Life, Writing, Weirdness

I regularly write poetry. Haiku is a favourite form. I’m familiar with the essential rules:

• Three lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables each (you can argue the information density of English is different than Japanese, but I’m not going to)
• An observation of, or in, nature and making use of a seasonal word (kigo)
• Presents the observation with two parts or aspects
• Provides an insight of some kind
• Written in the present tense

And I’m aware, at least, of the detailed ones, though I’m not necessarily strict about following them if I don’t want to. I’m also aware that if you skip out on the rule about nature, what you have is senryu and not haiku, so when I depart from that, I try to flag it that way in my own files.

I also dabble now and then in Scifaiku (which I would rather have spelled Scifiku, but wasn’t consulted) – science fiction poetry taking the structure of haiku/senryu. Typically, it uses a science or technical word instead of a seasonal one. I wonder how the classic haiku poets would feel about this offshoot.

All of this is a long way of saying that when you come across the occasional post labeled Fri-ku on this site, it’s one of those three things – haiku, senryu, scifaiku – posted on a Friday. Fri-ku. Friday haiku, if that weren’t painfully obvious, but would it be a bad pun or Dad joke if it wasn’t at least a little painful?

I don’t know that I’ve ever taken the time to explain it before.

For this extended edition, and the first Fri-ku in quite a while, one of each.

Be well, everyone.

Haiku

Moisture laden air

Still beneath the rising sun—

Sweat under the dome

Senryu

Creeping suspicion:

You’ve done nothing with your life—

It’s never too late

Scifaiku

Beyond Antares

New life wakes from winter’s sleep

But, perhaps, not green