A haiku is a traditional form of Japanese poetry renowned for its brevity, simplicity, and focus on capturing a single, fleeting moment. Originally developed in Japan, it has become one of the most popular poetic forms globally.
The Traditional Form
In English, a standard haiku is composed of 17 syllables arranged in three unrhymed lines following a 5-7-5 pattern:
Line 1: 5 syllables
Line 2: 7 syllables
Line 3: 5 syllables
Beyond this structure, traditional haiku often include:
Kigo (Season Word): A word or phrase that indicates the time of year (e.g., "cherry blossoms" for spring or "snow" for winter).
Kireji (Cutting Word): A verbal "punctuation mark" that creates a pause or shift in tone, often represented in English by a dash or ellipsis.
Juxtaposition: The pairing of two different images or ideas to create a surprising emotional resonance or insight.
A Brief History
The haiku has deep roots in Japanese culture, evolving through several stages:
Origins in Renga: Haiku began as the opening stanza (called hokku) of a collaborative, linked-verse poem known as renga.
Independence (17th Century): Matsuo Bashō, the most famous haiku master, elevated these opening stanzas into independent works of art, imbuing them with spiritual depth and a focus on nature.
Modern Renaming (19th Century): The poet Masaoka Shiki coined the modern term "haiku" in the late 1800s to distinguish the form as a standalone individual pursuit.
Global Popularity: In the early 20th century, Western poets such as Ezra Pound and later the Beat Generation (e.g., Jack Kerouac) helped popularize the form in the English-speaking world.
Modern Haiku
While many contemporary poets still adhere to the strict 5-7-5 structure, modern haiku—sometimes called "free-form"—often prioritize the "haiku spirit" over syllable counting. This spirit focuses on directness, sensory imagery, and capturing a "haiku moment" of sudden clarity or connection to the world. Others may use the traditional 5-7-5 structure, yet ignore the traditional Japanese elements to make a more European, philosophical or humorous point.
THEY'RE HERE
I don't understand;
If spacemen live among us
Was I here before.
QUICK – HURRY UP!
I have not yet seen
That, which if not for rushing
Would surely be missed.
CROP ROTATION (NO NATION)
A field lies fallow,
While the hungry children die:
Still the farmer eats.
TELL ME
When all fish are gone
And trees have not been replaced -
How shall we survive?
TIGER
The Tiger crouches
Before the stalking of death;
Man is closing in.
TRUE IDENTITIES
The stone has been turned
By the sure fingered sculptor.
Time to shape the face.
DARKNESS
There once was a light
To guide us in our lifetime,
But we turned it off.
SEEDS
A seed, when planted,
Can always grow the right way;
All it needs is light.
A SILENT KNOWING
From words unspoken
Shall I fashion times to come,
Or listen to you?
GUIDE US
A shepherd we need.
The flock, I fear, have strayed far
From the guiding hand.
WOUNDED
Oh great measured life
Pour not scorn on old mistakes
As we limp homeward.
NAZAREEN
"And who shall anoint
In the manner of my works,
Brows so deserving?"
BREAKING OUT
The key to freedom,
Denied so for centuries,
Is hidden within.
NURTURING SPIRIT
My spiritual birth
Shall grow, rising in glory
To prove my seed good.
TENFOLD
The greatest of costs
Shall account tenfold from out
Greatest denial.
LORD
I try not falter
But the road ahead is steep
And I grow weary.
VEGTABLES
Mummy - What's that bang
And that great big flash of light?
Oh look a mushroom!
D.I.Y (RIP)
We've papered the cracks
So many times in the past -
There are no more trees!
LOVE'S MANNA
Love in all it's forms
Shall be the manna of man,
Should we care to eat.
THE ROMANTICS
My thoughts are ever
Of an age, whose page defined
Our essence of Love.
A RICH MAN IN NEED
You say I am poor,
Yet you rush to work each day
In need of money!
LET BYGONES BE
Bygones are past, so
Bury the dead, not hatchets:
Carve a new future!
DIANA
If one woman's death
Can alter every man's life -
Glory be her name.
OOPS - BEHIND YOU
What does a woman,
And a thief have in common?
Oh - hello sweetheart!
PROMISED LAND
A World full of Love,
Some would say - is on its way:
Wake me, when its here.
RISING STRAIN
A sleeper rises.
From untroubled dreams he came,
To a nightmare's end.
JAMAICA
Should fortune's current
Be the golden wave I surf,
Sail to Jamaica.
THIS NEW ROMANTIC
This new Romantic
pours out his heart into life,
bleeding from open quills!
CROSSING THE THRESHOLD
The doors of my life
close one by one in passing,
The corridor ends!
SCHYZOPHRENICITY!
If, as half your twin,
I am a schizophrenic -
How many are we?
SPRINGS DANCE
Daisies and creatures
Strutting cock-sure to the balls -
Signs that spring has sprung!
AFTERLIFE
What will you believe
When your final moment comes?
What will you hope for?
In the beginning –
Before the coming of war –
Were Peace, Love and Light!
Mathematicaly,
I am but a formulae;
1 binary I
Crisp, bitter, mornings,
Dew crystals freeze on twigs;
Winter’s discontent.