Haiku:
A traditional form of Japanese poetry. Haiku poems consist of 3 lines. The first and last lines of a Haiku have 5 syllables and the middle line has 7 syllables. The lines rarely rhyme.
I have a great love of Haiku, a deceptively simple form of verse which originated in Japan. In its original Japanese, Haiku -in the majority of cases- conforms to a 5-7-5 syllable rule, however when translated to English this is, almost without exception, lost. What is not lost is the perfect description of a moment, place, emotion or all three.
My attempts don’t follow many of the Haiku conventions, except that they are always three lines long and frequently feature a hint as to the season in which I experienced the subject.
Autumn cherry drops a leaf-
sitting solemn below,
Basho cries into his cup.
Into a swollen pool
water falls-
the endless traveller
Tap Tapping-
clogs on wood
joyous dancing abounds
Winter solitude
the sound of wind
a world of one colour
Ice blues skies –
red flash in the branches
a woodpecker tapping
Solitary bird
joins the chorus –
hello my friend morning
Golden water
reflecting sun-
Grebes dancing
Black sky
storms again –
the traveller returns
Frozen lake-
Ducks huddle together
in the broken corner
Mad woman
shouting to herself
or a friend far away
Frosted bench –
surrenders
to the morning sun
Water tumbles,
Light Shines
Into darkness I fall.
Bare branch creaking –
ice cracking,
welcome the years first snow.
Suddenly awake-
orange sky,
good morning Spring
Angry traveller,
Familiar yet forever changing,
Rain returns home.
Dark meets Light –
Clouds Turbulent Journey ends
Calm returns.