APRIL FOOLS: Haiku for SRQ contest aims to eliminate graffiti

APRIL FOOLS -- City literary leaders, hoping to replace graffiti around town with more uplifting messages, have proposed a poetry contest called Haiku for SRQ.

Up to a dozen verses in the classic three-line format of five syllables, seven syllables and five syllables will be painted over the most offensive graffiti on city walls, bridges and other public facilities.

Local poets are encouraged to rely on themes that would connect with residents and visitors and portray the city in a "positive way.''

If the haiku contest goes well, city leaders say a limerick contest could follow.