I Count to Three Although haiku could easily be thought of as a simple form of expression since there are very few words and lines in a piece of haiku poetry, it is in actuality a very powerful form of poetry because every word has meaning. There is no room for something with little or no meaning. In order to write haiku, I have found that there really is not just one way to go about writing. There are times when inspiration for a haiku will hit me at the most off-beat times. During class, we tried many different approaches to writing haiku. However, I found that many of these approaches tried to force a haiku onto the page. Writing when and if instpiration comes is the best way, in my opinion, to write haiku. One of my favorite haiku that I have written this semester is: I count to three before opening my mouth This haiku was why I entitled this collection "I count to three . . ." In times of chaos, one of the best things to remember is to count to three before speaking because it is incredibly easy to say something that you will soon regret and will not be able to take back. —Sarah Knutilla • Fall 2001