Leveling Up Through Verse
We celebrate practitioners who level up, bringing more of their artistic self to the practice. With time, it is possible to stop merely managing the steps of a structure and start feeling the rhythm of the room—anticipating the subtle emotional and relational patterns that unfold, no matter how complex the terrain. It’s like the moment a musician stops thinking about scales and starts making music.
My late colleague and collaborator, Tim Jaasko-Fisher, embodied this leap, expressing his LS hosting artistry through inspired practice and haiku verse.
[ I am sharing some of my photos in this post because LS helped sharpen my observational skills ]
Wilson’s Warbler
Understanding Then Transcending the Menu
When Tim had fully mastered the legacy repertoire of 33 Liberating Structures, he did something unusual: he sat down and drafted a haiku for every single one of them.
This wasn't just a clever formatting trick; it was a clear indication that he had internalized the microstructural "DNA" of the work. A 17-syllable poem demands radical reduction. It forces you to strip away the mechanics (the group sizes, the time limits, the steps) and articulate the exact emotional and strategic heart of the structure.
Tim’s haikus are keyholes that help you see beyond the door. They prove that while a structure generates something entirely novel with each new application, its essence remains beautifully boundable. Tim stopped seeing individual tools and started seeing the collection as a repertoire for regenerative human dynamics and sustaining group flow. He transcended the menu.
Below is a curated selection of Tim's reflections. Use them to peer into the room as you open doors with LS.
LS Haiku for Those Who Want to Keep it Brief
By Tim Jaasko-Fisher
1-2-4-ALL
One, Two, Four, and All
My voice raised and amplified
Now we know our truth.
IMPROMPTU NETWORKING
Quickly unfolding
Challenges, Expectations
Help from a stranger.
TROIKA CONSULTING
It takes only three
to make progress on your need.
We will have your back.
Common Merganser with chicks
CREATIVE DESTRUCTION (TRIZ)
How bad can it get?
Can you press a little more?
Stop I say… just stop.
15% SOLUTIONS
It’s just what you have.
In ways you cannot imagine
it is enough.
NINE WHYS
Why why why why why
why why why why— so it begins
Essence finally found.
WICKED QUESTIONS
Paradoxical
More wicked is more divine
More of both prevails.
Osprey elevating
SOCIAL NETWORK WEBBING
Are you all alone?
Likely it is not the case.
Connections await.
WHAT I NEED FROM YOU (WINFY)
What I Need From You
Because we all need something.
We all want to give.
CRITICAL UNCERTAINTIES
Uncertainty is
the most certain thing we know.
Now I see the way.
ECOCYCLE PLANNING
All things live and die
Around the cycle they go
Stay clear of the traps!
Great Blue Heron perched
Liftoff
Questions to Ponder
If you had to write a haiku for one of the 10 New Structures, what is the one image you would start with?
How might you use these haikus as LS Punctuation to open a session or frame an invitation?
What artistic part of yourself might be drawn into your LS practice?
