So the biggest news in pop culture this week has to be the release of the second trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. This will be the seventh film in a series that began in the summer of 1977. I was seven years old when the world was first introduced to Darth Vader, R2-D2, and the rest of the characters on both sides of “the Force.” I’m a little older now, of course; but I’m still excited about all of this.

At some point over the last several months, our household — or at least our boys — went all Star Wars, all the time. Interestingly, our oldest is seven years old. He loves all this stuff. His younger brother, who is four years old, loves it too. What’s great about that is the fact that they have a common language for the adventures they share together. Here’s photographic evidence (note the blaster perched above the books and the fact that this was right before going to church on Easter morning):

So let’s write haiku about things that happened “a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away . . .” That includes light sabers, rebel pilots, storm troopers, droids, the Jedi Temple, the Old Republic, the Galactic Empire, and an exploding Death Star. Even young padawans can describe these things in a single verse with five syllables in the first line, seven syllables in the second line, and five syllables in the third line. As an example, take a look at my short poem below. And may the Force be with you!

A seven-year-old
Yoda teaches the young one
how to use the Force.