Recently a friend suggested that I try writing haiku. I listened to him. Below are my first four attempts. I’ve adopted my own style, of course, but I’ve kept the basic three-line format. In each of these poems, line one contains five syllables, line two has seven, and line three has five. Enjoy!
CUSTOMER SERVICE
I am satisfied
Checking out the cute cashier’s
Express-order smiles
***
HAY FEVER
Congested trees long
For antihistamine winds
To harvest relief
***
INTERNET DATING
We flirt from afar
Urging unattached strangers
To write on our walls
***
CHESS MATCH
I’m overthinking
Simple moves a novice makes
Paralyzed with fear
c b snoad
9-12-12
I’m going to make a suggestion. Forget the seventeen-syllable thing. Seventeen syllables of English contains 30% more information than seventeen syllables of Japanese. Try 4-6-4, or 3-5-3, or an irregular pattern; but always go for an image of the senses that conveys a moment’s fleeting, transient emotion.
May I invite you to visit ‘the zen space’, an on-line showcase for haiku and related writing. http://thezenspace.wordpress.com
M
__________
Marie Marshall
author/poet/editor
Scotland
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