Creating Haiku Looks Deceptively Simple

Haiku can express a myriad of emotions and observations of nature using very few words. By definition, haiku is a form of poetry that has been cut down to the use of only 17 syllables in three lines to express thoughts. The form of poetry was developed in Japan and, in its purist form, was usually associated with nature.

Haiku dates from the 9th Century Japan and was originally called "tanka," a method of writing progressive poetry. Samurai, Basho Matsuo, who lived 1644 - 1694, was considered a master at haiku. He used the traditional method of haiku. The poems are written is just one line.

While it may sound simple to create haiku, it can be difficult to condense thought into such compact delivery of three lines of five, seven and five syllables, especially for many seasoned writers since our stock and trade is words - the more words, the better the content. Haiku forces better content with fewer words. The writing still has to convey a coherent thought. It can prove to be a massive, even daunting feat.

The following are a few examples of haiku expressing different views of nature:

Icy fingers stretch

slowly outward searching for

soft summer petals.

Yellow, gold, red leaf

sparkling with purest raindrops

against the cloudless blue sky.

Endless songs we shared

blend with steamy summer nights,

breezes scented sweetly.

Words flow across pages

thoughtless, pithy, meaningless

Inherit silence.

Desolate gardens

speak tales of sadness, longing

The summer sun blinds.