'Guerilla' poetry is poetry that just 'appears' one morning in your local town, village or suburb. It's pertinent to the area, it's written by locals, and it's all about you.
Why? To inspire others about their local area, or the area they are passing through. To draw people's attention to places they perhaps take for granted, or have forgotten to look at. To show that inspiration is all around us. And to give us writers something else fun to do! And finally hey - our micro-world is worth writing about.
What I've learnt from writing, and reading, for most of my life, is that I write best what I know. This project is the result of two things 1/ An ongoing interest/obsession with the haiku form 2/ A project/book called 'Haiku on 42nd Street in New York... I'll quote the blurb on the back of the book of photos of the project - it says it best:
"Times Square. Crossroads of the world... not so long ago it... carried a slightly shabby dignity... Haiku on 42nd St. magically appeared one night on the abandoned movie marquees. This whimsical collection of wordplay put a smile on the face of everyone who passed by."
While the short form of haiku lends itself well to guerilla poetry since it can be read quickly by passers by, this guerilla poetry is open to all forms. HOWEVER, poems need to be able to be read swiftly - to encourage readers to stop, so I recommend not more than 14 lines (which means you could even pen a sonnet!).
If you feel inspired to set up an event in your home town - tell us about it here.
