Tiffany Painter

I have never been a huge fan of poetry. To me, poetry requires an ivy-league education and I only went to a state school. There are so many levels and hidden messages to think about and decipher. I have to admit, I like to be entertained in a relaxed-mind setting and don’t want to do the heavy work of figuring out what somebody else is thinking.

With that said though, I have enjoyed learning more about haiku. What is often called three simple lines, can be anything but simple. The seventeen syllable rule is not one that needs to be followed, or even should be followed. I have been reading Haiku and Senryu, A Simple Guide for All by Charlotte Digregorio. She teaches that haiku is a “short poem revealing insights into the moments of our lives through evocative images.” She adds that “haiku has no title, and punctuation and capitalization are used sparingly, if at all.”

This week I decided to try to leave behind the seventeen syllables. Honestly, I am not sure if I like that. I like my rules. I now know many haikuists prefer writing with as few words as possible to evoke an image for the reader. Sometimes I think a few more words are beneficial to the reader. A friend told me my poetry is for people who don’t like poetry. I think that may be true. Let me know your thoughts.

7/16
singular color
until new growth starts thriving
old gives way to new

or 

singular color
until new growth
agent of change

7/17
mighty sun beating
down on us with all its force
inviting cool lake

or

sun beats down
all its force
inviting lake

7/18
little blue shoe sits
alone on the sidewalk while
a mama searches

or

blue shoe
alone on the sidewalk
mama searches

7/19
empty parking lot
countdown to new beginnings
summer fun fading

or
parking lot
waits for students
summer fading

7/20
when the sky rumbles
the best place to ride it out
on the couch by mom

or

sky rumbles
heart races
protect mom

7/21
I can see the fence,
should I be worried about
invisible dog?

or

visible fence
I wonder
invisible dog?

There are so many other things to consider when writing haiku. I’ll attempt those things in the coming weeks. I may never reach master level, but I still enjoy creating three little lines about what I see when out on my walks with Zephyr. There is always something to wonder about.