When something’s really fun, you have to go back again. Like a favorite family vacation. Or a movie you can quote from memory. Or even the sheer so-bad-it’s-good kitsch of Casa Bonita (may the Alka-Seltzer be with you).

Well, it’s time to revive another favorite. Seventeen syllables at a time.

Some contests cry out:

“We’re too fun just to do once!”

Thus, haikus return!   

That’s right. For Public Power Week 2021, we’re bringing back the haiku contest.

If you’re not familiar with Public Power Week, here’s the quick rundown. It comes every year in the first full week of October (Oct. 3-9 this year). It celebrates the more than 2,000 communities like Longmont that own their own electric utility, and the benefits they enjoy from it, like shorter outage times and lower rates than investor-owned utilities, along with a community focus that can’t be beat.

Each year, we do something fun to help everyone celebrate the week. We’ve had coloring contests that brought in some great stuff from the kids (and a few adults), photo contests to capture power-related images from around the community, and even a limerick contest last year.

But of all the stuff we’ve done, the surprise success was 2017’s haiku contest. Folks really enjoyed the quick, simple form, and we enjoyed seeing their verses – five syllables in the first line, seven in the second, and five in the third – sharing what they love about LPC’s public power.  For example, we had the cute:

My favorite place

Is in my bedroom at night,

Reading by nightlight!

-Katherine Ly

Or the contemplative:

At dusk lights come on

I stroll down Main and enjoy

sights, sounds, drinks and friends

-Erik Benson

Or even the excited:

My power is on

Boo-Yah! So Reliable!

modern life is light.

-Ken Baird

Simple. Effective. And straight from the community. A lot like our power, for that matter.

If you’re ready to knock out a few syllables yourself, have at it! The contest basics are here, including what we’re looking for and how to submit your entry by mail, email or Facebook private message. We’ll even draw one entry to win a $100 Downtown Longmont gift card to add to the fun. The deadline is Oct. 9, so get those pens and keyboards busy! 

Contest time is here,

Your writing could win a prize,

Come and join the fun!