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Tea Bag Haiku
Inspiration for a Short Poem
I’m going to try another technique which I learned from taking a Masterclass with Billy Collins. His suggestion was to take an ordinary everyday item and find inspiration in it. I chose a used teabag because I usually have one of those handy.
I’ve been feeling like I need to focus more and decided Haiku would be a good exercise for me to learn to be concise in my poetry. I researched a lot and managed to narrow it down to the basics. I’m not a teacher but I do like to share what I’ve learned from those who are.
Haiku Basics
Poets over generations have waffled on the exact rules of writing Haiku. The traditional Japanese Haiku is a three-line poem with a 5/7/5 syllable count, often focusing on images from nature, emphasizing simplicity and clarity of expression.
A modern Haiku poem is not required to, and generally does not, rhyme — although it can at the poet’s discretion. In other words, it’s all up to the writer how they want to approach it.
The set rule of 5/7/5 syllables still needs to be adhered to and spelling needs to be accurate, but all other punctuation and grammar are poetic license (pun intended). Here’s my haiku.
The Bottom of the Cup
Liquid dries and leaves —
a breakfast roll? crescent moon?
— Pacman’s gaping mouth
’Til next time, enjoy a cuppa and try a haiku.
Lynne
