I’ve
enjoyed writing and reading poetry for years. When I worked in the library of
an elementary school, I shared poems with the fourth and fifth grade, and then
challenged them to write one for a contest. The haiku, a short poem first
written in Japan, was a popular choice for an entry.
We
can thank Japanese poet, Basho, for bringing this poetic form to the public. He
wrote many of them that are now considered classics.
old
pond…
a
frog leaps in
water’s
sound
-Basho
lightning—
a
heron’s cry stabs
the
darkness
-Basho
A traditional Japanese haiku consists of three lines divided into a five-seven-five sound unit pattern. When American’s translated these small Japanese poems, they found that the sound units and syllables differed. The result, American haiku does not hold to the five-seven-five pattern unless it is natural to the poem.
A
haiku is meant to capture a moment in time. Written in the present tense and
usually containing a seasonal word, the tiny poem is like a snapshot
catching that one instance that may have been missed. Most haiku contain a
short phrase of description and a fragment or aha moment. This form of poetry
is fun to write and collect. I like to sit outside for a while and just observe.
I almost always find something interesting to write about, along with that aha
flash.
Here
are some of my seasonal haiku…Enjoy!
wobbly
goats
born before midnight—
spring renewed
spring renewed
queen
anne’s lace crowns
country
roads—
blue
chicory salutes
crimson
moon floats
across
chilly skies—
pumpkins
grin
ice
covered trees—
crystal
glistens, sun
shine
through jeweled glass
Do you read or write poetry?
Do you read or write poetry?