Haiku

A haiku is a poem which consists of three lines, with 7, 5, and 7 syllables respectively in the lines. Haiku are one of my favorite poetic forms to write in because you have to choose your words carefully. A few words should serve to conjure the image you wish to bring to a reader's mind. Each of these sections is a separate poem.

A long-rotten stump:
Leaves fresh at its base as if
They had just fallen.

Bare wintry oak tree:
Pointing longing fingers at
A patch of blue sky.

A warm spring rainfall:
And in the rain are two who
Have Spring in their hearts.

Shiny stones at hand:
The jeweler’s bench must be where
Sweet hopes are fashioned.

A cold sharp rain falls:
In the harsh droplets are held
For me, memories.

Near a new lamppost:
In light its glow is feeble
But at night, magic.

Memories in mind:
A summer’s jewelled day is
Cold loneliness now.

An autumn maple:
Its lower boughs are scarlet
But at top, barren.

A friend at passing:
Dare I say hello to him?
A mere acquaintance.

Gazing at mountains:
What was His inspiration
To make things so grand?

One board in a fence:
Warped, spoiling the picture of
Regularity.

Grain on wooden boards:
Pine-smelling, comforting, and
Homey as wheat bread.

Flaming red hedge-leaves:
A plant as brightly lit as
Moses’ burning bush.

I never thought I
Could love someone so freely
Yet still with reserves.

The rainbow comes to
This stormy dark sky like an
Omen of great good.

Happiness, like the
Cherry's sweet blossoms, must be
Plucked while it is there.

I will soon feature a few haiku by more famous *and better* poets than I. Haiku usually invoke an image related to a season, and many famous haiku are based on the beautiful Japanese cherry blossoms of spring. Try writing a few of your own! The haiku is, in my opinion, one of the easiest forms to write it, though it is also one of the most challenging. When you see haiku by a famous author such as Basho, however, remember that translations from Japanese or other languages will probably not hold to the 7,5,7 syllable pattern. The emphasis there is on the meaning, not the form of the poem.