What seperates a good haiku from pretentious drivol? Its easy to be poetetic in such a short and unrhymed form. Yet the form has been around for a long time. Meaning that either the haikus in Japanese are a far cry from an English haiku or I'm writing the style incorrectly. ---- What are your thoughts on the form and is there any poets who mainly write in the form that you can recommend.
There's some question about whether haiku written in English is actually haiku. I consider it to be an amusing poetic gimmick, like limericks.
Margaret Coats is actively working to promote haiku. The Society of Classical Poets holds an annual haiku contest, which I never win because haiku just isn’t my form.
In English-language haiku - there are three basic elements. Haiku consist of three phrases composed of 17 phonetic units (called on in Japanese, which are similar to syllables) in a 5, 7, 5 pattern; that include a kireji, or "cutting word" and a kigo, or seasonal reference. Similar poems that do not adhere to these rules are generally classified as senryū. Or to put it another way... A maximum count of 5-7-5 syllables. A kireji - or or cutting word, similar to a sonnet's volta - it may be a twist or suggest a parallel between the preceding and following phrases - or conclude the verse with a heightened sense of closure. Often, punctuation is the kireji - used to create a juxtaposition between parts of the haiku. A kigo - a word or phrase that symbolizes or implies the season of the poem - often lending itself to naturalistic imagery. So, haiku ain't so easy... I'm no expert - I got all this from wiki with a couple of clicks - if you have any questions, do the research...
Interesting. Just for fun, I tried writing in the 5-7-5 format, but not being an expert, of course my efforts cannot be called a haiku. Whether they are senryū or merely drivel is in the eye of the beholder. One example: In the summer's heat the technician fixed the fan. Everyone rejoiced. If this is an example of a type of situation (also known as maeku or fore-verse) counts as senryū, that's fine. If it's drivel, that's OK. I didn't spend too much time on it. I should point one thing out, though: Nope. Writing something profound (or even comprehensible) in such a spare, concise form requires you to be precise and choosy about the right words. Even trying to write a simple 5-7-5 poem like the one above requires effort. If nothing else, trying to write either haiku or senryū teaches you the value of paying attention to detail and choosing a good word (instead of any word that fits). You can also use the same 5-7-5 form for a fun exercise, or as a challenge. For instance: This is a haiku that makes no sense; or, rather, refrigerator. OR Weaving weighty webs, weighing who would win which Worcestershire war. (Alliterative haiku FTW!)
I've posted a couple of haiku on the forum written in both English and Japanese. I originally wrote them in Japanese, then went through a few linguistic convolutions to convert them into English. A good haiku should conclude the thought that it's putting forward. That thought might be an unanswered question, but the thought itself is complete. Look at how Matsuo Basho constructs his poems. Some are just commentaries that leave you to draw your own conclusion. Some people see a profound thought, so people see nothing more than what's literally being said. Here's one: https://www.writingforums.org/threads/poetry-contest-354-form-haiku.168266/#post-1898051 It's hardly the most accomplished poem in the world. I wrote it with Covid in mind, but not everyone will see that.