Can You Haiku? (Due Friday, March 9th)

For this post, you should write your own haiku!

(Read the information below for inspiration.  The only requirement is that your poem be a true haiku, with 5 syllables in the first line, 7 in the second, and 5 in the third!)

What is haiku?

Haiku is a Japanese poetry form. The best haiku uses just a few words to capture a moment and create a picture in the reader's mind. It is like a tiny window into a scene much larger than itself.

In English, haiku is normally written in three lines, with five syllables in the first line, seven syllables in the second line, and five syllables in the third line.

Haiku example

Here's a haiku poem written by a poetry student:

The last winter leaves

Clinging to the black branches

Explode into birds.

Characteristics of haiku

The following are typical of haiku:

• A focus on nature.
• A "season word" such as "snow" which tells the reader what time of year it is.
• A division somewhere in the poem, which focuses first on one thing, then on another. The relationship between these two parts is sometimes surprising.
• Instead of saying how a scene makes him or her feel, the poet shows the details that caused that emotion. If the sight of an empty winter sky made the poet feel lonely, describing that sky can give the same feeling to the reader.

This blog prompt was taken from the following website: 

http://www.creative-writing-now.com/how-to-write-a-haiku.html