Haiku

I love reading Haiku, and occasionally I write a bit of it. Like the one below:

Birth, birthday presents
Birthday past, birthday future
Birthday absent

That more or less lives up to the "rules" which are really broad guidelines. They explain the basic Haiku structure and stimulate creativity with simple suggestions. As I have come to understand it, the heart of Haiku is a brief and tightly woven word-play composed of the distillation, connection and contrast inherent in a single idea. To me a good one shines like a precious jewel and makes me think "yes". One that is not so good makes me frown and wonder.

Here's how it's done, distilled from sources I liked:

• Length: 14 syllables maximum
• Shape: 3 lines, the last line is often a "surprise" 
• Subject: a poignant experience, observation, or feeling expressed in two contrasting ways
• Seasonal reference: overt or implied
• Implication: how the senses perceive the subject
• Mode: show, don't tell or explain

For me it's a bit addictive, probably because I see it as a game and I love figuring out how to win. It's not the winning I like. It's uncovering the game behind the game, the secrets that enable one to control it or to win. (I realize what that tells you about me. But I think I have good qualities, too.) 

There you have it! It's deceptively simple. But if you are intrigued by the idea of unmasking the inscrutable just search the internet on Haiku or writing Haiku or anything similar and have some fun. 

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Returning to the top of the page I see that I didn't do very well. Some rainy day this summer, when A to Z is over and my yard is in good shape, I'll try to rewrite it.