Thursday Poetry Forms (Poetry for Dummies) Week 5

Hello Friends! I am Ava with the talented CC Champagne! This week we are learning about haiku. This a popular form, but there are a great deal of people who are not professionals. My goal is to get those of you who are still learning to a new level so you can write with ease and impress your friends (and fellow poets) with your vast knowledge of poetry forms. But let's not get ahead of ourselves ladies and gents, we (me included) have much work to do so sit back, get some hot chocolate and jump in.

Haiku originated in medieval Japan and is a short poetic form. It is fairly easy to master, so it will not bore you to tears reading the various rules. A haiku is a 17-syllable form that does NOT have to rhyme. (Admit it, you just uttered a sigh of relief.) A haiku is written in three lines. Also, a haiku is about nature. The   first line consists of 5 syllables, the second of 7 syllables and lastly third with 5 syllables once again. Today we will talk more about how to write a haiku rather than the history of one. Now don't be fooled by the 'no rhyming required' and think haiku is quick to master. It has been proven time and time again, that it takes time to master poetry forms. Haiku derives from another type of Japanese style poetry called "tanka" that was especially popular between the 9th-12th centuries. A haiku is a simplified form of a tanka. ( Don't worry about this mysterious word quite yet.)  Now, I am going to put several examples down below. The first is written but a great master, so do not get intimidated . 

This first one is by a Japanese poet names Basho (1644-94):

Autumn moonlight-

A worm digs silently

Into the chestnut

The following I found at http://www.international.ucla.edu/shenzhen/2002ncta/cunningham/Webpage-HaikuPoems.htm

As the wind does blow

        Across the trees, I see the

                Buds blooming in May  

I walk across the sand

And find myself blistering

In the hot, hot heat

Falling to the ground,

        I watch a leaf settle down

               In a bed of brown.

Lastly, this one is by our very own Honey Haiku

winds that rustle leaves
sound as the crash of waves
upon heaven’s shore

I hope this helped you in some way, and these examples were helpful. I will see you next time when we explore more fun poetry forms together. Happy writing! 

P.S. If you choose to write your own haiku and leave your link in the comments section of this post- I would be happy to read your work!