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The Rhythm of Haiku by
Johnette Downing
A songwriter of children's music, I was first drawn to haiku
for its musical qualities, its rhythmic patterns, keen
observations, and childlike yet profound visions. Similar to
songwriting for children, haiku writing requires having a good
sense of rhythm and the ability to pack a punch in minimal
space. Like many Westerners who first discover haiku, I learned
that a haiku is a short poem of Japanese origin written in three
lines consisting of a 5-7-5 syllable pattern. Like many Western
beginners, I forced my thoughts into this pattern, counting
syllables and conforming to the rule. It was rhythmic and it
made sense to me: da-da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da-da-da-da,
da-da-da-da-da. 
Upon closer examination of the form, I discovered that the
5-7-5 rule taught to many Westerners in grade school was
actually a misconception. In Japan, traditional haiku consists
of seventeen onji arranged in a 5-7-5 pattern. However,
when translated, seventeen onji in Japanese are somewhere
around twelve syllables in English. Today, the description of
English language haiku has been somewhat simplified to "a
short, unrhymed, one-breath poem of Japanese origin, usually
written in no more than three lines consisting of no more than
seventeen syllables." A more in-depth description of haiku
is: "Though it can be presented on the page in three lines,
a haiku structurally consists of two parts with a pause in
between. Its power as poetry derives from juxtaposition of the
two images and the sense of surprise or revelation that the
second image produces."1
Further, "Haiku capture moments of being alive conveyed
through sensory images. Haiku are gifts of the here and now,
deliberately incomplete so that the reader can enter into the
haiku moment and experience the feelings of that moment for his
or her self."2 Good haiku
are created when one opens oneself to the beauty of the natural
world around them, experiences the subtle nuances in one's
environment, and expresses these experiences in the present
through the use of imagery to evoke an emotion. For
example:
a cicada shell
it sang itself
utterly away
-Matsuo Basho (1644-1694)
coolness-
the sound of the bell
leaving the bell
-Yosa Buson (1716-1783)
These examples from two haiku masters exemplify the intimacy,
the keen perception, and the complexity in the simplicity of the
haiku moment. These qualities make haiku a unique form of
expression for children. "Children naturally see with haiku
eyes, for they have a spontaneous way of stopping and looking
and appreciating the present world around them."3
Teaching haiku to children encourages their curiosity, heightens
their awareness of the natural world around them, builds upon
their natural sense of rhythm, and offers them a creative form
of expression. These are the building blocks of songwriting as
well. In the most general sense, in addition to form, the
elements of haiku are:
Season
Traditional Japanese haiku includes a kigo or
"season word" that refers to the seasons. This
reference connects human nature with nature and offers a sense
of place, moment, and time. In the two poems above, the season
words are "cicada" and "coolness,"
indicating a specific time of year while also offering a sense
of place.
Moment
Haiku are usually written in the moment, the here and now. Haiku
captures the spontaneity and intimacy of the moment as the poet
is experiencing it. Haiku allows one to see the world with
clarity as it really is in this moment as though viewing the
world through a magnifying glass. In the second sample poem, we
are in the moment while the sound is "leaving" the
bell.
Imagery
Haiku uses concrete sensory images that can be touched, smelled,
tasted, or heard. Good haiku "show" instead of
"tell" and do not use similes or metaphors. In the
second sample poem, we hear the sound as it leaves the bell and
we feel the coolness in the air.
Emotion
"One of the powers of poetry, of haiku especially, is to
create emotions by connecting two or more images together in new
and strange ways."4 In the
first sample poem, the imagery may evoke a feeling of the
emptiness of the cicada shell and the sorrow of its
passing.
Surprise
The element of surprise, in my opinion, is the point of
connection between the reader and writer. Surprise in haiku is
also referred to as the "Ah" or the "Ah ha"
the reader expresses after reading a haiku and
"getting" the meaning of the haiku. Further, surprise
comes when the reader understands the juxtaposition of the two
images in the poem and how or why they are connected.
Since haiku, like most forms of poetry and
music, cannot be fully explained within an article, I have
offered resources for teaching haiku to children. It is my hope
that you, too, will come to love and understand, haiku and feel
compelled to share it, as you feel compelled to share your music
with children. To teach haiku, one must first experience,
explore, understand, and write haiku personally. Like music,
haiku is a gift to be shared.
On the Web
Brooks, Randy, and Shirley Brooks.
"English-Language Haiku on the Web." Brooks
Books, Decatur, IL.
Donegan Patricia, and Kazuo Sato. "A
guide for Teaching Haiku." JAL Foundation (Japan
Airlines).
Haiku Society of America Education Committee. Resources
for Teachers. Ordering information at http://www.hsa-haiku.org/res-teach.
Lanoue, David G. "About Haiku" and
"For Students." Haiku of Kobayashi Issa. http://www.webusers.xula.edu/dlanoue/issa/abouthaiku.html.
Suzuki, Ryo. Children's Haiku Garden. http://www.tecnet.or.jp/~haiku/.
(Haiku verses by children with illustrations.)
Books
Classic Haiku: A Master's Selection, by
Yuzuru Miura
The Essential Haiku, by Robert Hass
The Haiku Anthology, by Cor Van Den
Heuvel
The Haiku Handbook: How to Write, Share, and
Teach Haiku, by William J. Higginson
Seeds From a Birch Tree, by Charles
Strand
Johnette Downing is a singer,
songwriter, children's performer, and a published author of
children's literature and poetry. Her own original haiku poetry
can be found in PIO! #41, Spring
2002.
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to e-PIO! 2004
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