PACE Global Haiku • January 2008 |
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Selected Haiku by Understanding the art of Japanese Haiku is not as simple as it may seem. Although the Japanese write with such influence of seasons, they also include images oflove, life, and tragedy. The translation from Japanese to the English language takes away some of the intense feelings that come from the pronunciation of the Japanese words that do not come across in the English language. Fewer words, fewer syllables all play a part when speaking a haiku. Regardless of the way we read a haiku, the way it is written should give the reader a sense of emotion, a pause to think about an image, and an element of surprise. Our senses should be stimulated from the first line to the last with different images coming into view. The approach to writing haiku in my collection stems from emotion rather than the four seasons. The heartfelt loss of a loved one is still fresh in my mind and it tempts me to write as passionately about loss as Bashô might a cherry blossom. The art of writing a haiku is peaceful and can take a few minutes to a few hours to transform an image into a poem. Haiku invades the memory and can bring back happy or sad moments for anyone. What may be sad to one reader may be a happy memory to another. This is the magic of haiku. Enjoy the haiku I am sharing and feel free to let your imagination soar. |
raindrops on the windshield |
your picture |
mountain top |
a cool mountain stream |
snow packed road |
standing tall |
© 2008, Randy Brooks • Millikin University
All rights returned to authors upon publication.