Just the other day, a friend of mine asked me three simple questions: “Why haikus? Are they difficult to write? How many have you written?” My immediate response was, “I really like the simplicity of the form, which is  inspired by nature or philosophical thought and they traditionally have no title. Sometimes they can be a challenge and I’ve written a lot of them, but just recently started numbering them because it seemed like I should!” These answers satisfied his curiosity, but it caused me to reflect on the poetic form haiku. Later that evening as I sipped my cup of Earl Grey and reflected, I thought of  word choice and placement. Each minimalistic word choice is deliberate in its meaning and placement. I mean, you only have 17 syllables, but a poet can pack a lot into those well chosen words. Haikus are short and to the point, which I also like. Writing a haiku is not easy, although some appear easily. And then my thoughts turned to the Japanese poet Basho Matsuo. Matsuo-san is known as the first great poet of Haiku. When I write a haiku, I sometimes think of him and hope he approves! 

Sad music trolls a~ 

 lonely child crying while the~

moon whispers your name.

 

© 2019 Gregory Vessar. All Rights Reserved.

A few kilometers outside Misawa-shi on the way to Shimoda. Aomori-ken, Japan. September 4, 2019. Photo by Greg Vessar.

© 2019 Gregory Vessar. All Rights Reserved.