Ode to Life

It’s International Haiku Poetry Day, which is celebrated on the 17th April every year. Therefore I used “Ode” in the title for this, my ‘O’ post for the A to Z Challenge.

What is Haiku Poetry?

This traditional Japanese form of poetry consists of 17 syllables. Three phrases are arranged with 5 syllables in the first phrase, 7 in the second and 5 syllables in the third phrase. The first 2 phrases are usually about one idea and then switch to something else in the last phrase.

In the traditional Japanese form, haiku are usually written in a single vertical line. Whereas in English they generally appear in 3 parallel lines, one for each of the 3 phrases.

Often a haiku will have a seasonal reference and many are written about nature. They can be about a moment in time and often are about a mood or feeling. Written based on the senses and about things you experience rather than your interpretation. Traditionally haiku don’t have titles.

My example of a Haiku

While working on this post I was baking chocolate brownies so composed a Haiku while I was waiting for them to finish cooking.

Chocolate Brownies
Baking in the kitchen oven.
Celebrate good life!

I’ve made 2 chocolate brownie cakes to celebrate my son’s and his cousins birthdays. I just added an extra egg to make the gluten and dairy free brownie mixture more cake like. Then I made more chocolate brownies with Easter Eggs in them as it’s Easter on the weekend. I reduced the chocolate & sugar and slightly increased the butter as I was adding extra chocolate with the mini chocolate eggs. However, all that celebrating is the inspiration for the 3rd line in my haiku above.

Another Generated Example of Haiku

While researching for this post I came across a Haiku Generator. It asks you for a time or setting, an adjective to describe the time or place, 2 singular different nouns, another adjective and a verb. When the robot generator can’t fit the structure it will search for synonyms. So I put in the following words:

• creek
• peaceful
• lizard
• tree
• green
• runs

And this is the Haiku that was generated:

 The Lizard
Little serene brook
A common, green lizard runs
at the perfect tree 

Interestingly it did give the haiku a title, “The Lizard” It also asked for a pen name so I use Jellybean Jar! You can publish the generated haiku if you wish or refresh and get a different option.

Why not have a go at writing a haiku for International Haiku Poetry Day! If you do please share it in the comments below.