Odd Writing Things: about Haiku

cross-posted from this thread in the Poetry group

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Haiku and Tanka -- two Japanese forms of poetry adapted into English.

Now I'm no expert (honestly, I suck at poetry so hard), but I've been studying and practicing these two forms for a while, and let me share what I've learned so far:

Haiku

English haiku typically follow a 5-7-5 syllable pattern. Most people would just leave it at that, but I learned that there's much more to it than counting syllables. The real beauty of these forms come from the juxtaposition of two or more different ideas/concepts/objects in order to create a vivid image in the reader's mind.

Take for example, Basho's Frog Poem as translated by Geoffrey Bownas and Anthony Thwaite.
Side note: I chose this translation because it's the closest to the terse original....um, yes, I can read and understand Japanese. just a little.

furuike ya
kawazu tobikomu
mizu no oto

An old pond
A frog jumps in --
Sound of water

Here, each line presents an object or idea that are somehow related to each other to paint an image in the reader's mind. An old pond. A frog, which jumps into the said pond. These things build up to the last line-- sound of water. From there, the reader's imagination could fill the rest of what's unsaid-- the ripples on the water surface, the lily pad the frog was on before jumping, etc.

Another way to create a vivid image is by juxtaposing objects/ideas/concepts that aren't related, to form a metaphorical relationship between them.

For an example, here's one of mine:

a candlelit flame,
droplets on the window pane
become the night sky

Again, each line presents an object or an idea, but this time they're not typically related to each other. Like, "How does a candlelit flame relate to a window pane, or for that matter, the droplets on the said window pane? And what's any of that got to do with the night sky?" ...right?

Interpretations, in this case, could vary depending on experiences that form the connections between the presented images. For one reader, this could mean a romantic dinner near a window. For another, this could mean a blackout during a raging typhoon. And many other interpretations and so forth...

Okay, that's it for now. Next time, I'll do one for the tanka.

Cheers!

--matcha cheesecake

TL;DR Besides the 5-7-5, haiku writing is about the juxtaposition of two or more different ideas/concepts/objects in order to create a vivid image in the reader's mind.