The little haiku poem has remained relatively unchanged through the centuries. Why? Because haiku poets understand that the haiku format of 3 lines works! We now have 1 line haiku and 2 line haiku, but it's really the 3-line haiku format that makes a haiku poem really zing!
For instance, take a look at this haiku poem by the author:
Hot afternoon --
the hippo slowly
submerges
Here we have a 3 line haiku. This is the traditional format used by the majority of haiku poets. But why is it so effective? For a few reasons. First, notice that line 1 is a sentence fragment with a caesura or double dash at the end. This fragment sets the mood and gives the reader a sense of time and place. When we combine this fragment with the phrase "the hippo slowly submerges," we get something that our minds can grasp in totality. We get an image of this great beast slowly sinking into the water. Let's see what this poem looks like as a 1 liner:
Hot afternoon the hippo slowly submerges.
Notice that the tension is now gone. There is no cut between line 1 and lines 2 and 3. Notice also that this haiku format doesn't read as nicely as the 3 liner. Let's try the new 2 line approach that's been surfacing in haiku circles using the same haiku:
Hot afternoon --
the hippo slowly submerges
Now, this format is better than the one liner but still is not as effective in getting across the image of the hippo going under the water. That third line where one word carries all the weight really says a lot. And it does it with just one word. Going back and reading the original, we come away with a sense of completion - a feeling that the poem is whole. Do we get the same feeling with the 1 and 2 line versions? I think not.
It's OK to experiment and work with different haiku formats. Just make sure that it works for what it is and is not simply a 3 line haiku forced into 1 or 2 lines.
Articles Source - Free Articles
About the Author
Edward Weiss is a poet, author, and publisher of Wisteria Press. He has been helping students learn how to write haiku for many years and has just released his first book "Seashore Haiku!" Sign up for free daily haiku and get beautiful haiku poems in your inbox each morning! Visit
http://www.wisteriapress.com for haiku books, lessons, articles, and more!
