Haiku
What stillness!
voices of the cicada
Penetrate the rocks.
Basho
This weekend I attended a haiku workshop through Upaya Monastery https://www.upaya.org
A brilliant array of teachers was curated for the event. Some were well known, like Billy Collins and Natalie Goldberg. Others were less well known, like Dortotea Mendoza and Lorraine Padden. All were knowledgeable and riveting and offered a different slant on haiku. This was a big tent affair. By that I mean there were multiple perspectives regarding what constitutes a haiku. Billy Collins preferred the classic 5-7-5 approach, five syllables on the first line, seven on the middle line and five on the last line. Kazuaki Tanahashi, a Japanese artist and poet, spoke of how each haiku has something in it that defines the season and then a twist, an unexpected turning. Both of these presenters spoke of a traditional approach to haiku. Then there was Natalie Goldberg, who encouraged us to just write, to not be so precious but let ourselves make, what she called, “bad” haiku. She shared that haiku master Basho said he only wrote 10 good haikus in his entire lifetime. That kind of takes the pressure off us! Dorothea Mendoza introduced us to “fast fiction”, a form of storytelling that is done in as few words as possible, making these stories haiku cousins. Lorraine Padden approached haiku in a playful manner, maybe a line, maybe just a few words.
I love big tents. Those who enjoy structure can play with the more formal 5-7-5 classical style of haiku writing while those who enjoy freedom can draw outside the lines. The essential thing is to describe a moment, simply and with sincerity and depth. Haiku, at its core, is a moment in time recorded simply. In order to write about, or from, the moment we need to be fully present. Where are you now? Do you have a cup of coffee on the table? Is the window open or closed? Is it raining, snowing, sunny or windy? Are you alone or is there someone, or something, in the house with you? Haiku asks for the same awareness we have when we meditate-present moment, just as it is awareness. There is much ease to be found in opening to the moment. A haiku poem records that ease so that it might be re-lived by the reader. A strong haiku records a moment of satori.
I’m sharing this to invite you to write your own “bad” haiku. The idea is to take pen in hand and let it fly. Being precious or exacting at the start of any art project is a killer. Let go of self-judgement or feelings of inadequacy. These poems are for your eyes only, tools to help you fully inhabit the moment. Here are some guidelines to get you started:
1. Start with a prompt, such as snow or dead tree or golden poppy. Have the prompt be something that defines the season you’re experiencing. It is spring now so maybe rain, late snow, crocus, plum blossoms or whatever is blooming or happening in your neck of the woods.
2. Quickly write 5 short verses that use the prompt you have chosen-remember, move quickly! You can carve it to the 5-7-5 model when you edit. For now free wheel it.
First snow
Quiet city
Woman and child huddle in doorway
The first snow signals that its early winter, the quiet city paints a cozy scene. The twist is the woman and child in the doorway, what are they doing huddling in the doorway? Are they homeless or are they just enjoying the snow? The beauty of the first snow in the city probably has an entirely different meaning for them.
3. Look at what you’ve written and make any changes.
4. Put the poems aside. After a bit of time pull them out and take another look. Is there one or more that appeal to you? Make any changes to refine them. Save the ones you love in a special place.
Ultimately, any work of art offers a glimpse into the artists mind. A haiku is not only a snapshot of the moment, it is a portrait of your mind, or the poets mind. That is the Zen part. During meditation we touch our core and that quality of connectedness is subtly transmitted into everything we do, including the haiku. Remember, the idea is to enter into the present moment and make a record of the moment- not to provide your ego with an achievement. Let any thoughts of self go as easily as they entered. Inhale, exhale, write.