Haiku is an ancient form of Japanese poetry often containing (in English) a total of 17 syllables shared between three lines that are arranged in a pattern of 5-7-5. The fist line consists of 5 syllables, the second line 7, and the last line contains another 5 syllables.
It is important to note that the original Japanese haiku was measured in sounds, or "breaths," not English syllables. The 5-7-5 approach was a rough approximation. Many traditional Japanese and English-language literary haiku are much shorter than the 5-7-5 format of the West. That said, poetry is art and 5-7-5 is still very popular today. Some Japanese poets still embrace that framework. What is haiku?
looks up pauses and moves on
no regrets
Pitter patter paws
A cozy warm place to sleep
Purring up a storm
Cats on moonlit roofs,
Stilled, watching the city sleep,
Fireflies in their eyes.
a gift to the host
neighbour’s cat walks through the door
smelling of wild mint
softer then cotton
warm as a hot cup of tea
cat purrs beside me
jungle green wild eyes
smoky shadow softly leaps...
cooling river swim
