Writing Tip: Understanding the Haiku

The haiku originated in Japan and is one of the oldest living forms of poetry, some 600 to 700 years old.

The goal of the haiku is to create the absolute metaphor or complete thought, capturing a scene or moment in nature in its purest form. Each line is an individual snap shot of what one sees,and only what one sees, spontaneity and objectivity or its cornerstones.

The haiku is not a story strung together, yet it should flow with the essence of natural speech pattern. It is rarely about the personal self (pronoun) for the self is not the focal point. The haiku in most instances contain a seasonal word or words that suggest the season. When a haiku is properly written the images in whole create their own story, own language, its own emotion.

I find that the best way to approach a haiku is to clear the mind of rational thought patterns, to eliminate the ego’s desire to label what it sees, to look upon the objects as if seeing them for the first time,

Ultimately the best way to learn this poetic form is to research its origins and experiment, for the haiku has undergone various changes over the years

Written by: Demitri Tyler

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