November 20, 2007

Haiku

November 20, 2007
Swirling around me,
Morning wind whispers of snow;
I hurry inside.

3 Comments:

Anonymous said...

What a lovely haiku. I'm afraid I always approach a haiku with counting in mind (Is it really 5-7-5?) That's what happens when you learn about them at that critical thinking/not yet artistic age called - what was it - fifth grade for me probably? But anyway, I think I actually count because they are all so different and pretty that I can't believe they can all be stripped down to plain old math. Which is really a beatiful picture for the balance of logic and poetry in life, isn't it?
Well. You have just completely won me over to the art of haiku.

Ink Flinger said...

Serenity,

Thanks. I would be very glad to win anyone over to haiku! As someone who leans towards wordiness (often indulging in a lot of parenthetical asides), I love the conciseness of haiku. It isn't really to express a thought, merely a moment, an emotion, an image. It relies not on clever symbolism or critical judgement, but stark reality and keen observation.

Whenever I'm feeling creative, but also tired or pressed for time, I indulge in haiku. A child can write one, but I doubt anyone can claim mastery of the form. It's beauty lies in its simplicity.

I have a secret desire to make haiku a daily practice. I haven't managed it yet, but I plan to keep trying!

I love your statement about the balance of logic and poetry in life. That's the dance we dance isn't it?

Ink Flinger said...

PS--Yeah, it's 5-7-5. A lot of the rules of haiku, however, really only make sense in the context of Japanese language. There is a lot of variation in the English version of haiku.

 
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