Having fun with haiku

September 1st
Trees are green no more
Spring is throwing confetti
Splash! Golden wattle.

Haiku, a form of poetry made popular in Japan, traditionally paints a picture of nature and is constructed with a limited number of syllables, e.g. 17 syllables in three phrases of 5 7 5. However, there are variations to the form and content.

The haiku in this post are all about spring. In my haiku I have not always honoured the traditional use of a ‘cut’ word to signal the juxtaposition which is designed to cause the reader to reflect. I have also broken the traditional ‘without title’ structure by giving each haiku a title.

Australians are familiar with the glorious yellow of the golden wattle tree in spring (subject of my haiku above). The green of the trees’ phyllodes are barely noticeable when the trees bloom because the large fluffy golden-yellow flower heads are so profuse that the trees look predominantly yellow. Thanks to fellow writer Sara Jarrold who endorsed my use of the word ‘confetti’ as fortuitous and felicitous by pointing out that in some countries wattle (aka mimosa) and confetti are both part of wedding ceremonies.

I tried to fashion this haiku in a similar style to that of Basho Matsuo (1644-1694), considered one of the greatest haiku poets. Here’s one of his:

In the twilight rain
these brilliant-hued hibiscus
A lovely sunset.

Here are my other spring haiku.

September Final
Light rain is falling
Wild tribes swarm to hallowed ground
Oval ball is bounced

October Arts
Naked bodies fall
On stage, painted faces smile
Celebrating art

November Tuesday
Crowds surge at The Rails
Horses’ hooves pound the home stretch
Golden Cup held high

November Oaks
Royal roses blush
Fair fillies model vogue hats
Proud steeds leave the stalls

Feel free to add your own spring haiku in the comments section. JB 🙂