How to Think About Haiku

There are in great respects a lot of books about writing Haiku. Books that teach you the rules and requirements for writing such a short and sweet poem.

Rules such as:

Syllable construction - 5, 7, 5
Needed references - usually towards a time of year

And some other things I can't remember.

The Japanese have lots of rules for constructing a Haiku that need to be taken seriously if you intend to be taken seriously as a Haiku poet. Such as syllables, references and specific phrases. The good thing about the Japanese language it is easy to construct a Haiku in such a way, but what about the English language.

The best rule I ever read about the subject (in a book I can't remember at the moment and some terminology that I can't find on Google) was this:

Of the three lines - The first two lines should make a complete thought and the last two lines should make a complete thought.

The TV is on
In the afternoon
Always doing nothing

Line 1 and 2: The Tv is on in the afternoon
Line 2 and 3: In the afternoon always doing nothing

The three lines form a complete thought about what is happening, expressing something that I believe is true. Two of the most important aspects of any art form.

Professional poets and classically trained English teachers might disagree with my thesis, but I believe that we shouldn't be putting too much restrictions on creativity. Although Haiku is only a Haiku because of its distinct parameters otherwise it would be something else.

So go and Haiku my little monsters.