Haiku

These months that I've been in VA Beach I joke that I've been slowly and awkwardly breaking into an existing group of friends. Mariah and I refer to this group as "Andrew's Shore Drive friends." Because Andrew Breitenberg knows everyone on the planet. [Sidebar: I think the best, most ridiculous connection he has, in my little life, is Allison Cunningham. That moment of re-connection at The Jewish Mother was a riot.] Though I joke about the breaking-in to an existing friend group, I think it's a pretty accurate description. This makes me laugh because I think this is the first time in my life I've ever had this task... which I actually tend to view more as a challenge than a task. For an extrovert, breaking into an existing group of friends is an enjoyable and kind of hilarious challenge.

In it with me, is my new friend and recent transplant to VB, Melissa. She is from Oregon and teaches 5th grade at Linkhorn Elementary. Sometimes we get together for dinner, coffee, or Happy Hour before we head over to meet up with Andrew's Shore Drive friends at Community Group mid-week. Two weeks ago Melissa made my day when she let me read her 5th graders' Haiku poetry while she was grading papers at Starbucks. Below you will find my favorites. Mmmm, a beautiful and honest picture of nature.

Shawn writes:

Green eggs in water

Add a colorful body

And you have a frog

~

Trees blowing in the wind

Apples in the trees flying

But the trees stay firm

Jasmine writes:

Grass, home to creatures

Giving me bad allergies

With its pointy ends

~

Mosquitoes buzzing

Sucking away all my blood

Biting me all day long

While at the Shore Drive Starbucks, we appropriately ran into one of the existing members of Andrew's Shore Drive Friends. Great opportunity! I thought this a perfect opening to wow him with this humorous and quirky Haiku find - merely another step forward in the quest to become a member myself. After excitedly sharing the Haikus, I waited expectantly for some entertained chuckles from my audience. I was met only with a blank stare. Gah! I was slightly deflated at his non-response. I bounce back quickly however, and threw my head back laughing at the flopped attempt at a funny. "Clearly I thought you had a more fine-tuned sense of humor," I quipped. Some might say I lost a battle for acceptance with the failed-humor-effort that evening at Starbucks, and perhaps they are right. But hear me when I say, "I will win the war." Watch out Shore Drive friends, I'm on my way... Just wait till someone pulls out a Karaoke machine. I feel that could be THE event that tips the scales in my direction. I will keep you posted.