The haiku is a form of poetry I especially like because it is short and succinct. Strictly speaking, haiku should follow the pattern of 5/7/5 syllables over three lines, and Japanese haiku have other features(such as kireji) that are not usually found in the English-speaking variety. One fundamental is their situation and reference to an aspect of the seasons(kigo) or the natural world. The best haiku, I think, also have an observation from a human perspective that contrasts with, leaps out of or compares with what's happening in the immediate natural environment.
Consider this wonderful haiku by 18th Century poet Taniguchi Buson, evocative of time and place and feeling.
The piercing chill I feel:
my dead wife's comb, in our bedroom,
under my heel . . .
From a purist's point of view, my haiku are not, well, haiku. But the form is quite generous in it's Western application and my intentions are really as Japanese as a gaijin will ever get.
Have a go yourself.
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