A snapshot of downtown Ukiah, California, United States of America. The haiku was not invented here, but it is celebrated here . . . more about that later . . .
Sea Turtles
In the deep blue sea
Sea turtles are roaming free
And glad to be
by Author Unknown
I hope you enjoy
Haiku as much as I do
And have fun all day
-Author Unknown
Yes, what you have just read is a haiku, as are the following.
I don’t have a clue -
How does one write a haiku?
It’s so confusing!
-Author Unknown
Row, row, row your boat,
Row gently, row merrily,
Life is but a dream.
-David Hugh Beaumont (adaptation of the song "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" to haiku form)
I’ll give it a try
So that perhaps by and by
A haiku will come from me
-Author Unknown
The word ‘haiku’ is a contraction of the Japanese phrase ‘haikai no ku’ meaning ‘light verse.’
Haikus Facts
- Haiku is pronounced as ‘high-koo.’
- A common haiku poem has 3 lines.
- Line 1 has 5 syllables.
- Line 2 has 7 syllables.
- Line 3 has 5 syllables.
- It is not necessary for a haiku poem to rhyme or have rhythm.
- Some haikus have titles and some have none.
- The aim of haikus is to paint pictures in the minds of readers.
- The haiku poetry form originated in Japan.
A carpenter’s son
Left the Woodworkers’ Union
Formed new splinter group
-Guy Ben-Moshe
Haikus were originally intended not as an end in themselves, but as a starting point to stimulate classroom discussion on a particular subject.
With every gust of wind
the butterfly changes its place
on the willow
-Basho (Matsuo Basho (1644 - 1694))
Advice for those in
a difficult position
First, be flexible
-Author Unknown
Pandas
The black and white bears
Sitting under leafy trees
Eating bamboo shoots
by Rebecca Schauer
Sea Turtles
In the deep blue sea
Sea turtles are roaming free
And glad to be
by Author Unknown
I hope you enjoy
Haiku as much as I do
And have fun all day
-Author Unknown
Yes, what you have just read is a haiku, as are the following.
I don’t have a clue -
How does one write a haiku?
It’s so confusing!
-Author Unknown
Row, row, row your boat,
Row gently, row merrily,
Life is but a dream.
-David Hugh Beaumont (adaptation of the song "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" to haiku form)
I’ll give it a try
So that perhaps by and by
A haiku will come from me
-Author Unknown
The word ‘haiku’ is a contraction of the Japanese phrase ‘haikai no ku’ meaning ‘light verse.’
Haikus Facts
- Haiku is pronounced as ‘high-koo.’
- A common haiku poem has 3 lines.
- Line 1 has 5 syllables.
- Line 2 has 7 syllables.
- Line 3 has 5 syllables.
- It is not necessary for a haiku poem to rhyme or have rhythm.
- Some haikus have titles and some have none.
- The aim of haikus is to paint pictures in the minds of readers.
- The haiku poetry form originated in Japan.
A carpenter’s son
Left the Woodworkers’ Union
Formed new splinter group
-Guy Ben-Moshe
Haikus were originally intended not as an end in themselves, but as a starting point to stimulate classroom discussion on a particular subject.
With every gust of wind
the butterfly changes its place
on the willow
-Basho (Matsuo Basho (1644 - 1694))
Advice for those in
a difficult position
First, be flexible
-Author Unknown
Pandas
The black and white bears
Sitting under leafy trees
Eating bamboo shoots
by Rebecca Schauer
Ukiah is haiku spelled backwards. It is a deliberate ‘anagram’ of the word for the form of poetry called ‘haiku.’ Anagrams are made by taking the letters in a word or phrase and rearranging them to spell another word or phrase. Ukiah is the name of a city where an annual haiku festival is held. It is an afternoon devoted to haiku poems. A program of music is followed by a presentation of certificates and awards for the winning haikus. Poets of all ages read their winning poems. A reception with refreshments follows, during which the audience has the opportunity to read through an exhibit of selected poems submitted to the festival. You can learn how to submit haikus online for the next annual Ukiah Haiku Festival at www.ukiahaiku.org. Good luck with your entries!
Ukiah
Blue sky, clouds, oak trees,
Sunshine almost every day . . .
This is Ukiah
by Author Unknown
The lemon pickers
And the orchard owners had
A bitter dispute
-Guy Ben-Moshe
Monster under bed -
Oh, please don’t eat me tonight
You’ll get tummy-ache
-David Hugh Beaumont (born 1966)
Is “Haiku!” the sound made by a sneezing poet?
This haiku poem
Is written about a sneeze -
And ends with, “Atchoo!”
-David Hugh Beaumont (born 1966)
Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Haiku.
Haiku, who?
Bless you!
After weeks of watching the roof leak
I fixed it tonight
by moving a single board
-Gary Snyder
While the subject of many haikus is nature, as for example, trees, flowers, or breezes, other kinds of subjects can be used. A senryu (pronounced sen-ree-yoo), also known as a ‘human haiku,’ is a haiku poem that has as its subject human nature rather than the natural world. Like a haiku, it is composed of three lines of five, seven, and five syllables.
