I have come to the terrible realisation that most if not all of the pieces I have been posting under the label 'haiku' are not in fact haiku. Somehow the 'juxtaposition' aspect of writing haiku did not sink in properly until just the other day. What I have created are in fact three-line poems. They have some features of haiku, perhaps, but that's not what they are — not even in terms of contemporary haiku in English.
Where I do have some sense of a break between parts of a verse, even an apparent juxtaposition, usually the sense is nevertheless ongoing and linear, which is not the idea.
However, I never pretended to be an expert, so these attempts can stay here for what they're worth. Future attempts will of course incorporate my new understanding. Whether they will even then be haiku ... one can but try!
I should like to register my complete acceptance of your haiku as being your haiku. They are treasures. But to get back to this other matter of "juxtaposition", do you think it might be useful to write a haiku in one line for awhile? Get away from those line-breaks? (But by all means, incorporate your new understanding, I know your readers will follow that wherever it goes!)
ReplyDeleteThank you, dear Rob! I have in fact written a couple of one-liners; nice idea to try more.
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