Haiku Guy & Haiku Booklets

Haiku are a type of Japanese poem meant traditionally to be spoken in one exhale or breath. In Japanese, they are three line poems (closed form) with an alternating syllable count of 5,7,5. In contemporary translation, though, we lose the rigid form and state that haiku should be a short three line poem with FEWER than 17 syllables, preferably comprised of 10 or fewer words.

Choosing a topic for your haiku should involve figuring out what kind of emotion you want to evoke. Feeling happy? Try a summer kigo. Themes reflect common human interaction and emotion, often through nature.

Since haiku is so short, every word needs to hold weight and infused with tone. Above all, it is important to be specific. Haiku poems are not titled and do not need them.

The Cutting Technique (Kireji)

Haiku juxtapose or contrast ideas. Frequently, contrasts are set up with the first two lines presenting one idea and then switching suddenly to another idea by the closing of the poem. This technique is referred to as cutting or kireji.

Cutting involves juxtaposition of images. One image balances a second, effectively creating two parts to a haiku. These two sections should enhance and work off each other like a good friend. In English, the contrast is often emphasized with punctuation such as a long dash (em-dash) or ellipsis. One handy way to do this is to read the first two lines (they should make sense), then read the 2nd and last line. If both phrases make sense, you've probably got a good haiku.

Haiku uses a seasonal or key word called kigo. Each season has its own kigo.

Winter imagery, for example, often depicts grief, death, distance, and serenity. Take a look at some winter Kigo and see if you can use it as a central image in your own haiku:

Season: Winter

Freezing rain or freezing drizzle
Sleigh rides
Snowfall, Blizzard
Snow or ice sculptures (snowmen, etc)
Football Playoffs: "The Super Bowl"
Ice fishing
Ice hockey
Ice skating
Polar plunges
Sledding, Tobaggoning
Snowboarding
Skiing
Snow shoeing
Snow shoveling
Candles, firewood, fireplaces, etc.
Christmas Eve, Christmas Day
Earth Day
Epiphany (Episcopal, Catholic)
Groundhog Day
Hanukkah
Martin Luther King Jr., Day
Lincoln's Birthday (12th February)
President's Day
Pearl Harbor Day
St. Valentine's Day
Washington's Birthday (22nd February)
Midterms
Blue jays
Cardinals
Chickadees
Juncos
Mockingbirds, northern
Owls
Sparrows
Crows (Rochester)
Titmouse, tufted
Woodpeckers
Poinsettia
Norway pines

Activity: Write a page of haiku. Expect some of these haiku to find their way into the dung pile.

HOMEWORK: Please continue reading until pg. 22 in Haiku Guy.