Poetic Forms: Haiku
@belindayhughes (1096)
United States
March 6, 2013 12:21am CST
The haiku comes to us from Japan. It observes and celebrates nature in only three lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables, respectively. Haiku is like photography and xrays in that it only depicts a single moment in time. Haiku is like a Zen word photograph, appealing to the senses to experience this moment to its fullest, yet with minimal input. It is typical to see most haiku untitled, as the poems are expected to speak for themselves, without the introduction of a title. Here is an example of a haiku:
early Spring freezes
garlic and onions burst forth
cole crops spread their wings
1 person likes this
8 responses
@foxontherails (236)
• Japan
6 Mar 13
Do you know that there's something similar called Tanka? It's almost like Haiku in the way that it has a 5-7-5 syllable section, but with a 7-7 syllable section added. I can immediately see how popular Haiku are in the United States but most of them don't use season words (kigo) and are Senryu instead.
1 person likes this
@belindayhughes (1096)
• United States
6 Mar 13
Hello fox! Yes, I have heard of the tanka and its relationship to haiku. I very much enjoy the discipline and sensory pleasures of Japanese poetic forms like haiku and tanka and their American cousins.
@belindayhughes (1096)
• United States
16 Apr 13
Yes, Start, I believe you are correct about the tanka format. Many writers prefer tanka to haiku, so you would be in good company.
@belindayhughes (1096)
• United States
17 Apr 13
Indeed they do, especially in terms of poetry, like tanka and haiku.
@gelooo5 (113)
• Philippines
6 Mar 13
Haikus are my favorite type of poem. They are simple yet very artistic and articulate. I have made haikus also out of hobby and I have fun doing them. I feel that I am a great poet. lol. When writing letters, I also include Haikus which are about the person I am giving the letter to because it gives a sense of being thoughtful to the person you are giving the letter to.
1 person likes this
@belindayhughes (1096)
• United States
6 Mar 13
Hey gelooo, nice to meet you. Haikus are definitely an art form in themselves. I've never thought of doing haikus as an accent in letters, but that's a great idea.
@belindayhughes (1096)
• United States
16 Apr 13
Greetings, StartWearingPurple and XtremeGaming. That is indeed a lovely idea, to include custom haikus for letter recipients. I know it would make me feel very special. As for school, haiku is often used to teach description and brevity in composition classes.
@sender621 (14893)
• United States
7 Mar 13
I enjoyed reading your sample of haiku. I enjoy reading all kinds of poetry but haiku is very inspiring. It paints so many different pictures in the mind. Haikus may be short in length but long on the vivid recollections that they bring forth. A lot of people do not understand the beauty in Haiku. Those that write and those that read can come together but with different thoughts, and that is motivating .1 person likes this
@belindayhughes (1096)
• United States
7 Mar 13
Hey sender! It is indeed wonderful when readers and writer can come together over something as touching and artistic as haiku. It's like a tea party only better.
@belindayhughes (1096)
• United States
6 Mar 13
Greetings, doroffee. I totally agree with you. Haikus can be very soothing to the soul. I think perhaps it is their brevity and focus, as well as their departure from the mainstream, that combine for a blissful experience, when done properly, of course.
@teotimoponcerosacena (1551)
• Philippines
6 Mar 13
It is short but meaningful and is worth to remember in times when your alone.
1 person likes this
@belindayhughes (1096)
• United States
6 Mar 13
He teo, long time no see! You're absolutely right. Haiku is nothing if not meaningful, which makes haiku the perfect addition to personal letters, as mentioned above.
@belindayhughes (1096)
• United States
6 Mar 13
Hey amuzien, nice to meet you! A poemholic I am, especially when it comes to tinkering with Asian poetic forms such as the haiku. I don't think poetic forms like haiku make the poetry hard to understand by their principles. Rather, I think the discipline required to master these forms like haiku intensify the beauty of the picture the poet is trying to paint, just as different art genres and their techniques intensify graphic art.
@Angelpink (4034)
• Philippines
6 Mar 13
Hello ! Glad to bump in your Haiku . I can say i am a Haiku addict too ! I made a lot , lots of it and published it somewhere ! Haiku is so beautiful that in 17 syllables you can already express something . Have also other patterns of Haiku such as the 3-5-3 syllables and and the 3-5-7 Haiku. It is not hard to make a Haiku it just need a little of patience because you got to see to it the syllables are correct in number and you need the passion to write .
Here's a 3-5-7 syllables Haiku
( summer )
Sun is high
He is out of sight
Roses fragrance makes me high.
1 person likes this
@belindayhughes (1096)
• United States
6 Mar 13
Hey angel! I've never heard of haiku addiction, but I cannot say that it surprises me. If Twitter is so hot and restricts us to 140 characters, then why not haiku with its 17 syllables? Nice summer haiku, by the way.
