Moving ahead each

glorious vision and dream

points out our purpose

* * *

We are where are mind

takes us either near or far

from humanity

* * *

Making things happen

only through our small efforts

granted by G-d's hand

* * *

“Today, today” roars

live life in the present then

success will be yours

* * *

November 30, 2008

Debby Bruck Poet, student of kabbalah, & homeopath

copyright 11/2008

The haiku poems above illustrate a subject-based "Thematic Haiku." The subject is the weekly Torah portion. Normally haiku are three lines, derived from the formalized lengthy poetry of nobility.

The Torah portion, Ki Tavo, is read from Deuteronomy - the story of the Exodus. After the maturation process of wandering forty years in the desert G-d and Moses ask the Jewish people to abide by the commandments. The generation who left Egypt under G-d's protection witnessed daily miracles, but future generations would no longer see obvious miracles before their eyes. Instead, miracles would be hidden, and the people would have to recognize them within the cloak of nature's laws.

In contemporary times, we question how G-d would permit the atrocities that befall people and nations; still we must continue our mission of fulfilling commandments. The main theme of this portion is to "choose life" and live it now with compassion and all the positive qualities within our souls.

Learning About Haiku

Haiku is a form of traditional Japanese poetry based on the Zen Buddhist Philosophy of simplicity which uses just a few words to complete the thought and may have originated in the 17th century. Traditional haiku elicits the idea of 'hidden beauty' and 'hidden miracles' within nature that has been observed and scribed by the eye of the beholder. Descriptive images come alive and often sound melancholic. Many liberties are taken in today's poets. Instead of creating a somber tone, you may often find cultural jokes, wordplay and upbeat subject matter.

One prominent author is David Bader. You can read some of his hilarious verses about Jewish themes and ideas brings tears to your eyes.

The Evolution of Haiku: Hokku, means "starting verse." Hokku starts with the opening verse and extends into longer verse called "haika". Since "haika" were reserved for the elite as a ritual art form, poets would simply begin a short verse of lines, without extending into the full form. The term "haiku" was adopted in the 1890s to describe this three line shortened form of poetry.

The Rules: The Japanese must follow the strict form of syllables and themes; however, when haiku are written in English there is more flexibility. English poets usually hold to the theme, tenor, rhythm, but may vary the number of syllables to complete the phrase on occasion.

Creating a Haiku: Each haiku follows the pattern of three consecutive sentences, of five, seven, and five syllables.

Cutting: In this type of Haiku there is a major theme tied or related to the rest of the poem. This is indicated with punctuations such as, an ellipsis, long dash or colon.

Red hot pizza pie --

steaming scents from the oven

with mushrooms and spice

Seasonal Haiku: When the theme is based around a seasonal word it is called a "kigo." and signals the the particular season. Natural symbols or elements indicate the season, such as, green plants for spring, the sun for summer, and ice for winter. These are universal elements that you might find in dream analysis.

Green asparagus

shoots gingerly out of the

rain soaked white sand

Subject Haiku: Based upon everyday themes, such as children or an event, they tell a story like a bard, or set the stage as in a play.

Giggly laughter streams

into the air as the young

children play near swings

Debby Bruck, CHOM is a student of Kabbalah and Homeopath. She teaches qigong, healing movement, guided imagery, and meditation. Debby believes that homeopathy is the wave of the future that provides hope and healing to those who have tried every other approach. Visit her blog or follow Debby on Twitter.