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The venerable haiku poem has been around for hundreds of years. Traditionally composed in Japan using a 5-7-5 arrangement of syllables, western poets have loosened this form to create what is now considered modern haiku poetry.

The modern version still sounds somewhat similar to the original but it does not adhere to making the syllables come out to 5-7-5. This is a good thing! It frees the poet up to explore what is truly important in haiku writing and that is its spirit!

To write modern haiku poetry one needs to know the technique behind it and that has everything to do with understanding fragment and phrase theory for haiku today is composed using this technique. For example, take a look at this modern haiku poem:

summer mist –
sap trickles
down the pine

Here we have a haiku consisting of a fragment and a phrase. The fragment “summer mist” gives us a macro view while the phrase “sap trickles down the pine” shows us a specific detail. To write modern haiku poetry, you don’t really need to know more than this. Really.

Notice that emphasis is not on the syllable count. Emphasis here is on the poem itself. But the poem retains the essence of what haiku is because it is created using fragment/phrase technique.

Notice too that this poem’s subject is nature. Haiku, if it’s about anything, is about naturehow we see it and how we feel about it. The above poem simply describes an event happening in the present moment - another trademark of haiku poetry. Modern haiku poetry doesn’t seek to transform what haiku is or the beauty of it, it just doesn’t care so much about counting syllables!

Edward Weiss is a poet, author, and publisher of Wisteria Press. He has been helping students learn how to write haiku for many years and has just released his first book “Seashore Haiku!” Sign up for free daily haiku and get beautiful haiku poems in your inbox each morning! Visit http://www.wisteriapress.com for haiku books, lessons, articles, and more!

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1

Woman from Alabam’

I once known a woman from Alabam’
Who would kiss with a slam and a bang!
And-all I could smell, when we made love,

so well,
Was cabbage, snuff and chicken-wings.

#1196 2/10/06

2

The He-bee

The He-bee
Said to the she-bee
“Stand still a while,
I’m going to make you smile;
Give you some honey~!”

#1195 2/10/06

3

The Nut in the Rut

Here’s to you ‘Nut!’
Who’s stuck in a rut,
With slimy hips and all;
I’d rather die, in some
Pumpkin pie, than kiss

Those drippin’ lips!

#1197 2/10/06

Flat on her Back

Flat on her back she
Called to me
Said she had something
And it was free
But something for nothin’
Didn’t include pussy!

#1198 1/10/06

Note: you see in Siluk’s poetry a zest for life, with some sparks; he lives in a world that is his own, for the most part, most of the time, and has lived in most places he’s written about. He lived in Alabama for 2 1/2 years in the late ’60s and again in the late 70’s. His German poems, take the road he traveled in Germany, as well as his time in Seattle, San Francisco, Minnesota and Peru. Some with humor like the ones on African American Poetry, and some on tradition which deal with Peru; and some on the winters of Minnesota. Thus, he seems to reach to whatever his mood is for the places he’s been to. Rosa

See Dennis’ web site: http://dennissiluk.tripod.com

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What do you do when you want to write poetry? I hope your answer is “I start writing.” Even writing a bad poem is better than waiting for the “right words.” You can always throw it away, and the process has begun. You’ll start to find the words sooner than if you had just waited. Here are some more ways to get started.

Sing A Poem

Try a little experiment - alone in the basement if you must. Describe something, then describe it again, singing instead of talking. You’ll notice the words you use change. Your sentences will generally be more rythmic. It is also easier to rhyme when you are singing.

Singing comes from the right side of the brain. This is the side that handles pattern-recognition. When you sing, you access this part of your brain, and you’ll get ideas or patterns of words that are difficult for your analytical left-brain to create. Try it.

Start With Poetic Materials

You can create poetry by listing words most likely to result in decent poems. Look for emotional content, for example. “Love” and “worship” have more poetic potential than “like,” right? Scan a book, pick out powerful words, and write them down. You may want to write words that rhyme with them alonside. Then start using them.

Say something dramatic, like “I sing of death,” or “Your eyes called out.” Try to let it come from somewhere deep inside you. Then start explaining what it might mean. This will almost certainly give you material for a poem.

Play with short verses, long verses, rhyming and non-rhyming poems. Try haiku. Try writing down your thoughts as fast as you can, without stopping. Don’t worry about quality at this point. You just need to get that creative mind working. Then, when you find gems in all the dirt, you can start polishing them.

Steve Gillman has been playing with poetry for thirty years. He and his wife Ana created the game “Deal-A-Poem,” which can be accessed for free at: http://www.dealapoem.com

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