A walkway peppered with haiku

By Paul Weideman

Many people who go to the main courtyard at Santa Fe Community College these days aren’t just sitting. They’re walking slowly around its paths, stopping every few steps to read a short poem. There are 36 “stops,” each one a domed ceramic disc, about 15 inches in diameter, bearing a printed haiku — whimsical, quizzical, punchy, or simply profound.

Haiku Pathway is a collaboration of poet Miriam Sagan and artist Christy Hengst. The permanent installation, funded in part by the Witter Bynner Foundation for Poetry, had an opening event on Oct. 5.