Fun With Forms: What's A Haiku?

Hey friends! I hope you all had a great time with your 5 senses poems! I know my friends sure did. I want to move away from the free verse style of writing poems and have you try and write your first form poem, a Haiku.

Now I know you all must be like what the heck is a Haiku it sounds like someone just sneezed. A Haiku is originally a Japanese poem of seventeen syllables in three lines, a Haiku juxtaposes seemingly unrelated observations in order to glimpse the hidden connections between things. It relies on mood and suggestiveness. Calling it a "form" is almost an understatement, since it serves as a means of illumination.

Most Haiku's deal with nature, seasons and sounds. They don't have to rhyme or have a certain rhythm. It just has to be three simple lines. First line has 5 syllables the second line has 7 syllables and the third has 5 syllables. Here's a few of my own:

Sherbet ice tabby
Cheshire cat smile lingers
Whispers lost in wind

This Haiku was about a tabby cat I saw crossing the street on campus. I had no plans about writing about a cat for my Haiku, but the magic of poetry just made it happened.

Sun kissed dimpled cheeks

Sea salt saturated hair
Challenging the waves

This Haiku was inspired by an old picture my mom pulled out over Christmas break of me and my cousin at the beach.

Now it's your turn! Sit outside and listen to the sounds of nature or just observe the world around you and look at certain objects differently than you ever had before. Open your eyes and your ears and EXPLORE! Happy writing :)!

Welcome To Write Away

Welcome Writers!

My name is Jen and I'm here to help you tap into your creative side. My blog will provide you with new and old poetry forms, writing exercises, and my own personal writings. We will also examine certain techniques famous writers have used and why they work well. We'll look at certain works from Edgar Allen Poe, Emily Dickinson, Silva Plath and more!

As a Communications major and an English minor I have taken many classes that have improved my writing skills and strengthen my passion for writing in general in which I hope to pass onto you. What I really want to help you accomplish is how to use your imagination and to re-find the child in all of us.

Feel free to comment on my work and also don't be afraid to post your own! It doesn't have to be limited to writing either, feel free to post art work and photos if that's your muse. If you want helpful tips about your work let me know, we'll work together to make your work the best it can be.

My best advice...don't get frustrated. Writing is a difficult skill and it takes time; you will work on a piece love it and then go back to it a few days later and rewrite the whole thing. That's why it's so important that you write regularly, keep reworking your drafts, and experiment with new techniques. A poem or short story will eventually shape itself, you just need to help push it in the right direction.

I'm excited to get started and hear feedback from you all! Good luck and good writing! Pick those pencils up and GO!