morning mist
rising from the pond-
a lone mallard

migrating geese
fill the sky-
full moon

december evening-
between the wind and trees
a chorus

decorated trees
sparkle and shine-
evergreen no more
 


Another note concerning Haiku structure. The 3 line 5-7-5 syllable structure has been rejected my most American haiku poets simply because the Japanese onji and the English syllable have no correlation. The 5-7-5 form was actually a misapplication of language and was never a Japanese tradition. In other words, the 5-7-5 form once adopted by English language poets was done so out of a lack of understanding of Japanese linguistics. It was a mistake, an error. To most Haiku purists, the 5-7-5 structure is actually too wordy and too long. Most Japanese Haiku from the masters was actually written in a single line, not three. No major English language Haiku publisher limits Haiku to a 5-7-5 form. Thanks for reading.