Get the next prompt and gathering details for a meetup near you.
Democracy Haiku is a simple public practice of expression and listening.
People gather—online or in person—to share a short haiku about their lived experience of being American right now.
One person speaks at a time.
Everyone listens.
There's no debate, no rebuttal, and no pressure to respond.
You can share.
You can listen.
Both count.
You receive a short prompt in advance.
You write a haiku (or come just to listen).
Each with a brief personal introduction.
A standout haiku is acknowledged.
The poems are read again—this time together, as a troupe.
The second reading isn't about winning.
It's about hearing the group as a whole.
That's it.
No commentary.
No explaining.
No fixing.
Haiku keeps things small and manageable.
The form makes it possible to hear very different experiences—without things getting heated.
A rally.
A protest.
A debate.
A chance to share without being pulled into persuasion or consensus-building.
Listening with respect doesn't mean agreeing.
It just means listening.
The structure provides care for the collective nervous system—especially one rattled by constant online arguments and media noise.
People still feel things.
They still react internally.
The practice is choosing how to handle those reactions so we can stay in the room together.
It's often therapeutic—without trying to be.
And if it persuades at all, it persuades us of something simple:
we have more in common than the news suggests.
Anyone willing to be brief—and present to the lived experience of others.
You don't need to be a poet.
You don't need the "right" views.
Curiosity helps.
So does a sense of humor.
Democracy Haiku gatherings happen periodically.
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