“Melancholy Autumn,” #Haiku

Posted byColleen M. ChesebroPosted inMy PoetryTags:, , , , , ,

This week’s theme for our poetry challenge is a haiku written by Sue Vincent:

clouds cover the moon, 
beyond dawn's pale horizon 
sun rises unseen  

©2020 Sue Vincent

The idea is to use Sue’s haiku as inspiration for your own syllabic poetry. Remember, in this challenge we can use any of the following poetry forms:

Haiku, Senryu, Haiga, Tanka, Gogyohka, Renga, Solo-Renga, Haibun, Tanka Prose, Cinquain, and its variations, Etheree, Nonet, and Shadorma

Image by imagii from Pixabay

silver mist conceals
shadows of past and present
cleansed by icy rain

©2020 Colleen M. Chesebro

Let’s Talk About Haiku

HAIKU IN ENGLISH: Traditional Haiku in English is written in three lines with five syllables in the first line, seven syllables in the second line, and five syllables in the last line: 5/7/5, for a total of seventeen syllables written in the present tense.

Haiku do not rhyme, nor do they contain metaphors and similes. The use of an implied metaphor is acceptable.

The current standards for creating Haiku in English suggest a form with three lines and syllables of 3/5/3 (11 syllables). Even the more abbreviated haiku version with three lines and syllables of 2/3/2 (7 syllables) is now thought of more favorably than the traditional 5/7/5 format. Hybrid haiku are written with seventeen-syllables in one or more lines.

Most haiku are written about nature, the seasons, a beautiful moment in nature, an emotional experience while in nature, or change. A haiku should share a special moment of awareness with the reader.

There is often a seasonal word used to explain the time of year, called a kigo, which is a seasonal description, such as: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, and New Year’s. There should only be one kigo per haiku. It’s up to the poet to decide if they want to include a kigo in their poem.

Most haiku do not contain titles.

The use of punctuation is optional in the creation of the haiku.

Three or more haiku written together are considered a series or sequence.

Published by Colleen M. Chesebro

An avid reader, Colleen M. Chesebro rekindled her love of writing poetry after years spent working in the accounting industry. These days, she loves crafting syllabic poetry, flash fiction, and creative fiction and nonfiction. In addition to poetry books, Chesebro’s publishing career includes participation in various anthologies featuring short stories, flash fiction, and poetry. She’s an avid supporter of her writing community on Word Craft Poetry.com by organizing and sponsoring a weekly syllabic poetry challenge, called #TankaTuesday, where participants experiment with traditional and current forms of Japanese and American syllabic poetry. Chesebro is an assistant editor of The Congress of the Rough Writers Flash Fiction Anthology & Gitty Up Press, a micro-press founded by Charli Mills and Carrot Ranch. In January 2022, Colleen founded Unicorn Cats Publishing Services to assist poets and authors in creating eBooks and print books for publication. In addition, she creates affordable book covers for Kindle and print books. Chesebro lives in the house of her dreams in mid-Michigan surrounded by the Great Lakes with her husband and two (unicorn) cats, Chloe & Sophie.

24 thoughts on ““Melancholy Autumn,” #Haiku”

  1. I love both of your Haikus. We had our first sprinkling of snow here in Prescott. It’s still not melancholy, though. 🙂 Hope your moving is going well. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. It’s been really busy, Marsha. We’ve found a house in Michigan, but buying and selling at the same time takes up a lot of energy. My little Freyja has been rehomed with a lovely family that has another cat. She seems very happy. My heart still hurts without her but its for the best. ❤

      Liked by 1 person

      1. You are wise. I’m sure you miss her, and she was so cute!!! I’m glad you found her a good home. I tried. The new owners of our home would have been the perfect place because the cats grew up there and were safe outside cats. He was allergic to cats. Now inside full time, I am battling one of Moji’s hairs that floated into my eye. She and Nutter Butter are sleeping in the bedroom with us until we move into our home. It closes Dec. 23 and I can’t wait. Three cats, two dogs, and three people is way too much for a condo for a month. I hope your move goes smoothly. It’s crazy right now, but you can settle at your own leisure. One another subject. I am starting Writer’s Quotes Wednesday this coming Wednesday. I’ll send you the link.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. Yes! It will all work out. The sad thing was my asthma got worse with Freyja around. Her new mom has been sending me photos. She’s in a good home with another cat. No more boredom for that kitty girl. This moving stuff is so hard. I’ll be glad when it’s done. I’ve been a mess. I try to do too much to lessen the load on Ron… then I make mistakes. So, I’m working on balancing my chakras every day and finding my inner peace. This will work out. Please send me the link the WQW! I can’t wait. I’m so excited that you are hosting this challenge. Quotes are a lot of fun and people like writing about whatever the quote brings out in them. Huge hugs to you for accepting the challenge. ❤

          Liked by 1 person

    1. I agree, Marje. I love these haiku just for that reason. If you split it up, the first two sentences give one meaning… then take the middle sentence and the last sentence to get another meaning. That’s where the power lies between the two meanings. ❤

      Liked by 1 person

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  7. Excellent interpretation.. The Tree image could be a picture straight from my home today.. A week of Misty dreary fogging damp wet days….. So dark I have had to have the living room light on most days all day..
    You captured it well.. ❤

    Liked by 1 person

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