There are many definitions about what haiku poetry is or isn't. One definition I think we can all agree upon is that haiku is a short (very short) poem about something taking place in the "now." And, as this present moment is described, we come away with what I like to call a residue of feeling. For instance, look at this haiku from the author's bird haiku:
Summer rain --
a blackbird sings
sporadically
This haiku takes place in the present. Action is communicated by the present tense verb "sings." And by using this kind of descriptive phrase, we get a sense of standing above it all. Of looking at the scene as an impartial observer. We know that something is taking place yet we seem removed from the action. And it is this stepping back so to speak that gives haiku a very unique sensibility. The Japanese have a term for this - wabi/sabi. It's a detached reverence for nature and how nature affects us. Sometimes sad, sometimes happy, but always there - waiting.
The reason haiku have been so popular through the centuries is that it does describe a present moment so well. But it's not just the descriptive phrase that makes this possible. It's the juxtaposition between the fragment and the phrase. For example, in this haiku we have the sentence fragment "summer rain." This is followed by the phrase "a blackbird sings sporadically." The words "summer rain" set the scene. It gives us the time of year and the weather conditions outside. The phrase completes this scene and hones in on the action so to speak. We get a sense of macro/micro - of a narrowing from a general ambiance to a specific scene. It is this juxtaposing that gives haiku its real power!
When read as a whole, haiku give the reader a snapshot or picture. Not all the detail can or should be explained here. Just one small detail of something happening in the present moment.
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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
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