Recently, I’ve had a few people ask me what exactly defines a haiku, and why I enjoy writing them so much. Well, for starters: it’s a form of poetry that’s written in a 5 by 7 by 5 syllable format; anything that meets those qualifications is a haiku. Now, writing a bunch of jumbled words together would still be considered one, but not necessarily a good one (Unless trying a bit of experimenting).

Personally, I write haiku’s for a few reasons. A big one is the simplicity of the format. It makes it nice and convenient for me to have an easy release of my creativity. Secondly it’s the challenge it presents to me. It’s always my goal to find the most creative words possible to fit the syllable scheme, whilst telling a story as well.

I also don’t like just putting in some random gibberish. Meaning is always something I strive to put in my haiku’s (as well as the rest of my poetry). Lastly, I love to create specific ones to make it contain various references in the few words used.

The best way to start your journey with haiku’s is to think of something that inspires you; or observe your setting., writing a brief description on it. Then proceeding to come up with the right words to fit the format, and make your description powerful to build a picture in the reader’s mind.

Hopefully this gives a little insight on my love of haiku’s and why it’s my most common form of poetry form I use. It’s an art in it’s own! Also, once you master the haiku, try completing one of it’s sister poems- the tanka (5,7,5,7,7) and advance your story telling and poetry skills to the next level!

Example of a haiku (my own creation):

Trees sway back and forth,

Approaching storm looming near,

Winter emerging.

Hopefully this was informative to any newbies to the world of haiku’s. Feel free to leave feedback or ask questions below!

~ J. A. Ross