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Coming into this class, I had only been exposed to the commonly
high school taught standard, "5-7-5" definition
of haiku. I had been previously unimpressed with what haiku
embodied, and I signed up for the class only to fulfill my
"Studies in Poetry" requirement. However, after
the first reading assignment in George Swede’s collection,
my eyes were opened and I found myself finishing his entire
book, rather than simply the assigned pages.
Written in its true form, haiku astounded and inspired me.
While I struggled to enjoy many of the Japanese writers, as
I felt that their poems were somehow "diluted" in
the translation process, I fully enjoyed the poetry of Masajo
Suzuki, and particularly connected with the poetry of Alexis
Rotella and George Swede. Our class’ study of their poetry,
and my individual study of Rotella’s work, aided in bringing
my understanding of haiku to a new level.
While I was still moderately worried about my own creative
haiku abilities, I was encouraged to try, as I discovered
the poems did not have to be solely focused on "rainbows"
and "maple leaves" (although they are, of course,
valid haiku choices if one would feel so moved). I was pleased
to find that the rigid 5-7-5 syllable guidelines had been
a myth, and that even though haiku poems use the least amount
of words possible to illustrate a moment, there is actually
remarkable freedom in not being required to give a detailed
description of the moment.
My favorite aspect of haiku is its faith in the reader and
the reader’s ability to bring valuable experience into
the poetry to complete, and then interpret the moment. Often
in class we would have several different readings of one poem,
all of them capturing a new and valid interpretation of the
haiku, and this variety inspired me as a writer and as a reader.
My own poetry, while most definitely still in its formative
stages of ability level, attempts to capture those aspects
of haiku that I most enjoy as a reader. The majority of my
poems focus on every day activities, and while at times nature
is present in the haiku, it is never forced in for the sake
of "haiku integrity." I have tried to find and write
about moments that are both personally expressive and remain
universally applicable. I believe one of the highest compliments
I could ever receive would be for someone to tell me that
they "could really see themselves in my haiku."
Throughout our class time, I have felt that haiku has moved
me to think about different scenarios or moments in new ways.
A haiku should bring something of the familiar and add to
readers’ understanding of that moment with its perspective
and/or commentary. I have enjoyed my study of haiku this past
semester, and I am grateful for the opportunity to be made
aware of the creative freedom haiku allows.
—Sarah Lutz
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