Haiku Poems

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What is Haiku?

~ A brief interlude of calm in the chaos of the world. ~


Haiku poems are extremely short poetic form originating in Japan which main purpose is to point to an actual, lived experience and, in so doing, evoke deep feelings in the reader. As written in English, haiku consists of 17 syllables or fewer, often (but not necessarily) arranged in three lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables each. Haiku poetry make use of concrete imagery or sensations, not abstractions or metaphors, and are often (though not always) concerned with the natural world.

Quote: With every gust of wind,
the butterfly changes its place
on the willow.

Basho, Matsuo. (1644 - 1694)

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History of Haiku Poetry

Haiku derives from tanka, a form of poetry practiced in the Japanese court during the 9th through 12th centuries. Tanka was comprised of a five line structure with 5-7-5-7-7 morae and considered religious or courtly themes. Haiku comes from the starting verse of the tanka called the hokku. Because the hokku set the tone for the rest of the poetic chain, it enjoyed a privileged position in tanka, and it was not uncommon for a poet to compose a hokku by itself without following up with the rest of the chain.

During his journey through Oku (the Interior) in 1689 and having heard the field workers singing as they planted rice in his host's fields, Basho Matsuo, known as the first great poet in the history of haiku, composed this hokku so that it complimented his host on the elegance of his home and region:

Quote: ふうりうの初やおくの田植うた
fūryū no hajime ya oku no taueuta

beginnings of poetry—
the rice planting songs
of the Interior

Haiku gained momentum and developed rapidly during Japanese Edo-period, from 1600-1868, thanks to the work of Basho, Buson and Issa, the great masters of hokku. The three men spent their lives in true Japanese poet-wanderer fashion, taking in the country through direct experience. Their work, especially that of Basho's, considered the father of haiku poetry, has greatly influenced how haiku is written today.

As the 19th century approached, the work of Masaoka Shiki led to the disengagement and individualization of the hokku as a separate work of poetry from the tanka, giving rise to our term - haiku poems. Hokku also contained kigo, words referring to nature used to identify the questions of when and where pertaining to the haiku.

Quote: The summer river:
although there is a bridge, my horse
goes through the water.

Shiki, Masaoka. (1867-1902)

Contemporary audiences have elevated the haiku to one of the most popular forms of poetry throughout the world. Many haiku poetry societies have emerged across the globe, fascinated by the simple mystery of the form. As the Western world began to write more and more haiku, it realized the inherent differences in the expression of the different languages. Because the Japanese is written in characters, in which the haiku poem appears on a single line, many poets writing haiku in English are flexible about the syllable and line counts, focusing more on the brevity, condensed form and “Zen” attitude of haiku.This led to the development of "free form" haiku which alters from the established syllable and line count. Even though, some western poets still stick to the traditional Japanese strict haiku form.

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Non-Traditional Types of Haiku Poems

Free form haiku - Less traditional haiku poems that can be written about any subject that the author wishes, may have more or less than three lines and contain less than 17 syllables. It may use traditional poetic devices such as rhyme, metaphor, alliteration, simile, and others. The free form haiku may be humorous and cute, teasing and erotic, or it may have a didactic message.

Quote:wikipedia haiku definition
too many rules
all probably wrong

Senryu - Haiku speaks of nature and Senryu of human nature or social and personal relationships. Although some publications and well renowned poets separate the two genres, as the rules and everything else about both forms is the same, Senryu is just a little more then a form of standard Haiku.

Quote:combing my hair—
the face in the mirror
is my mother's

by Sharon Peeples

TwiHaiku - Twitter Haiku or Twitter Poetry - is a poetry for today and our fast-paced lifestyles. Retaining only the best features of traditional haiku (brevity, simplicity, point to an actual, lived experience, evoking deep feelings in the reader..), twiHaiku is a novel poetry genre that extends beyond the limits and rules-set of existing poetry types, conveying the essence of an attitude or experience in a short format.

Quote:TwiHaiku about TwiHaiku

The butterfly in the concrete city of Eden.
So fragile and so beautiful.
Silent cry that you follow instinctively,
is the kiss of salvation.

TwiHaiku is a Twitter application (www.twihaiku.com), a kind of a portal to collect, moderate and publish to the official TwiHaiku Twitter page the selection of the best verses from its members. Twitter subscribers may follow this account as a moderated Twitter channel enjoying the best, the freshest and the most topical poetry online.


Everyone may and should write "twiHaikus", exactly the same way as it writes standard Twitter posts, as long as they remains inside a scope of a poetic expression and the length limit of the tipical Twitter message of 140 characters. No other restrictions applied.

TwiHaiku poetry is a wonderful way of observing the real world around, and once you begin, you actually begin to "see" your world.

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How to Write Haiku

If you write from a truth without hesitation you will find your haiku poems keep you centered and within the smallest moment that is magnified into a whole truth within this small poetry form. Most serious haiku poets writing in English today don't count syllables strictly. Instead, they aim to capture the spirit of haiku (simplicity, directness, and beauty) by following some of the rules listed below:

• involve nature
• share no emotion
• use simple words and expressions
• relate to concrete things directly without abstractions, metaphors, comparisons, or personification
• be untitled and unpunctuated, the first line of hiku is usually addressed as a title
• not reference people unless expressly allowed in a competition
• involve the senses
  

Writing haiku poems is a fun and enlightening activity, simple enough to encourage one to get started and the results are satisfying enough to encourage one to keep going. Having said that, it is the right time for you to give a try, and the best place to do it is this forum indeed

Butterfly.

Excellent introduction to haiku!

Haiku and tanka do share history, but haiku is part of 'haikai' literature whereas tanka has its own separate waka history.

Very enlightening

Please tell me sir- how did younfeel about the following haiku/poem

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12 year old orphand by distns. 6 months. 4 employers.lies and beatings for wages.Caught again fleeing.!Thief.Pay 2000 if ur so kind