Small Poems with Big Meanings
A friend once asked me to explain the secret of haiku. “There isn’t one,” I said. “Just
read the Earth as a love letter and write back in 17 syllables.”
Haiku are so simple that even a child can write one. We take a single impression from
everyday life, usually from Nature, and record it in three lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables.
For centuries poets have used this simple form to follow the changing seasons of the
year. Traditionally, haiku was a kind of greeting—a thank you note to the universe in
appreciation for each new moment of life.
Most haiku include a word that indicates the time of year—usually the name of a plant
or animal, a festival or holiday, a type of weather, or some other natural phenomena.
These “season words” are a life map that guides us though the cycle of the year,
reminding us of the blessings to be found in simple things.
What do people find so enjoyable about haiku? Why has haiku become the most popular
form of poetry today, written in over 100 countries around the world? It must be the
magic of small poems with big meanings. A haiku is bigger on the inside than it is on the
outside—just like the human heart.
The Three Basic “Rules”
THE 5-7-5 SYLLABLE FORM
What does it mean to put our thoughts into that simple pattern?
If I had to come up with a motto for this process it would be: “Count each syllable, make
each syllable count.” Appropriately enough, the motto is based on a
pun—count meaning both to “tally” and “to be of significance.”
The essence of counting in haiku is just this—to come up with 17 syllables that add up to
MORE than their literal meaning. It’s that simple. But it’s not as easy as it looks.
THE SEASON WORD
Most haiku are constructed around a season word. Why is the season word so
important?
The use of season words gives haiku poets a common language of Nature while allowing
for almost infinite variety and self-expression. But that shared language is only a part of
it.
The season word lends a certain “weightiness” to an otherwise slight, often lighthearted
poetic form. A haiku would “fly away” into triviality or pointless humor without the
paperweight of the season word to hold it down.
THE TURN OF THOUGHT
It is important to give each haiku a memorable turn of thought. But what distinguishes a
turn of thought as memorable?
Haiku are at their best when they’re not too heavy, and not too light. The point is to say
something significant while appearing to say almost nothing.
Returning to the image of a paperweight, our haiku can flutter a bit in the breeze under
the weight of the season word. In fact, it should. That “flutter” is the little part of
ourselves we add to the 5-7-5 syllables and the season word to make a haiku ours.
What makes a turn of thought distinctive or memorable? YOU! A haiku must have
something to say.
The Anatomy of a Successful Haiku
In the summer sky
a cloud with its mouth open
eats a smaller cloud.
“I follow the seventeen-syllable limit because it provides me with a
pleasurable feeling of push-back, a resistance to whatever literary
whims I may have at the time. If you want to create a little flash of
illumination, the haiku tells us, start by counting on your fingers.
A three-line poem with a frog is not necessarily a haiku.”
—Billy Collins, from Rattle #47, Spring 2015
Tribute to Japanese Forms
The opening line establishes a season word, one of the two main rules of formal haiku.
The words also fall naturally within a rhythm of 5-7-5 syllables, which is the other
rule. So far so good. Meeting those requirements qualifies the poem as a haiku. To make
it a successful haiku, requires a third element—what Collins calls “a little flash of
illumination.” In Japanese circles, it is called “haiku humor”—a form of laughter that
vectors off in elusive or unexpected directions. This is the turn of thought that gives
the 17 syllables MORE than 17 syllables of meaning.
Haiku in English
17 Essential Points
The following 17-point summary of haiku in English was developed by five master
teachers working collaboratively over a period of years. The author’s names are listed at
the bottom.
1—A haiku is a 17-syllable poem written in three lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables. That form
is the basic DNA of haiku.
2—By longstanding tradition, most haiku contain a “season word” such as dandelion or
snowflake. The season word anchors a haiku in our common experience of Nature.
3—Every good haiku contains a distinctive turn of thought. Also called a “twist” or
“pivot,” that turn gives the 17 syllables MORE than 17 syllables of meaning.
4—In Japanese haiku, the turn of thought is often said to produce “haiku humor.” Haiku
humor is extremely varied—it can be bittersweet, funny, philosophical, or even dark.
5—At its most basic, a haiku is “whatever you can get away with in 17 syllables.” There
can be no fixed rule for producing the turn of thought in haiku.
6—Haiku exploded in popularity during the 20th century as it traveled around the globe.
Haiku in each non-Japanese language has a unique identity of its own.
7—Over the last century, poets have experimented with various forms for haiku in
English. However, 5-7-5 remains the form most recognized by the general reader.
8—Haiku in English most commonly fall under two broad categories: Formal Haiku and
Popular Haiku. Formal Haiku observes 5-7-5 with a season word; Popular Haiku
observes only 5-7-5.
9—Although distinctive, these categories are not mutually exclusive. Increasingly, we
find poets using season words to produce haiku with broad popular appeal.
10—Both Formal and Popular Haiku aim to produce a distinctive turn of thought. In
formal haiku, the turn of thought is inspired by the season word.
11—Poets the world over share haiku in groups that meet regularly—online or in person.
When a group becomes influential, it is referred to as a “school” of haiku.
12—Our “17 School” is based on the idea that the 5-7-5 form for haiku is basic to its
nature. Apart from that form, and a preference for season words, we do not set limits on
haiku.
13—We believe that a haiku should function as a poem in English. Replicating Japanese
haiku in style or technique is not our intended goal or concern.
14—We believe that the most essential aspect of haiku in any language is play. This is
reflected in the word haiku itself, which means literally “playful verse.”
15—We see haiku in English as an invitation to play in 17 syllables. Haiku invites us to
explore the unique sounds, nuances, and possibilities for poetic meaning in English.
16—We strive to produce haiku that are self-expressive. Even when we use objective
images drawn from Nature, our best poems always have something to say.
17—We belong to a community of poets that includes our haiku ancestors and
descendants. Writing haiku allows us to communicate with one another across time.
Clark Strand • Becka Chester • Clifford Rames • Susan Polizzotto • Suzanne
Tyrpak