The Haiku poem is like a puzzle. It has three lines and doesn’t rhyme, so it is a good form of poetry writing for the learner. Almost anyone can create haiku once he knows the simple formula. Haiku is a traditional form of oriental poetry that has been very popular in recent years in America.

Like a Puzzle

Students who love a riddle or puzzle will love the fun of fitting together haiku. The three lines of the poem are short. They are counted in syllables. The first has five syllables. The second line has seven and the last has five more syllables. The trick is to make a complete thought in very few words. Note that I am saying syllables, not words per line.

Formula for Haiku Fun

The formula for haiku is simple to remember: Three lines-- five syllables, seven syllables, five syllables.

When Americans read famous haiku they will hear a different syllable count. There are two explanations for this. The poems have been translated into English to save the meaning. English words have different syllable counts. The second explanation is that poetry changes and modern haiku writers tend to ditch the syllable count for the poem's overall feel and its meaning.

Of course, a poem is a poem and can take any form the writer chooses, so don’t be such a stickler that you miss out on the fun. At first though use the 5-7-5 formula, since you are learning the art. Later, when you know the rules, you can creatively break them.

Use the Senses

Most Haiku is written to encapsulate a moment in time. It gives the reader a sight, a sound, a smell, a taste, or a texture to experience. Most of the traditional poems were about nature. They were, say, a description of a bird flying, a flower blooming in the sun, a baby’s cry, snow on the ground, rain falling on leaves,or an animal’s behavior.

Four Haiku Masters

In only three lines four masters of haiku, or famous poets who used this form, were able to give a bright and clear perception of some fleeting moment of time.

( Note: Tildy marks ~ are just for separation of the poems.)

Matsuo Basho

Basho wrote this one:

~

shizukasa ya

iwa ni shimiiru

semi no koe

~

It translates to this:

~

the stillness—

soaking into stones

cicada’s cry

~

Yosa Buson

Yosa Buson wrote this favorite:

~

yukaze ya

mizu asosagi no

hogi o utsu

~

evening breeze…

water laps the legs

of the blue heron

~

Kobayashi Issa

Kobayashi Issa wrote many about people he saw like these two:

~

drizzling…

tapping a large rice bowl

deaf-mute beggar

~

a withering wind—

seated in the falling dusk

a street minstrel

~

Masaoka Shiki

A fourth famous haiku writer was Masaoka Shiki. His poems were almost riddles. Do you wonder about these scenes? Here are four of Shiki's haiku:

~

summer bridge…

there’s a bridge, but the horse

goes through water

~

autumn clear—

the smoke of something

goes into the sky

~

summer grass—

those mighty warriors’

dream tracks

~

the pear blossoming…

after the battle

this ruined house

~

See how they paint a picture—show the reader something—make him hear or taste or feel something?

Try your hand at writing one. Use the 5-7-5 format. Write about a sight, sound, smell, texture or taste you remember. The haiku can be funny, mysterious, painful, beautiful or sweet. Don’t worry about punctuation or try to rhyme. Follow the pattern and the idea of making someone sense something clearly.

Choose a subject, choose one of your five senses to describe it in as few words as possible. Count syllables 5-7-5 and change or rearrange your words to make them fit.

Here’s mine:

~

treefrog stuck on glass

leaves footprints in morning damp

ballet dancer—ghost

~

Have fun with your poetry writing, but watch out; Haiku is so much fun you may never want to stop!