Haiku Poems Learn How to Write Them!

Writing Haiku Poems needn't be difficult. Things have changed a lot since the days of the Japanese masters. For one, modern Haiku Poems no longer have to adhere to the 5-7-5 syllable rule.

Instead, we now have something called fragment/phrase theory where we look at Haiku in a new way. For example, take a look at this Haiku poem from the authors Bird Haiku:

Cold gray sky --
crows gather
under the pine

Notice the syllable count. It's not 5-7-5 yet this Haiku poem retains the all important Haiku sensibility. That is, it focuses on nature and expresses a present moment event in very few words. The poem is constructed using fragment/phrase theory. The fragment cold gray sky begins the Haiku and really sets the scene. This is followed by the sentence fragment crows gather under the pine.

Notice too the cut or caesura - the double hyphens at the end of line 1. These serve to make the distinction between line 1 and lines 2 and 3. Most modern Haiku use a fragment and a phrase. Knowing this allows you to see into the structure and begin to create your own Haiku Poems. And the real key to doing this is learning how to write present tense descriptive phrases.

Haiku poet Ray Rasmussen suggests learning how to write phrases is key to learning how to write Haiku and I agree with him. You see, the phrase really is the specific present moment event whereas the fragment just sets the scene.

There are 2 ways to begin writing phrases. The first way is where you go out in nature and start describing things you see. The second way is where you work in your head to do the same thing. I prefer the second way, however, whichever way works best for you is the one you should use.

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 second book Bird Haiku! Sign up for our free Haiku newsletter the Wisteria Gazet te! It comes to your inbox every monday offering tips on how to write Haiku! Visit http://wisteriapress.com for Haiku books, lessons, articles, and more!

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