We all know haiku:
It's seventeen syllables
Pressed in three lines - right?
Not in Japanese.
They count beats, not syllables,
Hard for English minds.
What's five-seven-five?
Beats again; our syllables
Don't need that rhythm.
Still, that discipline
Is useful for new poets
Learning concentration.
Concentrated mind
Concentrating images
That's haiku then, right?
Partly right; not all.
You need a seasonal word
And a word that cuts.
Kigo, kareji -
Learn the meaning, not the words.
Season. Cut. Image.
So...is that haiku?
Yes, though English makes it crude.
My apologies.
Those lines weren't haiku.
Radish crunch: white snow.
That was a haiku.
