Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Ice haiku


  

Tuft of grass
 green as summer
Frozen in ice.




Small seed 
stuck on ice
 far from home below.



Laden limbs
 cannot reach the sky.
Come spring, they'll try.



Gentle lines
not nature, but by fairy maid
Gone, come spring.


  
Bubbles,
strings of DNA
frozen in ice.





I thought at first that haiku had to adhere to a formula of a certain number of syllables per line, 5,7,5. 
That pattern belongs to a specific style called "hokku".
Some Haiku can be 3,5,3 or 5,3, 5
English haiku is a total of 10-14 syllables, but can be up to 17. 
Some haiku poets feel that their poems should be expressed in one breath.
A haiku can be a single line or merely one word long.  Bottom line ?  Make up your own rules.  Enjoy !


an icicle the moon drifting through it
                     --  Matsuo Allard (Bird Day Afternoon, High/Coo Press, 1978






tundra
                 -- Cor van den Heuvel (the window-washer's pail, 1963)
Haiku of four lines  or longer have been written, some of them "vertical haiku" with only a word or two per line. These poems mimic the vertical printed form of Japanese haiku.
she watches satisfied after love he lies looking up at nothing
--  pw (Blithe Spirit 10:4, 2000)

10 comments:

  1. Your rules rock! These are stunning images and the Haiku that accompany them are wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
  2. You inspire me, cuz. Here's one I thought of from this past weekend:
    Strand of ice
    Driving toward home
    Arrives safe

    Hope that qualifies!

    ITC-1

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lovely post Sybs.
    My sister has a T-shirt that says.

    Haikus are easy.
    But sometimes they don't make sense.
    Refrigerator.

    :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Haiku's are great...my fav is limericks

    There was an old lady from Nantucket.....

    ReplyDelete
  5. Fab pics Sybil. What's all this Haikus stuff then???? Actually, come to think of it, it's quite charming. Guess it's still freezing over there...
    Love,
    Vicky xxxx

    ReplyDelete
  6. I've always admired those who can write haikus. Now I admire you (as if I didn't already!) But truly, do love that first picture especially. It heralds spring!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wow, thanks Linda.

    Love yours Cuz.

    I love your sister's T-shirt haiku Julie.

    That naughty old lady from Nantucket, Sandy.

    Won't be frozen for long Lynne. Mild weather coming.

    Kathy, you are such an optimist. I sure didn't see that first shot as a sign of spring, but as spring trapped by winter ... Ya got me thinkin' ... hmmmmm

    ReplyDelete
  8. Photos and haiku were all wonderful Sybil. I'm looking forward to your post on sonnets ;)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Sonnets !?! Alas, I say, "nay, my friend, nay".

    ReplyDelete
  10. Beautiful photos Sybil. And loved the haiku. You've inspired me to try some.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for stopping by. I really do love to read your comments.