A TUESDAY FEATURE
host: Muskaan Ahuja
How to Write a Haiku
by Naomi Beth Wakan
Details confuse me,
so when I see a rose,
although I do not know
its pedigree, I write down “rose.”
And when I cut it,
I do not know whether
I should cut it on a slant
or straight, or under water twice,
so I write down “cut.”
And when I put it in a vase,
I do not know whether it is raku
or glaze, or, perhaps good plastic,
so I write down “vase.”
and when I see two red leaves
on the earth beside the rose bush,
I do not know from which tree
they have fallen
so I write down “red leaves.”
And as I set the vase
and the leaves on the table,
I write down
rose just cut
beside the vase
two red leaves
And although I do not know
the details of what I have just done,
the sadness of it all
cracks my heart open.
Can you attempt a haiku after reading this?
Looking forward to your creativity!
My Haiku Writing & Submission Process
By Karen Harvey
I counted syllables carefully for the longest time. I didn't know any better. It was a relief to discovered that this was unnecessary and that brevity is key. Some haiku journals still only accept three liners, seemingly oblivious that they were originally written in one vertical line with art work.
I see my haiku as small birds. Once preened they fly free in search of places to roost. I study current journals carefully, read and reread the submission guidelines in my attempt to avoid sending my fledglings off in the wrong direction. Sometimes I get it wrong.
interloper monokuku in the nest
oak branches
knock at my window
summer storm
.
I stay on the sixth floor, the silver oak has grown very tall over the years. The branches sway and reach my windows because of strong winds during a summer storm. I always feel that they are knocking …
This is so beautiful. Thank you for sharing.
silent moon
from yellow
to white
.
I always feel that there is so much of silence in the moon. Watching it rise from dark yellow to white and then back again to yellow.
This is in this weeks haiku dialogue on THF.
I thought it relevant to this post.
soft fat brush one touch on washi paper . . . a vase is born
kris kondo Kiyokawa, Kanagawa, Japan
for me, so much is unsaid, yet and yet.