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Haiku - A Perfect Place to Start

© David Marr

Writing Haiku is among the easiest poetry to learn how to write, yet it is probably the most difficult to master. It is a form of Japanese poetry, and it was developed in the late 19th century by a man named Masaoka Shiki.

But just what is Haiku? Haiku is a very short poem based on strict metrical guidelines. That is, the first line must be 5 beats, the second line 7 beats, and the third line must be 5 beats. Altogether, the poem cannot be longer or less than 17 beats total. (See "Parts of a Poem" for the meaning of these terms.)

Haiku is like other forms of poetry in the sense that the meter patterns are similar. Standard Western poetry usually has four lines in what is called a stanza. Many stanzas make up a typical poem. A stanza will have either all lines that are the same number of beats, or they will alternate lines that have the same number of beats. For example, an alternating stanza might have this schema: Line 1=5 beats, Line 2=7 beats, Line 3=5 beats, and Line 4=7 beats. Can you now see the similarity between Haiku and regular poetry? Haiku just "takes off" the last line of a normal Western stanza.

Let's try writing some Haiku right now. I will start us off with two examples:

Peace
Calm caresses air
Hearts are as light as feathers
Gentle thoughts conquer

Doctor
Stethescope in hand
He's at the patient's demand
He does understand.

As with all poetry writing, it's best to stay with one idea while writing Haiku; in fact, you are supposed to write it that way. For example, my first poem described the emotion "peace", and my second poem talked about a doctor's job.

It is okay to rhyme the different lines, but it is not necessary. As is usually the case, the poem sounds better if it does. My "Peace" poem doesn't necessarily rhyme, but I made sure that "Doctor" did. A Haiku is so short anyway that rhyming is not quite as important in the creation.

So now you're ready to start writing your own Haiku. It takes a lot of practice to do it well; just take your time while thinking of each line. You could even write the first and third lines first if it's easier for you that way. The most important thing is to just start writing once you have an idea.

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