Haiku

It was my understanding that Haiku must follow a syllabic rule of 5-7-5 for its construction. However, recent research into this revealed this to be erroneous. Many references mentioned the confusion is due to the Japanese style that cannot be adequately translated to English. The original version of Haiku do have some general parameters relating to their construction; however, the Japanese do not have syllables as we do in English. This causes some differences in meter in the English translations. Furthermore, English poets often focus on the message of the piece rather than abiding by the arbitrary 5-7-5 rule. 

It is, then, with pleasure I share a few examples of Haiku. 

One waxing moon

A silver lake at midnight

Nature opens to love

I wrote this shortly after reading several examples of Japanese Haiku that had been translated to English. As you can see, I do not follow the 5-7-5 rule but believe it follows the feeling and tradition of Haiku.

The following was written on the same day as the above. Here I follow the 5-7-5 "rule".

Dancing lavender

Nature turns to purple hues

I glory in spring

The standard for Haiku is to focus on nature; however, I attempt to maintain the emotional needs of the style and apply to other areas of life. 

Homeless and lost

The people hide in shame.

Where is humanity?

I have learned a lot from these attempts and hope to build my skills in other forms of writing.