Company coming?
And your house is a big mess?
Just put on lipstick.
-Author Unknown
I’m sure I’ll feel great
Once this workout is over
Right now, not so much
-Author Unknown
The laundry piles up.
I cannot keep up with it.
Will someone please help me?
-Mrs. Cline
Once beyond the gate
I too am a traveler
In the Autumn twilight.
-Buson
Haikus are easy
But sometimes don’t make much sense
Hippopotamus
-Author Unknown
Winter Solitude
Winter solitude -
in a world of one color
the sound of wind.
by Basho (Matsuo Basho (1644 - 1694))
The ocean is big,
And also it is really,
Really, really wet.
-Author Unknown
Writer of haikus
Will never be said of me
I will dig ditches
-David Hugh Beaumont (born 1966)
World is vast and wide.
So much out there to explore.
Right now, let’s eat lunch.
-Author Unknown
Wanna* go outside.
Oh no! Help! I got outside!
Let me back inside!
-Author Unknown
*wanna: want to
My breakfast today,
bacon, eggs, and ice water.
I feel so healthy.
-Author Unknown
Now how about you -
Please won’t you write a haiku?
It’s more fun than bugs!
-Author Unknown
Walking around
an early spring garden -
going nowhere.
-Kyoshi
My cow gives less milk
now that it has been eaten
by a fierce dragon
-Author Unknown
Some of the haikus shown in this article tend to be a little on the silly side, perhaps because that is the side of life we often find ourselves on here at www.MakeFunOfLife.net. Most haikus, however, are about nature and other serious subjects. Still, creating silly haikus could be a good beginning point, until you have mastered the art of haiku writing. Whatever is begun as play, and is later taken up as a serious endeavor without ever completely losing the element of play, has a good chance of being wildly successful.
And Now One Last Haiku
Please share your haikus
With us - we’d love to read them,
And get to know you!
by David Hugh Beaumont (born 1966)
This is MFOL! . . . life is like a bird that needs two wings to fly, one serious and one silly . . . how many one-winged birds fly in the sky?
Ukiah
Blue sky, clouds, oak trees,
Sunshine almost every day . . .
This is Ukiah
by Author Unknown
The lemon pickers
And the orchard owners had
A bitter dispute
-Guy Ben-Moshe
Monster under bed -
Oh, please don’t eat me tonight
You’ll get tummy-ache
-David Hugh Beaumont (born 1966)
Is “Haiku!” the sound made by a sneezing poet?
This haiku poem
Is written about a sneeze -
And ends with, “Atchoo!”
-David Hugh Beaumont (born 1966)
Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Haiku.
Haiku, who?
Bless you!
After weeks of watching the roof leak
I fixed it tonight
by moving a single board
-Gary Snyder
While the subject of many haikus is nature, as for example, trees, flowers, or breezes, other kinds of subjects can be used. A senryu (pronounced sen-ree-yoo), also known as a ‘human haiku,’ is a haiku poem that has as its subject human nature rather than the natural world. Like a haiku, it is composed of three lines of five, seven, and five syllables.
Company coming?
And your house is a big mess?
Just put on lipstick.
-Author Unknown
I’m sure I’ll feel great
Once this workout is over
Right now, not so much
-Author Unknown
The laundry piles up.
I cannot keep up with it.
Will someone please help me?
-Mrs. Cline
Once beyond the gate
I too am a traveler
In the Autumn twilight.
-Buson
Haikus are easy
But sometimes don’t make much sense
Hippopotamus
-Author Unknown
Winter Solitude
Winter solitude -
in a world of one color
the sound of wind.
by Basho (Matsuo Basho (1644 - 1694))
The ocean is big,
And also it is really,
Really, really wet.
-Author Unknown
Writer of haikus
Will never be said of me
I will dig ditches
-David Hugh Beaumont (born 1966)
World is vast and wide.
So much out there to explore.
Right now, let’s eat lunch.
-Author Unknown
Wanna* go outside.
Oh no! Help! I got outside!
Let me back inside!
-Author Unknown
*wanna: want to
My breakfast today,
bacon, eggs, and ice water.
I feel so healthy.
-Author Unknown
Now how about you -
Please won’t you write a haiku?
It’s more fun than bugs!
-Author Unknown
Walking around
an early spring garden -
going nowhere.
-Kyoshi
My cow gives less milk
now that it has been eaten
by a fierce dragon
-Author Unknown
Some of the haikus shown in this article tend to be a little on the silly side, perhaps because that is the side of life we often find ourselves on here at www.MakeFunOfLife.net. Most haikus, however, are about nature and other serious subjects. Still, creating silly haikus could be a good beginning point, until you have mastered the art of haiku writing. Whatever is begun as play, and is later taken up as a serious endeavor without ever completely losing the element of play, has a good chance of being wildly successful.
And Now One Last Haiku
Please share your haikus
With us - we’d love to read them,
And get to know you!
by David Hugh Beaumont (born 1966)
This is MFOL! . . . life is like a bird that needs two wings to fly, one serious and one silly . . . how many one-winged birds fly in the sky?