We asked for haikus/ to sum up 2014/ Thanks, Kansas City.
That is our thank you poem to everyone who obliged us and answered this week’s Tell KCUR question: What are your most important memories of 2014 in haiku?
The three-line, five-seven-five-syllable formula proved most effective in conveying 2014, with muses ranging from sports, to engagements, to family and public tragedies — plus one of KCUR's transmission hiccups.
The most common inspiration for the haikus was the Kansas City Royals, who made it to the World Series this year, but lost to the San Francisco Giants:
• A ride most Royal/ Alas, one Giant run shy/ Of all we had dreamed — Greg Hack, Lenexa, Kan.
• Fountains running blue/ Cain, Perez, our BFFs/ Each of us Royal! — Diane Waanders
• KC baseball joy!/ First homerun by eighth grader!/Royals A.L. Champs! — Scott Morin
• Happy fan who drinks/ from Royal chalice brewed from/ Twenty-nine year wait — Annie Newcomer, Prairie Village, Kan.
Many fondly remembered big personal moments in the past year:
• Finally legal! / I got to marry my mate / In Jackson County — Caleb Todd, Kansas City, Mo.
• We were on a beach / Hills behind me sand beneath / He asked, I said yes — Carlina Barrett, Kansas City, Mo.
• Girl Party Memphis; She licked Elvis across time; Proudest sister friend — Alita Sledz, Kansas City, Mo.
• Going back to school/ Is good, after all these years./ As I see friends' faces — Caleb McCullison
Some took a more serious tone:
• Complacent we were/ Justice needs tended daily/ In unison, breathe — Margaretha Finefrock, Kansas City, Mo.
• It is hard to write/the screaming horror. He/ was only a boy. (Tamir Rice) — Iris Appelquist, Kansas City, Mo.
• Hospice nurse's words/ Soothing my dying father/ "One foot in Heaven..." — Paul Burns, Grandview, Mo.
• The excavation/warns--my KC nighttime view/monster house will block. — Wakila Nell Groves
And one of our listeners got poetic when he picked up on some transmitter issues our station experienced Monday: “KCUR died, what is happening today, Where's my radio?” wrote Jocef Knapp, of Olathe, Kan.
We apologize again for our technical difficulties earlier this week, but we confess that we are flattered that our outage was deemed someone’s most important memory of 2014. (Thanks for listening, Jocef.)
On behalf of KCUR, we wish you all a very happy 2015!
For more haikus from Kansas Citians, check out some of the highlights from our Twitter conversation below.
For the full Twitter conversation, follow the #TellKCUR hashtag or read through the Facebook comments.
Click on the audio above to hear some of the haikus in the authors' voices.
Tell KCUR is part of an initiative to engage the community and shine a light on your experiences and opinions. We’ll ask a new question every week and then share your feedback on the air and online. Everyone has knowledge and insight to share. Be a source for our Tell KC network and let us know more about your expertise.