GLOSSARY: "poem" "haiku"
"senryu"
poem
A "poem" is a word or words that move a person,
either a writer or a reader. More specifically, whatever the poet says is a
poem, is a poem. He should know. He created it. Ditto for the reader. When the
reader comes into contact with words and says, "That's poetry!" it is
poetry. Additionally, anything besides words that evokes in the mind of a
person the feeling that they have just had a poetic experience, is defined as
poetry.
Traditionally, a poem is a beautiful word drawing, meant to
capture the essence of a strong emotion and place it in the reader's mind. It
has been gained through the poet's close observation, fostered by his
recognition of a truth about human life. This recognition of a universal truth
creates a feeling of connectedness among those who come to an understanding and
full appreciation of this truth, of themselves with other people and with the
universe; and creates in them a calmness of sense that one has a place within
that universe, and imports a sense that one is in possession of a particular
knowledge about that space and about oneself. Or, a knowledge that there is no
rhyme or reason to the universe, so there is no hope of placement within it, or
connection to it or to other people. This feeling, too, of the futility of
believing that there is a connection possible, paradoxically connects one with others
who have also recognized this futility as a truth. Whatever is the feeling
induced by the poetic experience, it stands to comfort the poet and the reader
in a way that is biologically satisfying, waking up the area of the brain
connected to honing the social skills necessary for survival. Because proper
use of this area of the brain is so closely related to one's actual survival,
poetry is a particularly personal and invasive experience.
Traditional forms of poetry additionally follow specific
constraining rules, such as a limit to the number of syllables in a line, a
particular numbered sequence of lines, or a rhyming structure in a series of
lines.
haiku
"Haiku" is a work of art that can only be created
in a pen and ink drawing using the traditional characters of the Japanese
language. It is a poem gained through observation and description of nature and
reflective of a truth about the human condition.
"Traditional haiku" is a poem evoking the haiku
experience, though it may be created in any language.
"Natural haiku" contains reference only to that
which is observed in the natural world untouched by humans. No direct mention
is made of the existence of any human thought or activity.
A haiku which contains a reference to nature may also contain
a reference to a human experience. The one is used to illustrate and deepen
understanding of the other.
A haiku is very short; it can be spoken aloud in a single
breath. It contains a season word meant to evoke a memory of a physical
reaction of the human body in its ever-changing natural environment, or an
emotional reaction of the human spirit to changes it encounters in its
ever-changing environment.
The experiencing of a haiku evokes a sudden change in
perspective which creates a surprise, which, in the reader, leads to the
recognition of the point in the poet's mind from which he leaped; this is
similar to an "aha!" moment.
More broadly, "haiku" is a poem that can be
written in any language and, though incorporation of a "season word"
is desirable, it is not required. All of the other elements of constraint in
the creation of a traditional haiku do still apply.
"Five-seven-five haiku" is a three-line haiku
written in seventeen syllables under syllabic constraints for each line; the
first, second, and third lines must contain five, seven, and five spoken
syllables, respectively. The poet may follow the constraint of using the
dictionary-defined syllabic structure of a word, but it is preferred to use the
spoken language in determining syllable count. Pronunciation of syllables
depends on the speaker, who may be speaking in a particular dialect or may use
syllables in a different manner than usual for emotional or dramatic effect.
Therefore, the word "poem" may be counted as one or two syllables,
depending on how it is spoken within the poem. In reading aloud any 5-7-5
haiku, the reader must find the correct syllable structure to speak the poem
aloud so that it adds up to exactly seventeen syllables. Any summation to
seventeen syllables is acceptable, even if they do not fit neatly into the
5-7-5 three-line structure, though the 5-7-5 structure is the aim. The idea is
to achieve a balance of the three spoken lines that effects the feeling
experienced in using the 5-7-5 structure.
Each of the three lines in a 5-7-5 haiku can be read
independently of the others, and each is a complete thought and expresses its
own meaning. Together, the three lines express an extended thought.
"Seventeen-syllable haiku" follows the rules for
5-7-5 haiku, except that the seventeen syllables do not need to break neatly
into three lines which each can be read independently of the other two lines.
The definition of haiku, similar to the definition of a
poem, is further expanded to include anything at all deemed to be haiku by its
creator or by the one who experiences it.
"American haiku" may be any form of haiku created
by one who identifies as American.
"Found haiku" is the poem which results from a
reader's having fortuitously discovered that he has stumbled across something
extraordinary: a haiku has been brazenly hiding in plain sight among the
ordinary words of prose he had been perusing. The bits which comprise the haiku
are then carefully collected and stored for future enjoyment. Knowing that such
treasures exist in the wild adds a level of excitement to reading. Keep your
eyes open; a haiku might be so close that, if it was a snake, it would have bit
you.
Any haiku can be breaking any or all of the rules of haiku
and still be a haiku.
Examples of different forms of haiku may be found on the
website: https://sites.google.com/site/susannaleepoetry/
senryu
A senryu is any haiku that breaks the rules of traditional
haiku but calls for its own label because it has less to do with a reference to
nature and more to do with the dark humor which results from close observation
of any one (or more) of the elements which comprise all things human.
I prefer to label all of my "senryu" as
"haiku." I ignore the term "senryu," as I don't intend for
readers to have to keep straight those distinctions which are borderline in
adding meaning to this venture.
