5-7-5 Tango
Posted: April 20th, 2008, 7:45 am
The 5-7-5 format (again???) came to mind this morning (like I had nothing better to do 
) so I dredged up some oldies in that format written by buddhabitch (me in another incarnation.) As I have stated so many times before and as have many of you reiterated, the western form of haiku does not resemble (nor should it) the eastern. And furthermore, rules are meant to be broken, are they not?
It is a good thing for new haijin to use the 5-7-5 format just as zazen is good for the newly introduced to zen to use as meditation. Once you understand what meditation is, life is a meditation and the rigors of sitting are no longer necessary. I don't mean to be obtuse (at least not this time!) and I hope this is clear...5-7-5 is a form of practice that surely has it's place.
Here therefore is some oldies but goldies of my practice. Any comments, astute or otherwise are welcome:
Haiku 5-7-5
aspens bare white limbs
framed against the bluest sky
naked for winter
...
spring freeze is haunting
no apples for fall harvest
nature's trick not treat
...
ravens in the yard
black against the golden leaves
Halloween costumes
...
up to meet sunrise
clouds rolling across the sky
sun is shy today
...
woodpile high outside
cozy fire warms frozen toes
winter can come now!
...
all's quiet except
laughter riding a white horse
shooting a funny bone
...
rays of crystal white
searing soul searching time now
a leaf flutters down
...
a haiku for me
like a snowflake on my tongue
this clear cold moment
...
time changes the rules
what applied then, doesn't now
haiku evolving
...
Granted, these are not all great haiku or even close to great but they are great practice. One doesn't need to always write a great haiku, in fact most, including myself do not but is that important? And can you recognize a really good haiku in this subjective world. As Artguy once quoted J.K. "good haiku is simple...but filling." Most poets mistakenly believe that writing haiku is easy but don't we all know that being pure and simple is the hardest thing of all...
Paul Reps cut haiku to the bone. (see http://www.litkicks.com/Reps/) I am striving for that in my haiku now. I have become a haiku butcher or a haiku sculpter, carving away useless words, removing my ego as much as ego will allow and trying to get to the very simplest way of conveying a haiku picture. This surely is the most difficult task I have ever undertaken as a writer but always joyful.
Practice 5-7-5...it will teach you much...abandon it when it becomes a crutch.
) so I dredged up some oldies in that format written by buddhabitch (me in another incarnation.) As I have stated so many times before and as have many of you reiterated, the western form of haiku does not resemble (nor should it) the eastern. And furthermore, rules are meant to be broken, are they not?It is a good thing for new haijin to use the 5-7-5 format just as zazen is good for the newly introduced to zen to use as meditation. Once you understand what meditation is, life is a meditation and the rigors of sitting are no longer necessary. I don't mean to be obtuse (at least not this time!) and I hope this is clear...5-7-5 is a form of practice that surely has it's place.
Here therefore is some oldies but goldies of my practice. Any comments, astute or otherwise are welcome:
Haiku 5-7-5
aspens bare white limbs
framed against the bluest sky
naked for winter
...
spring freeze is haunting
no apples for fall harvest
nature's trick not treat
...
ravens in the yard
black against the golden leaves
Halloween costumes
...
up to meet sunrise
clouds rolling across the sky
sun is shy today
...
woodpile high outside
cozy fire warms frozen toes
winter can come now!
...
all's quiet except
laughter riding a white horse
shooting a funny bone
...
rays of crystal white
searing soul searching time now
a leaf flutters down
...
a haiku for me
like a snowflake on my tongue
this clear cold moment
...
time changes the rules
what applied then, doesn't now
haiku evolving
...
Granted, these are not all great haiku or even close to great but they are great practice. One doesn't need to always write a great haiku, in fact most, including myself do not but is that important? And can you recognize a really good haiku in this subjective world. As Artguy once quoted J.K. "good haiku is simple...but filling." Most poets mistakenly believe that writing haiku is easy but don't we all know that being pure and simple is the hardest thing of all...
Paul Reps cut haiku to the bone. (see http://www.litkicks.com/Reps/) I am striving for that in my haiku now. I have become a haiku butcher or a haiku sculpter, carving away useless words, removing my ego as much as ego will allow and trying to get to the very simplest way of conveying a haiku picture. This surely is the most difficult task I have ever undertaken as a writer but always joyful.
Practice 5-7-5...it will teach you much...abandon it when it becomes a crutch.
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