Autumn at Annaghmakerrig
The Japanese know how to appreciate the moment: think of those tea ceremonies where the design and the feel of the cup is lauded, the colour of the drink discussed, the scent, the very feel of the beverage dissected and praised. Not surprising, therefore, the land of the rising sun gave us the haiku.
Haiku is a poetic form that, traditionally, aims to capture a moment in nature, like a snapshot with words. Again, this is most typically achieved using seventeen syllables arranged in three unrhymed lines of five, seven and five syllables.
The practice of writing haikus is particularly useful if you are engaged in a word-limited literary arena such as writing songs. In such instances, words should be chosen carefully so that they can convey the specific mood, meaning and impact you require and haikus can help you build up that muscle. Haikus encourage you to pick up every word and study it closely for its sound, meaning, feel and impact. Here are some examples of the haiku:
Over the wintry
forest, winds howl in rage
with no leaves to blow.
Soseki (1275-1351)
My all time favourite, however, is the haiku by the ‘punk poet, John Cooper Clarke:
Writing a poem
In seventeen syllables
Is very diffic.
(John Cooper Clarke, 1979)
Which also serves as a useful memory aide for the form…
The picture here is crying out for a haiku, can you think of one?
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About suehealy
From Ireland, Sue Healy is Literary Manager at the Finborough Theatre, London, a full-time Lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Lincoln. Her book on theatre literary management is published by Routledge, December 2022.
Sue is an award-winning writer for stage, TV, and prose writer.
TV
Her current project, a 6x60minute TV series, is under option. She is under commission with Lone Wolf Media, producers behind PBS’ “Mercy Street”, to co-write the pilot and treatment for a six-part TV series.
Stage
Her most recent stage-play, Imaginationship (2018), enjoyed a sold out, extended run at the Finborough and later showed at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough. Her previous stage productions include Cow (Etcetera Theatre, 2017) and Brazen (King’s Head Theatre, 2016), funded by Arts Council England. Sue’s short plays have been performed at the Criterion (Criterion New Writing Showcase), Arcola (The Miniaturists) and Hackney Attic (Fizzy Sherbet Shorts).
Radio
Her radio work includes nine plays broadcast on BBC Radio 4 (Opening Lines winner), WLRfm and KCLR96fm.
Prose
Sue has won The Molly Keane Award, HISSAC Prize, Escalator Award, Meridian Prize and has been published in nine literary journals and anthologies including: The Moth, Flight, Tainted Innocence, New Writer, Duality, HISSAC, New European Writers. She has been writer-in-residence on Inis Oírr, Aran Islands, and at the Heinrich Boll Cottage on Achill Island. She has also benefitted from annual artist residencies at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre, and at Ginestrelle, Assisi in Italy.
An academic with a PhD in modern theatre history, specifically the Royal Court Theatre, Sue has presented her research internationally. She spent eleven years in Budapest, editing Hungary A.M. She has a PhD in modern theatre history (Royal Court Theatre) and is a UEA Creative Writing MA alumnus.
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suehealy 
August 29th, 2011 at 22:11
I agree with you. As a buddhist I praise the here and now, the moment. I like the the japanese culture, and I am a writer. To be honest, I have not written mabny haikus, just a few in swedish. I have 2 pieces in English at my blogg page – Music and The Prize.
You are a good writer. Your thought about the japanese culture, the here and now, are beautifully written – almost as a poem itself. And it surtenly makes the reader to get the feeling of here and now.
August 29th, 2011 at 22:15
What a lovely comment, Magdelena, thank you! I’m actually not very good at living in the here and now – but I know that that is not a good thing, so I guess that is a start : )
September 1st, 2011 at 15:22
I used to use modified Haiku writing in social work groups, with word count instead of syllables. I can’t remember my formula but it was something like the haiku would be a topic such as, How I feel about domestic violence. Survivors would list:
One word as tittle.
3 nouns,
Five adjectives,
a five word sentence.
repeat the title.
They could read it out loud, have me read it for them, or keep it to their heart. The Haiku were very personally therapeutic and often a springboard for opening up and sharing as well.
I had inmates in a medium security prison do these. Topic: What strengths/skills do I have; what am I good at. Afterward we talked about how things like running a gang takes strong leadership skills, used negatively but the same skill as a president. How every personal strength is the flip side of a weakness. They got it and shared openly often with regret. Moved me. (As the new girl I got stuck with the Self Esteem program for a Health Day at the prison.)
September 1st, 2011 at 17:08
Thanks for this tip! I’ll definitely use it with my inmates. Good one.
September 7th, 2011 at 00:36
Forgotten life ring,
No more bubbles rising up;
Who’s in the water?
I love the mnemonic haiku!
September 7th, 2011 at 07:33
Beautiful. Thanks Elizabeth!
September 12th, 2011 at 10:01
Surface unruffled,
the lake reflects Autumn trees
and the endless sky.
March 1st, 2012 at 05:19
The diving man dives
The lake becomes still again
When will he surface?
Dear old Soseki
Cant count to seventeen
Poor English I guess