I’ve been thinking a lot about haiku poems lately. I find them delightful to read. They’re often incredibly specific while leaving plenty of room for the reader’s mind to fill in the blanks. I like that they’re short. I like that the form seems to shirk formality, even when playing by the rules. They’re familiar and accessible. Their brevity captures a moment and lets it live on.

It’s one of the first types of poems kids are taught to read and write in school. A typical haiku contains three lines of poetry, with five syllables on the first line, seven on the second, and five again on the third.

And while I’ve been thinking about haikus lately, I haven’t been writing any. (Have I ever written any?)

I’m prompting myself, and anyone following along, to change that.

My intention this week is to explore the haiku form as a daily writing practice. Monday through Friday, five haikus documenting the minutiae of life lived in Racine. Short, sweet, and true vignettes of my days. I plan to keep it simple, though there are many layers and variations available when writing a haiku.

If this helps you along, consider that originally a haiku was supposed to include a description of nature indicative of a season and evoking an emotional response. This may be useful as we turn our clocks forward and enter a stretch of weather indicating the nearness of spring.

Here are a few haikus I particularly enjoy:

“January” by Paul Holmes

Delightful display
Snowdrops bow their pure white heads
To the sun’s glory

“First Autumn morning” by Murakami Kijo

First autumn morning
the mirror I stare into
shows my father’s face.

Again, the exploration of the form will likely place myself (and perhaps you) in a position of paying attention, being present, considering the moment in time.

Again, that is the gift of poetry as a daily practice.

Hope to read your haikus soon!

Best,
L.A. Sklba