Breathe In: English Haiku

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"Haiku" is a term, at times, [loosely] applied to any short, impressionistic poem, however there are certain characteristics commonly associated with the genre, such as having a strong focus on nature or the four seasons. While Japanese haiku are written in verses arranged in three lines using the 5-7-5 syllable rule, English haiku is still hoping to be defined as poetry that focuses on the subtlety of the effect, cultivated by the poet, while adhering to the accepted themes, such as the crush of autumn leaves underfoot, the stillness of falling snow, the soothing effect of a rivers' flow, the mountains solitary magnificence, the phases of the moon, the changing of seasons. Here the poet paints with a dry brush, hoping the reader might visualize the colors, moments, and moods for themselves. The gift to the reader would be one of either intensifying or exhausting the experience, without explaining or giving it away, thus allowing the reader their own interpretation. This may be in part due to the fact that Japanese and English expressions are not, in essence, always comparable. As a result, it is rare to find a poem as long as seventeen syllables in today's English-language haiku. As for me it is not my intent to dishonor the poetry that is Japanese haiku, nor my contemporaries' artistic styles, but instead create something I may call my own on this journey creating these haikus.