21 How to Write a Haiku
“Without the bitterest cold that penetrates to the very bone, how can plum blossoms send forth their fragrance to the whole world?”
Let’s begin:
Writing a Haiku is an act of breathing. Breathing in, you inhale the information from the outside world, breathing out - you exhale your response.
Get Outside
Though not a requirement for the modern haiku, which can be about anything - I highly recommend an excursion into the natural world. The haiku is a response to an experience - a dialogue with the natural world. When out - open up your senses. See, hear, touch, taste, smell! Breath in - and when you exhale — release the words of your poem. Just breath in - and release!
Consider the Haiku:
As you release, you count. Count the beats: 5 in the first breath out - line one, 7 in the next - line 2, and 5 to complete - line 3. Haikus usually reference time and place - an occasion, felt in a moment.
There are technical elements tied to the haiku: the kireji, cutting word, the 17 syllables, and the kigo, reference to a season. In English, each phase of the 5 7 5 count is written as one line. The season could be fall, winter, spring, or summer. Or it could be a seasonal event, like apple picking or a fall festival.
The kireji cuts the haiku into two parts and is placed at the end of one of the phases - if placed at the end of the poem, it links the reader back to the beginning of the poem- creating a circular flow. When used in the middle of a verse, it cuts the thought, pausing the poem before offering a new thought independent of the first. There is no equivalent of kireji in English. A dash could be used -
Revise and rewrite:
I’m not sure if the haiku lends itself to a rewrite. Personally, I think it is like a breath exhaled - once out - you can not take it back. Keep it in its rawness - as an instant authentic expression. Perhaps though - the masters did write and rewrite. I think if you are not totally happy with it, just breath in your subject, and exhale another.
Edit:
After reviewing for needed changes, it always go to go over your work again. Correct any details in spelling and grammar that stand out to you.
Celebrate:
Reread your poem aloud, and celebrate your creation!
Share:
Don’t forget to share your haiku in the comments!
My Haiku
Golden on the pine
Reaching in the eastern sky
September sunrise!
Questions
If you were to write a haiku, what would be your subject?
Do you like to count syllables?
How would you define the “cutting word”?