Haiku Exercise 3: brief 3-line nature poem with two juxtaposed images and '5-7-5' syllables

The Haiku Seasons: Poetry of the Natural World by William J. Higginson. A classic introduction to Haiku. Haiku Mind: 108 Poems to Cultivate Awareness and Open Your Heart (2008) by Patricia Donegan. 108 remarkable haiku by Japanese and Western poets, with small essays to show how such brief poems can show us how we can approach our lives.

Haiku exercises from a Poetry Seminar
given at UCSC November 2009 by J. Zimmerman

Goal of this set of exercises:

• Write at least THREE haiku-like poems through three exercises:
  • Exercise 1: brief 3-line nature poem with two juxtaposed images.
  • Exercise 2: brief 3-line nature poem with two juxtaposed images using '5-7-5' syllable count.
  • Exercise 3: brief 3-line senryu: the 'human nature' poem.
• Learn and apply THREE core attributes of a "classical" haiku.
  • Exercise 1 notes; comments and books on writing haiku.
  • Exercise 2 notes; comments and books on the history of haiku.
  • Exercise 3 notes; comments and timeline on the history of haiku.
• Explore history of linked verse and the rise of haiku and senryu.
• Share resources: books, journals, web sites, places to submit work.

Exercise 3: brief 3-line poem on human nature.

Your third poem will be the senryu (haiku's worldly twin) using the three-line form as for the haiku of Exercise 1 or Exercise 2.

To write it:

• Focus on human or social nature.
• Choose a phrase that implicitly relates to Thanksgiving: preparing pumpkin pie, smelling the aroma of roast turkey, hearing the alarming loud sound of wild turkeys walking through the woods, struggling to carry the weight of an armful of firewood, family arguments, travel difficulties, etc. The word or phrase does not have to be a "kigo" (season word) in an official almanac.
• What emotion comes up?
• Extend the image or juxtapose with another image that expresses or contrasts with that emotion.
• Write your poem in the same three-line form:
  • 5-7-5 syllables is ok.
  • Less than 5-7-5 is ok.
  • Avoid more than 5-7-5.
• Notice how the senryu is, on the whole, more direct and more accessible than the haiku.

Extra practice with linked stanzas

• Pick a topic for a rengay.
• Write various 5-7-5 morae poems on this topic, placing each poem on a small card.
• Similarly write various 7-7 morae poems on the same topic, placing each poem on a small card.
• Mix the cards.
• Pick one at random from the 5-7-5 and then the 7-7 set, continuing till you have 3 of each.
• Read them together as a poem: a rengay.

Alternatively, work in a group of two or three or six, where each poet contributes 3 or 2 or 1 stanza to the resulting linked poem.

Our next poem will use the haiku form but (Exercise 3: brief 3-line senryu) you'll write a poem that foregrounds 'human nature'.

Jump-start your poetry with ideas from our writing exercises.

Other exercises: Index. "Alien". Haiku. Spell casting. Write a poem like Billy Collins.

Writing and Enjoying Haiku: A Hands-On Guide (2003) by Jane Reichhold, whose many skills include a keen sense for the writing and appreciation of haiku. This book includes useful guidelines on writing haiku and related forms. In the Palm of Your Hand, Steve Kowit. Highly recommended. Brimming with clear and practical exercises, Kowit's book is the best 'How to' book to help you start writing poetry. My favorite chapter is about Awful Poems, where Kowit leads us cheerily through the frequent mistakes that appear in our poems, with exercises to correct them. The Making of a Poem: A Norton Anthology of Poetic Forms, Edited by Mark Strand and Eavan Boland.

Books of Poetry Form. Highlights of Poetry. Index of poetry. How to Write Your Poetry. How to Listen to Poetry. Recommended books on Reading Poetry.

Log of books read.

Poetry exercises with poetry forms: Forms of skaldic verse. Haibun. Haiku. Hay(na)ku. Rengay. Tanka. Concrete. Ghazal. Lai. Pantoum. Rondeau. Rubáiyát. Sestina. Sonnet. Terza rima. Triolet. Tritina. Villanelle.

Other poets: Billy Collins and exercise. Franz Wright. J. Zimmerman. J. Zimmerman (haiku). J. Zimmerman (tanka). Jack Gilbert. Jorie Graham. Karen Braucher. Len Anderson. Li-Young Lee. Linda Pastan. Nordic Skalds. Richard Hugo's Triggering Town. W.S. Merwin. Adam Zagajewski.

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