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The Rhythm Of Haiku

I first discovered haikus, when I was about twelve. I remember listening to my English teacher explain the basic pattern (3 lines/ 17 syllables), and my mind went running off with the possibilities. It was the first non-rhyming type of poetry I had really encountered, and I was intrigued by it’s simplicity.

As I tried writing my first few pieces, I began to realize that it was a bit more complex than I first thought. Choosing the right words (based on syllables, not rhyme), became increasingly important, and I immediately found a dictionary a very good companion in this new world of “word tapestry”.

If you want to talk about a blue sky on a Spring day, there are a hundred ways to do this. Instead of using “blue” (one syllable, and very basic), I might choose “azure” (two syllables, and much more specific). When I write, I try to envision the entire picture in my head, then describe it so accurately, that you see (and feel) it, as if you were there. Choosing just the right words to do that, helps paint the scene more clearly in the reader’s imagination.

Over the years, I have also noticed that haikus have a basic musical pattern to them. Their rhythm is unique, and it’s what sometimes signals me to write something down, when a good turn of phrase happens to spill out of my mouth. It doesn’t usually emerge fully formed, but as I said, there’s a definite distinctive beat.

I used to play percussion in the school band growing up, and I’m pretty sure that helps me recognize the basic syncopation ingrained in every poem. Some are classically flowing, while others have the hard, constant drone of rap, but each piece has a certain natural cadence.

Many times while writing longer poems, I can almost hear a melody flowing along with it. But with haikus, it’s more like a conversational quip. It’s something that catches your subconscious attention with a certain rhythm, … even if you don’t know why. (Kind of like a “jingle” that gets caught in the back of your mind.)

Haikus don’t tell you “how” or “what” to write, the only restraint is how long you have, before you have to get to the point. If you want to SHOUT your words, … go ahead. (While it works just as well with a whisper.) So long as you find the basic gait within the piece, you can write whatever your heart needs to say.

The built-in brevity requires you to choose each word carefully, for the “mind” picture it creates, but you also need to be aware of each word’s basic tempo, which speaks to “inner emotions”. You should weave the words and rhythm together, to leave the impression that they are all from one fabric.

**********

QUILT WRITER

I write what I’ve seen,
What I’ve felt, what I’ve dreamed. All
Make up my design.

B. MacNichol
(Copyright 2006 / All Rights Reserved)

Article Source: http://www.articlemap.com

About The Author: B. MacNichol is the award winning, premier poet of the “frameable greeting card” line - N OTHER WORDS , whose background includes Senior Engineering, Master Drafting, Journeyman Blacksmithing, and Farriery (horseshoeing). While spending her formative years in Missouri, she currently resides in the mountains of North Georgia, and is pursuing a professional writing career. To view additional samples of her work, please link to www.notherwords.com

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