I first learned about Haiku — a Japanese form of poetry — when I was in the second grade. I remember being fascinated by the rigid structure — three lines, 5-7-5 syllables — and simple structure. As a part of that class work, I wrote the following:
Swaying blooming rose
Red rose sways blooms wind blows blows
Rose blooming beauty
Yes, I know. Profound, it is not. But, it does follow the structure. And, I was only 7-years-old.
In the fifth grade, I learned more, but cheated and didn’t write a new one. (Bad me, bad!)
So, why do I bring this up today? I read an article this week about writing Haiku and was again piqued and moved by the beauty of this simple form. The author shared one that a Japanese master of haiku, Buson, wrote that actually moved me to tears:
the cold is piercing –
in the bedroom, I have stepped
on my dead wife’s comb
Just 17 syllables, and I get this profound sense of sorrow, as well as an image of a man who misses his wife terribly. Maybe it’s just me. What do you get out of that poem?
Guru.com, a website for freelance and contract work for creative types, has a weekly contest for “Guru Haiku.” Some of them are amazingly funny and insightful. Here’s one:
When all your clients
Have split personalities
May you invoice twice?
The art of haiku, according to Alistair Scott, the author of the article I mentioned, is in its spirit. It “should arise from genuine feeling” and take a “moment, an incident or a scene” observe it “with clarity” and set “it down with a minimum of fuss.” And there’s where my haiku about roses failed.
Yes, it was a moment, but not one out of genuine feeling or expressed with much clarity. I was aiming for syllable count, and that was all.
So, the other day, I set myself the task to write one that was better, clearer and expressed emotion. Here’s my first stab:
on worlds far away
by oceans brilliant orange
the Zuk long for fish
O.K. I know that last line needs some work. But, I think it says something more poignant than the fact that roses bloom.
CALL TO ACTION:
Why don’t you share your thoughts on haiku using the comments feature of this blog? I would love to read your thoughts, and I’m sure other readers would, too.
RESOURCES:
– Alistair Scott is the Editor-in-Chief at StoryPlus (www.storyplus.com), an online children’s publishing company based in Switzerland.
– Guru.com is an online resource for creative freelancers looking for writing and design projects.
