Seen the shorter nights? Savored some of the cooler days? Well, haijin, many of you experienced the first fruits of the coming autumn.

Congratulations to last week’s contributors!

Haikai Challenge Participants

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Looking ahead:

Troop 21 of Suffern, New York, my son’s boy scout troop, held their annual “homeless campout/food drive.” The scouts hold this unique campout on the front lawn of Ramapo Town Hall, where they “pitch” cardboard boxes! Once they’ve erected their “box city,” they head over to the local Shoprite, a regional supermarket, where they ask customers for donations of non-perishable foods or cash. Their campout and food drive raises awareness of the plight of our suburban county’s homeless and hungry.

As a committee member of the troop, I camped out with the troop and participated in their food drive. I can’t properly say how inspiring it was to witness their hard work helping the homeless and hungry. Thanks to their efforts, a local food pantry will soon receive around $1,000 in Shoprite gift cards, as well as a literal truckload of non-perishable food!

The work of one boy scout troop will impact many lives. How many other lives can we impact if we put in the right effort? That is where our unconventional kigo of the week comes in–causes! Whether it’s sheltering the homeless, feeding the hungry, fighting cancer or advocating for the environment: causes can motivate us to take the kind of difference-making action that many need. The right cause can change lives for the better.

This week, think of a cause. It could be anything. Write your haikai poem (haiku, senryu, haibun, tanka, haiga, renga, etc.) referencing or alluding to that cause.

As always:

Here’s how the challenge works:

1. write the haikai poem of your choice.
2. post the link of your post to Mister Linky.
3. pingback by posting the link to the challenge on your site.
4. read and comment on other contributors’ posts.

Steady on, haijin! Make a difference!