seven/
five.
begin.
A haiku, in its simplest form, is a three-line 17 syllable poem composed in a five – seven – five configuration.
Poet Matsuo Bashō is responsible for turning the haiku from a playful display of wit to a sublime form of poetry.
He lived in the 1600s in Japan.
My Web-based scholarly multimedia essay is a tribute to him, with direct reference to his two most famous haikus:
old pond . . .
a frog leaps in
water’s sound.
the wind of Mt. Fuji
I've brought on my fan!
a gift from Edo.
For this project, I wrote 17 original haikus. The last line of each preceding poem is the first line of the next.
The last line of the 17th poem is the first line of the first (this particular line is a literal tribute to Bashō).
As the haikus describe the circles of life in their words, they also embody this circuitousness in form by ending where they began.
In addition, each poem's first line is a hyperlink (in a subtly off-white color to preserve the poem's cohesion)
linked to a video or page that that particular line evokes in my mind.
This may be an Internet video, a personal blog post or a monastery's Web site.
Each link will open in a new window so as not to disturb the flow of the haiku circle.
Wikipedia tells me that haikus are typically about "nature, feelings and experiences."
I think you’ll find these haikus have all three.
In my series, each subsequent haiku can be seen by clicking the photograph
(one I shot in Joshua Tree that embodies the mystery, massiveness, quiet and wonder of life).
More Haiku resources can be read here. I especially like Haiku For People.
Post Script: My modern haiku inspiration comes from my favorite poet, Billy Collins.
Of his haikus, this is the one I currently enjoy most:
Moon in the window—
the same as it was before
there was a window.
begin.