雨の波目覚める泥は彷徨える

あめ の なみ　めざめる どろ は　さまよえる


Rain comes in waves
and the mud, awakening,
starts to wander.

NACOS tips for writing English haiku

I’ve employed a common poetic device in the above poem: personification. When we pretend things are like people, we breathe life into them and add a sense of mystery and wonder to the world. Yet, the haiku is one form of poetry that shies away from such lofty manners of expression and towards the normal. Haiku poets understand that the world is already wondrous without our having to infuse it with anything extra. Rather, the skilled haiku poet attempts to remove the human perspective entirely, as what is left will be more pure.

So shall we call my poem a senryuu, or a haiku? It’s about nature and seasons, like haiku are supposed to be, but then there’s that personified mud. What do you think?




Frustrated by Michiko: Illustrated by Michiko