PACE Global Haiku • PACE February 2010 |
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Moments in Time by The Art of Haiku Haiku is a poetic art form that is related to nature, seasons and relationships and at one time haiku was based on a set number of syllables and was contained to three lines. But today that is not necessarily the case; some haiku’s are only one line or have more or less syllables than the old 5-7-5 rule. Contemporary haiku is based more on experiences and the essence of a moment rather than syllable counting (Van den Heuvel, 1999). Although most haiku poets do follow the three line format, complete sentences are not used. The haiku usually indicates a moment of time or gives us a glimpse into the poet’s life with few words; it is meant to be left open for interpretation by the reader. Many times people can read a haiku and relate it to their own life and experiences. Selective words are used to give the reader a vivid description so they visualize the scene that is set for them. And sometimes a haiku may just leave the reader pondering its meaning. My Experience During this class I found one approach that works best for me. The most meaningful haiku’s that I have written are based on sharing personal experiences, memories or moments in my life. I felt most inspired when focusing on moments in my life that are dear to me or times that have moved me. I found it to be very important, not just from my own writing but from studying other haiku’s, to use descriptive words to set the scene or express an emotion. When writing haiku for this class I found it helpful to focus on a topic or event and write down short phrases and search for words that I felt were important to portray that moment. It usually took me several tries before I was satisfied with the haiku. I used the technique of replacing words and rearranging the haiku until I felt that it expressed the emotion I was looking for. I really enjoyed this class. At first I was really concerned about being able to write haiku, but once I got started, I really got into it. Below are haiku’s and rengay that I have written over the past five weeks. My collection is called “Moments in Time”. |
a family gathers |
Topless— |
wintry wind |
together… |
each year |
© 2010, Randy Brooks • Millikin University
All rights returned to authors upon publication.