For those who came in late, Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry. It is made up of 17 syllables in three lines. 5 in the first, then 7, followed by 5 again. It generally refers to a season of the year, and haiku is valued for its simplicity, depth, and lightness. Basho, who lived in the 17th century, is one of the better-known haiku poets. Buson and Shiki are some more well-known poets. Here’s a sample of Shiki’s writing:

The summer river.

Although there is a bridge, my horse

goes through the water.

2)

A lightning flash.

Between the forest trees

I have seen water.

3)  By Soseki:

The lamp once out

Cool stars enter

the window frame.

The philosophy of haiku? The focus on a brief moment in time; the use of provocative, colorful images; the ability to be read in one breath; and a sense of sudden enlightenment.

Modern haiku, frowned upon by many, uses modern imagery and often breaks the 5-7-5 rule.

Of course, I have copied and pasted all of the above just to ensure I wouldn’t misinform. More info can be had on the net.

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Below, some haiku I have attempted to write:

  1. White heat trapped in the earthexplodes… Gulmoharbursts into flames.
  2. Through sun and fire,through vast dry skies it arrives,

    the first brave rain cloud.

  3. Spy cloud peeps over hill.It’s here to check if we are

    ready for the rains.

  4. Tall mountain standingproud, piercing clouds, tossing rivers…

    You too will vanish someday.

     

  5. Kingdoms rise and fall,love death deceit wars…Mute mountain,

    you have seen it all…

  6. Talking, laughing withher I became careless, slipped,

    fell into her eyes.

  7. At last one-pointedawareness. Day and night

    he thinks of her.

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Hope you enjoyed reading those. Look forward to reading interesting posts from the others here. Also, hope this inspires others to give haiku a shot.

Cheers,

Mahesh