit.  PAWD is about having a good time, not being a laureate.)

Of course there are other ways to bring poetry into the office.   

If you have a library nearby, pop down and pick up a few poetry books.  Set up a table with some Sticky Notes and pens and encourage people to flick through the books and put a sticky note on poems they like.  That way you can see what colleagues are into and, if you keep the books in reception, visitors will have something to read (and a way to break the ice in meetings).

You could also have a poetry club at lunchtime.  Each fortnight you pick a different poet or theme and then go and find examples online, which you print and discuss.  Like a book club you get to share ideas, but it won’t take up as much of your time as a novel.  It’s also a good way to meet staff in different departments.

And if the office gets really into it, you can set up monthly poetry slam and jazz nights.  Dim the lights, put on your berets, strike up the band and snap your fingers in appreciation.  Jazz flute!

What would your #OfficeHaiku be?  Let us know in the comments and on Twitter @eurofficecouk