Even more poems! Haiku
Not all poems rhyme.
Some poems don't have rhyme. They just make a picture with words.
Here is an example by the American poet Carl Sandburg.
New words
harbor: the place where people keep boats
haunches: the back legs or thigh of an animal
Fog
The fog comes
on little cat feet.
It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.
A Haiku is a type of poem.
These poems are originally from Japan, but now they are popular everywhere.
Haiku don't rhyme. They make a "picture" of nature.
Haiku Rules
- All haiku have 3 lines
- Most haiku have 17 syllables: five in the first line, seven in the second line, and five in the third line.
- Most haiku are about nature.
- Most haiku are surprising. They usually compare two different things or ideas.
Haiku Examples
An old silent pond
A frog jumps into the pond—
Splash! Silence again.
-Matsuo Basho
Temple bells die out.
The fragrant blossoms remain.
A perfect evening!
-Matsuo Basho
You moths must leave now;
I am turning out the light
And going to sleep.
-Richard Wright
on every icicle's tip
a drop
of sunlight
-Alexey Andreyev
HOMEWORK
1.) When the weather is nice, go outside. Find somewhere to sit.
2.) Sit quietly somewhere. Don't look at your phone or talk to anyone, if you can.
3.) On a piece of paper, write down what you see, hear, smell, and feel. Pay attention. Do this for 10 minutes.
4.) After you are finished, write a haiku about what you saw, heard, smelled, or felt. Share your haiku here!