Creative Writing – The Haiku

Introduction

• Haiku is of Japanese origin

• Like bird watching

• Photographic poem – capturing an instant in time

• Should share a “moment of awareness” with the reader

• The words of the Haiku should create in the reader the emotion felt by the poet, not describe the emotion.

• Should sound like happening as read i.e. write in present tense

• Element of nature or the seasons

• Not giving your opinion but presenting picture to someone and allowing them to feel

• Any subject – can use common situation juxtaposed with something not usually associated.

• Tends to be 5-7-5 syllable format, but does not need to be so strict in English

• Spend as much time writing as revising

• Don’t need to follow grammatical rules

• Reading and sharing the Haiku is as important as writing it.

Haiku – by GP teachers 2003

Shout panic scream

The last breath

Resuscitate, resuscitate

Hard craggy swollen Smile half made

Feeling along the liver edge Eyelids flutter white

How do I tell you Glimpsed through morphine haze

No common language

Scrabbling for words we laugh

Smiling connects us

Can’t let her go Useless gnarled hands

They haven’t got there yet A dusty piano

Won’t be long Melodies persist

Important news

How to tell us

He’s different

Arms ready for a baby

She wants results

I say “ it’s too late”

Crying lad broken family

Want what I cannot give

No end in sight

Tears fall

The story tumbles out

No solution

Want to change, want to stop

Want it now, cannot wait

Instant gratification

Its cold outside Happily I crush

She calmly presents the gift the still tender shoots

Of tears of despair

Teach young ones

Didactic confusing fun

Used to be one

5 years down the line

Their knowledge will be just fine

Conformist like mine

Sat in rows

Hot close sleepy

Lack of air, insight

Doctors

Caught off guard

Reflect with caution

Alone in my team

Leadership not that strong

Still jolly along

Fresh questioning faces

Eagerness to understand

Have I the answers?

Used to be tough

But the rough scuff stuff of life

Enough is enough