What Haikus are and How to Write Them!

Haikus are an ancient Japanese poem that use a certain number of syllables to create a picture or snapshot of nature.

Today, Haikus no longer have to adhere to the 5-7-5-syllable rule. Their subject matter now is also beyond the range of the natural world. Modern Haiku poets write about anything. The name for non-nature oriented Haikus is senryu. Now that that's out of the way, let's talk about how to write them!

First, understand that you don't need to construct your Haikus with strict adherence to a certain number of syllables. This is freeing in many ways. First off, your subject matter takes precedence over your syllable count. Have a word that just doesn't fit in with 5-7-5? No problem. Modern Haikus allow for this. For example, look at this Haiku poem by the author:

Atlantic sunset --
bands of orange light
touch the water

Here we have sunset as the subject of this poem. Strangely enough, the first line does have 5 syllables. Line two h owever breaks the 7 syllable rule and comes in at 5 syllables. Line 3 contains only 4. And here we have a complete Haiku poem. So why is this acceptable? Because it uses many Haiku techniques. One of these, perhaps the most important one is fragment and phrase theory.

The theory goes something like this. Haikus can contain a fragment and a phrase. In this example, line one is the fragment, lines 2 and 3 contain the phrase. The fragment sets the mood or ambiance of the poem while the phrase hones in on something very specific that is taking place in the present. Still, only a few words are used to paint this picture.

Here's another example:

So many shells
on the beach tonight...
ebb tide

In this Haiku, we start out with the phase and end with the fragment. Completely acceptable and used frequently by modern Haiku poets. You'll also notice that there is a cut or break between the fragment and the phrase. This cut helps the reader get the juxtapo sition between the two parts of the poem. To write Haikus your way, just think in terms of fragment and phrase and you can't go wrong!

Edward Weiss is a poet, author, and publisher of Wisteria Press. He has been helping students learn how to write Haiku for many years and has just released his first book Seashore Haiku! Sign up for free daily Haiku and get beautiful Haiku Poems in your inbox each morning! Visit http://www.wisteriapress.com for Haiku books, lessons, articles, and more!

Author:: Edward A. Weiss
Keywords:: Haikus,Haiku,Haiku Poems,Haiku Poetry,Poetry,Poems
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