Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry that has been around for centuries and centuries! It has been compared to taking a photograph of a single moment in time. It is very simple and very complicated ... all at the very same time!
The poem below captures a moment outside on a windy day.
When reading and writing Haiku poems, you need to pay attention to 3 things ... the form (how the poem is put together), the content (what the poem is about), and the language (what words are used).
Let's look at Haiku's "Big 3" up close!
| 1. Content |
Traditionally, Haiku poems have something to do with nature. They tell about the simple wonders we can find all around us. Nature means many things to many people. Some poets stick to tradition and write about true nature ... nothing manmade included. However, today, many Haiku poets include city life like buildings, traffic jams, and parks in their definition of nature. |
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| 2. Language |
Haiku poets use few words. The language is simple and to the point. To keep poems on track, these poets use sense words and ideas ... they write about things you can touch, hear, smell, taste, or see. Writers of Haiku avoid using adverbs, general adjectives, pronouns, articles, and prepositions. They also avoid writing complete sentences! |
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| 3. Form |
Most Haiku poems are composed of 3 lines. The first and third line are about the same length. The middle line is a bit longer. Traditional Haiku poems have 17 syllables arranged in three lines. Line
1: 5 syllables This traditional pattern comes from a time when all Haiku was composed in Japanese. Other languages use words and syllables differently so the pattern can cause some problems. If this pattern helps you to start your poem, use it. However, if the syllable pattern doesn't exactly fit what you want to say, adjust the pattern to fit. Remember the goal is to use few words to get your meaning on the paper ... don't go searching for words to fill out the pattern! |
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It might help to think about Haiku poetry as a kind of puzzle. The poet's job is to take a snapshot with words. The reader's job is to see the snapshot in his or her mind. Because everyone sees things differently, it is likely that no two people will "see" the same picture!
Writer's Toolbox
Before you begin writing, you may want to gather some tools to help you as you search for just the right words. Here is a list of materials you might need:
- something
to write on — notebook paper, adding machine tape, file cards,
graph paper...
- something
to write with — pencils, crayons, typewriter, computer, markers...
- drawing
paper ... sometimes it helps to draw a picture first!
- art supplies
(colored pencils, crayons, and other fun stuff!)
- word lists
(Click HERE for
an example or HERE
for a blank list!)
- a thesaurus
- a dictionary
Your
Turn!
Are you ready to try your hand at writing a Haiku poem? If you are, the first thing to so is ... wait, bet you thought the first thing to do was pick a topic, right? Nope. The first thing you need to do is become an observer.
Grab a notebook or sketch pad, go outside, and find a comfortable spot. Spend a little time observing what is going on around you. Remember, these poems are about nature so you won't want to pay a lot of attention to the scooters that race by on the sidewalk. Instead, look at the trees, the clouds, the grass ... you know, the nature around you! Use your notebook or sketch pad to record what you see, hear, smell, taste, and touch.
OK, now you are ready to select a topic. Check out what you have written. Pick a couple of observations that seem to go together and write a sentence about them.
| I saw |
ants
building a home |
| I wrote |
As the sun begins to set in the desert, a bird arrives at his home in a saguaro cactus. |
The next step is to adjust the words to say the same thing without a complicated sentence. Notice this isn't a complete sentence, only specific adjectives were used, and there is only 1 prepositional phrase.
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The Haiku is ready to revise and edit! This poem is definitely in it's first draft. Like your poems, it may change a lot between now and publishing time!
When you have finished your rough draft, ask someone to read it. Invite them to give you some feedback about the words you have chosen. If you think that their suggestions will help your poem, add them.
When you have your poem just the way you like it, it's time to publish it. You can publish any way you like. You can print it on fancy paper, create a work of art to surround it, use a computer application (like PowerPoint, HyperStudio, or even Flash), read it out loud, or you may even choose to keep it to yourself!
Click the button below for your journal page!
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