Purpose

• Haiku want to

sight AND sound, smell, taste, and touch

preserve a moment in time and present the reader with a vivid sensory image

• Remember: imagery =

Purpose achieved?

• The last winter leavesClinging to the black branchesExplode into birds.

• One moment in time (re)created?

• Vivid, varied sensory imagery? – Touch: winter; clinging– Sight: black; explode– Sound: explode

Yep.

Characteristics• Haiku are frequently about nature and the natural world (but hey, it’s your poem…write

about what you want)• May contain references to times (of the year) to

anchor the poem for the reader (i.e. – “Flowers blossoming” would indicate spring)• One line is sometimes by punctuation, and may provide “divided” from the other two,

a reflection on the other two lines• The poet doesn’t but state his or her feelings,

describes a setting so as to recreate that feeling in the reader.

Characteristics displayed?• The last winter leaves

Clinging to the black branchesExplode into birds.

And how.

• Nature or the natural world? Yep.• Reference to time of year? You betcha.• Division of lines to provide reflection?

• Not so much. :/• Poet recreates a scene to recreate a feeling

rather than stating what the reader should feel?

Form

• Three lines

• 17 syllables– First line = 5 syllables– Second line = 7 syllables– Third line = 5 syllables

• NO rhyming (but (modern) Americans sometimes like to make it rhyme, because, you know, ‘Merica (don’t do this (but you can if you want to, because, you know, poetry)))

Example

• Temple Bells Die Out - Poem by Matsuo Basho

• Temple bells die out.The fragrant blossoms remain.A perfect evening!

Analyze this! (That is, the previous example)• One moment in time (re)created? • Vivid, varied sensory imagery?

– _____: – _____:

• Nature or the natural world? • Reference to time of year? day?

– _____________ references ______________– _____________ references ______________

• Division of lines to provide reflection? – If so, where do you draw the division and why?

• Poet recreates a scene to recreate a feeling rather than stating what the reader should feel?

You try it.• One moment in time (re)created? • Vivid, varied sensory imagery?

– _____: – _____:

• Nature or the natural world? • Reference to time of year? day?

– _____________ references ______________– _____________ references ______________

• Division of lines to provide reflection? – If so, where do you draw the division and why?

• Poet recreates a scene to recreate a feeling rather than stating what the reader should feel?

Insert a haiku here: