Happy April 2nd!
Day two, Haiku!

Here's one of the cool things that's happening: A bunch of folks who aren't me have also set out to write a haiku every day this month, and they're sharing them on my facebook. That's what you guys should do, too! I'd love the company.

OK, today, a few little things about haiku:

The 5-7-5 thing, that we learn in 3rd grade? That's an English/American construct. The poets writing in the original Japanese — Basho and company — wrote very spare poems in three phrases and sometimes counted on (which are sort of like syllables), but not always. Those poems closely resemble ours aesthetically, but I guess what I'm saying is: 5-7-5 is not a rule you have to follow.

That said, I am going to. I like having to work within that structure — it's a fun puzzle. You do with it what you may.

The cooles thing about haiku, though, isn't the syllabics — it's the kiru, or cutting, between one phrase and another. All this means is that in either the 2nd or 3rd line of the poem, there will be a surprise or juxtaposition. I love that even a tiny little wisp of a thing can do and say so much.

So, without further ado, today's poem….

Haiku 2
April 2, 2015

Look who's caught off guard —
dog in the disallowed chair.
Squirrels run unopposed.