Haiku Poetry and How to Write It
Haiku Poetry, an ancient form of writing poetry from Japan, is very strict in its structure. Three sections of three lines each. The first and third lines must be five syllables. The second line must be seven syllables. Haiku usually refers to nature somewhere in the poetry. My Sumi-E ink and brushwork you see below is an ancient Japanese technique. “The World of Haiku” a book of poetry coming soon!
Tip: When I am writing haiku I don’t worry so much about the structure on the first draft. I get my thoughts down and then start editing words (syllables) until I have the correct structure of 5-7-5. This works best for me.
Tip: Over the centuries (and certainly in the US) Haiku has been reduced to one section of three lines. In ancient Japan culture (11-12th centuries) a haiku had three sections of three lines. I prefer to write in the ancient style but it is acceptable today to write a complete poem in three lines.
Hope you enjoy these samples of my Haiku…
Spring Birth ©
one twig, two twigs, three
soft down plucked from mother’s breast
the perfect bower
three tiny blue eggs
under warmth of mother’s love
they stir, they hatch new
three urgent beaks open wide
insistent, burning, they beg
speckled downy fuzz
Fall Opens the Door ©
morning sun dapples
trees in a polka-dot dress
shines soft green and light
chill hint of autumn
smells of summer, loam, and pause
visions of winter
sap returns from leaves
to store deep in the tree heart
yellow, red, orange, burnt
Roar of Silence ©
to live in the woods
listen to the sheer quiet
so weighty and loud
the morn silent, still
not a whisper of sound stirs
deafening stillness
weighing on the ear
silence roars loud in the brain
the bird’s shrill cry brays
and from two masters….Yukio Mishima and Miyamoto Musashi, a 15th century Japanese swordsman and ronin (the term for what we now know as Samurai) became renowned through stories of his excellent swordsmanship in numerous duels, even from a very young age. He was the founder of the Niten-ryū style of swordsmanship and the author of The Book of Five Rings, a book on strategy, tactics, and philosophy that is still studied today. Miyamoto Musashi is widely considered one of the greatest warriors of all time. Samurai were expected to explore their artistic and philosophical side and most were known for their beautiful poetry.
The sheaths of swords rattle
As after years of endurance
Brave men set out
To tread upon the first frost of the year
A small night storm blows
Saying ‘falling is the essence of a flower’
Preceding those who hesitate
—Yukio Mishima
……and by Miyamoto Musashi
A crow has settled
on a bare branch
Autumn evening
On a withered branch,
A crow has stopped
Autumn’s eve
A lone crow
sits on a dead branch
this autumn eve
(Note: translated, the poetry does not keep to the required structure. Japanese poets used ‘sound units’ rather than syllables.)
