Go on a haiku hike in downtown Tucson

It’s springtime, and in downtown Tucson, haiku poems have sprouted in planters on Congress Street and Stone Avenue.

The pieces, posted on acrylic signage, are part of the fourth annual Haiku Hike literary competition, creating a self-guided urban poetry walk. This year’s theme is “Planting Seeds.”

A haiku is a Japanese poem of 17 syllables in three lines of five, seven and five, depicting a concise sentiment with rich imagery.

The contest is presented by the Downtown Tucson Partnership and the University of Arizona Poetry Center.

Twenty winning poems are on display through June 1. Tucson’s poet Laureate, TC Tolbert, selected this year’s winning haiku.

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“The Haiku Hike is approximately 1,000 steps and provides a perfect opportunity for the public to get reacquainted with all that downtown Tucson has to offer,” said Downtown Tucson Partnership President and CEO Kathleen Eriksen in a news release. “We’re pleased to present the Haiku Hike in time for National Poetry Month, in the month of April.”

This year, a record number of entries — 1,556 — were submitted from all over the world, the news release said. More than 1,100 were from Tucson, and the others came from 28 states and 23 countries.

For a map of the sign locations and more information, visit downtown tucson.org/haikuhike.