TWO HAIKU

Thanks for the read and comment. These aren't translations, just very loosely structured haikuesque poems. I read this essay on the haiku form in English and realised that it doesn't necessarily have to be confined to the 5-7-5 format. "Japanese haiku have been traditionally composed in 5-7-5 syllables. When poets started writing English haiku in the 1950's, they adopted this 5-7-5 form, thinking it created a similar condition for English-language haiku. This style is what is generally considered "traditional" English haiku. Over the years, however, most haiku poets in North America have become aware that 17 English syllables convey a great deal more information than 17 Japanese syllables, and have come to write haiku in fewer syllables, most often in three segments that follow a short-long-short pattern without a rigid structure. This style is called by some "free-form" haiku. In this essay, I will discuss the linguistic circumstances that necessitate shorter English haiku to be more loosely structured than Japanese haiku. http://www.ahapoetry.com/keirule.htm Cheers, Daniel

Thanks and a BIG SMILE! Daniel

Thanks for the info! Daniel

Thank you for your input. I agree with you that the two stanzas work better together. As you say the last one would be very lonely on its own! "Grave of the Fireflies" is quite an old film, originally released in 1988, but if you can find a copy it is definitely worth watching. It follows the lives of a boy and his younger sister at the end of WWII and is considered to be one of the greatest anti-war films of all time. All the best, Daniel