Five for Friday: Haikus--The Original Twitter

It seems like everyone has an opinion nowadays. With networks like Facebook and Twitter, there's no escaping the constant bombardment of status updates informing you what the news networks think of President Obama's Nobel Peace Prize, what your friends just ate for lunch, or how terrible the Packers are without Brett Favre. With a simple click, you can tell the world whatever you want--just as long as it does not exceed 140 characters.

Twitter may seem revolutionary in its brevity, but Japanese wordsmiths mastered the art of succinct storytelling long ago. Haiku is the ancient Japanese art form that challenges the poet to express their thoughts in only 17 syllables. The poem takes the form of 3 lines, with a syllable pattern of 5-7-5.  [Learn more about haikus on the Encyclopedia Britannica Online]

Originally, these poems focused only on nature and the seasons--very geographic topics! Modern-day haiku enthusiasts often stretch the rules of haiku writing to incorporate any theme they'd like. Sure sounds like Twitter to me! For this Five for Friday blog, here are 5 geography-themed haikus to get your creative juices flowing. Check 'em out, then post your own geo-haiku!

Geography Is...
Culture, science, art.
Knowing and growing your world.
Maps, apps, and white caps!  

Countries that Start with Y?
Yugoslavia
Is no longer a country.
But Yemen still is.