haiku

Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry and is a non-rhymed verse genre in the form of five, seven, five sounds (not necessarily syllables). On Wikihow, it explains that haiku contains usually a season and a ‘kireji’ which is a cutting word which gives makes a contrast or comparison within the poem. One of the classic Haiku Zen poets was Matsuo Basho. His poetry focused on the Zen way of thinking and reflected his observation on simple things. Basho said that ‘Haiku is simply what is happening in this place at this time.’

Some examples of his work:
An old pond
A frog jumps in -
Splash!

On a withered branch
A crow has alighted:
Nightfall in autumn.

The rest of the world has also picked up on haiku and there are many haiku in English contests now. The Mainichi Daily News has a haiku section which publishes haiku every day and runs an annual Haiku contest. Last year’s winner of the contest was Scott Mason and his haiku was:

alfresco
the sommelier decants
a red sunset
— Scott Mason (U. S. A.)