A WRITING BLOG About Playing Around with a Story Line in Different Literary Genres and Different Literary Categories
Writing Leap #29
Writing Haiku
Hi Writers,
Haiku is magic. An ancient form of Japanese poetry it lasers into the heart of an experience in seventeen syllables arranged in three lines in a 5-7-5 order. Some Haiku poets in English take liberties with this structure. Not Billy Collins, former U.S. Poet Laureate. “I want the indifference and the inflexibiliy of a seventeen-syllable limit to balance my self-expressive yearnings.” Here is Billy Collins.
The dog stops to sniff
the poems of others
before she recites her own
Dag Hammarskjold ignores tradition.
In the castle’s shadow
the flowers closed
long before evening
Either way writing the haiku is the ultimate practice in taking a huge, multilayered feeling or observation and finding the simple, deep heartbeat.
So go ahead writers! Poets, fiction writers, non-fiction writers. Practicing Haiku is a magic little secret to writing what you mean. It will spill over and clarify your writing voice in all genres. I promise. Try it over and over until your poem gives you the innermost seed that evokes so much more. The form itself edits the writing.
Haiku often has references to the natural world juxtaposed with other thoughts. The story line is: Observing Nature
Here is my attempt. Very non-traditional.
Rosy wedding sunset
illuminating the love in his song
for his son and new bride.
I heard the music of his soul.
(The additional fourth line may eliminate my poem as Haiku. Not sure.)
Happy Haiku everyone,
LINKING THE ARTS
A Wonderful Book
Haiku in English: The First Hundred Years. Edited by J. Kacian, P. Rowland, A. Burns, 2013.
With his delightful touch Billy Collins’ introduction opens up the world of Haiku.
A Lovely Word
Essence
as in the very marrow of things.
Paintings by Georges Rouault, French Expressionist 1871-1958
Maxim Bugzester, Polish/Viennese Expressionist 1908-1978, said of Rouault, “He was able to paint the picture of a rose with three brush strokes.”
Cynthia, my dear-
You, who writes like a dancer
Shares like a lover
Bob, I’m overwhelmed. What lovely thoughts from one writer to another. I’m so grateful for your beautiful haiku. Cynthia
In your short response to my haiku, one word epitomizes your essence as an artist: grateful.
While living on my ranch in Westsern Colorado, I trained myself to write a haiku a day and continued for 8 years. I still write them, but not as often as I’d like. I love your “new style” 2, Cynthia!
Here are three of my favorites from my ranching days:
lanky stalk of grass
singing in the evening breeze
your mouth packed with seeds
like wild hummingbirds
we gather at the feeder
gulping poetry
mountain skunk taunting
now all our remembrances
offer aftershocks
carol your PERFECT haikus make me want so badly to be on that ranch! thank you for taking me there and thank you so much for sharing them.
practicing haiku is the best practice for evoking what you mean and beyond. no wonder you are such a wonderful poet.
Thanks, Cynthia. It was such a joy for me (and my husband) to be able to share the ranch with you. Also, I have a problem with Billy Collin’s haiku, well not the haiku but the seventeen cyllable comment….it’s an 18 cyllable not 17….am I missing something?
oops, that word should be with an “s” not a “c” Yikes, I guess I can’t spell… 🙂