Haiku: Feeling Connected to Nature

Sometimes, the best way to feel grounded and not pushed around by life's chaos is to appreciate nature. A haiku is a short poem that focuses on nature. The English versions are composed traditionally of 3 lines with 5 syllables in the first line, 7 syllables in the second line, and 5 syllables in the third line. Don't think of the specific syllable count per line as a necessity. It's bette to think of 17 syllables as the maximum limit for the whole poem. Though haiku is often taught as being restricted to 3 lines, they can have more than 3 lines.

Here's an example of a haiku:

Death of a Rose

Death-tinged petals
crisp, crunch
Pale pink paled


As you can see, it is much shorter than the common 5-7-5 syllable count. The important thing is to be concise. Also, the haiku should be completely objective and avoid stating any judgment. Words like best, beautiful, or any words of value should be avoided. Though the haiku can elicit emotion, emotion should not be included in the wording.

In haiku, the poet offers a glimpse of nature. The reader has the freedom to ascribe their own meaning or significance to the poem. If you can't take a walk in nature and write a haiku about what you see, numerous, nature photographs are available online.