"Traditional, structured, and usually unrhyming, this
short form of Japanese poetry is well known for its
rule of 5/7/5: five syllables in the first line, seven in
the second, and five again in the third.
The haiku first appeared in Japanese literature
around the 17th century, but it didn’t earn its proper
name until around the 19th century. At first, the
subject of haikus was restricted to nature, naming
the season and using an objective description style
to evoke an emotional response in the reader.
Today, haikus are no longer limited to the subject of
nature, although nature is still a popular topic.
Haikus can be written for just about anything. There
are haikus for humor, to raise social awareness, to
evoke emotions, or to reminisce on the past. The
idea of compression, though, remains the same.
Haikus are a microcosm of a larger idea or feeling.
They are brief, poignant, and powerful.”
--ReadPoetry.com
The HAIKU
