The Kindku is an invitation to promote kindness, positivity, and inspiration through poetry. As the last two letters of the name indicate, it is based on Japanese poetry forms like the haiku and tanka. Kindku was created by Cendrine Marrouat and David Ellis, two artists who believe in the power of A.R.T. (Actions Rally Thoughts) to make the world a better place.

In the first session of this four-week class, I'll demonstrate the form and together we'll write a kindku in class. For weeks 2-4, the student and I will each share a kindku that we've written between each session.

To write a kindku, you follow specific rules:

  • First, a Kindku must include seven words that are taken from one specific source — a poem, a book, a newspaper article, etc. In the case of a book or long piece of writing, those words must come from the same page.

  • Second, a kindku has just seven lines, each line following a syllable pattern, either 7 / 5 / 7 / 5 / 7 / 5 / 7 or 5 / 7 / 5 / 7 / 5 / 7 / 5. 

  • Third, the words must be used in the order they were found in the source text. Their placement also depends on the line:
   - Line 1 starts with word 1
   - Line 2 ends with word 2
   - Line 3 starts with word 3
   - Line 4 ends with word 4
   - Line 5 starts with word 5
   - Line 6 ends with word 6
   - Line 7 starts or ends with word 7

Kindku poems can have titles and punctuation. No matter the topic covered, they must sport a positive tone.

Kindku poets are encouraged to credit and link to the inspirations behind their pieces. As an example, here is a kindku I wrote inspired by The Beatles song "All You Need is Love:"

Love the unity
  when the whole transcends the game.
Love deeper wisdom
  knowing what you do not need.
Love thoughts of the heart
  are fundamentally shown.
Love vines are in bloom.

A NOTE ABOUT THE COST OF THIS CLASS:

I know the price of my classes is higher than many others on Outschool. As an experienced and talented educator, I believe I'm worth this amount and invite you to look at my reviews. That said, I don't want any family to be priced out of what I offer. Whatever your financial situation, if you're interested in one or more of my classes, please reach out and let me know what you can afford. I can provide coupons, refunds, and/or reductions, and am confident we can find an equitable rate that works for you and me.