Playing with Words: Haiku Writing




Words are free, easily available, and can do a lot of things.  It is no wonder that my friends and I turn to writing as a way to beat boredom during these days of community quarantine.

Introducing kids to poetry writing is a fun way to help use their time productively during these days. One short but expressive poetry form they (and you as well) can learn is the haiku.

A haiku is a verse with three lines. The first has 5 syllables, the second has 7, while the third has 5. Modern haiku writers usually do not strictly follow this syllable scheme, however, and usually the syllable scheme gets lost in English translations of haiku in Japanese.

Haiku are usually about nature. Writing a haiku is like taking a photo of something interesting using your camera phone, except that you are using words instead of your phone.



Want to try it? Here are some tips:

1. Start by observing your surroundings. Take note of the sights, sounds, feelings, scents, and tastes you find interesting.

2. For your first line, mention your subject.

3. For the next two lines, describe your subject or how it makes you feel. 

4. Do not worry first about making it nice. Just write first then polish later.

Here is a sample haiku that I wrote last year:

"Red flame-tree flowers
Fallen on the rain-soaked street...
...the end of summer"

Now you and your kids can give it a try.

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