How to Haiku

I was teaching my sixth-grade students a mini-lesson on writing Haiku. 5-7-5 syllabic pattern. Nature. I considered it a review lesson since we wrote some last year, so I was surprised at all their questions.

“How many syllables in ‘miles’?” One.

“Does it have to be about nature?” Yes.

“Please, can we write about something besides nature?” I envision 33 Haikus about flowers. Ugh.

“OK, I’ll open it up to include whatever is happening in your lives. But remember, Haiku is about the now. Write about what is in front of you.” They give me blank stares but begin writing. They submit them to me, eagerly awaiting approval. Many beautiful poems about spring land on my desk. And then this one:

Incessant Noise

Mrs. Chung-Wipff what are you?

Mrs. Chung-Wipff I’m sorry this is

Mrs. Chung-Wipff how do you pronounce

Mrs. Chung-Wipff your order has been

Mrs. Chung-Wipff your father has

Mrs. Chung-Wipff you need to

Mrs. Chung-Wipff you must

Mrs. Chung-Wipff you have a beautiful

Mrs. Chung-Wipff what did you make for

Mrs. Chung-Wipff do you speak another

Mrs. Chung-Wipff according to our records

Mrs. Chung-Wipff the district is asking

Caroline that’s not

Caroline would you please

Caroline I didn’t mean to

Caroline I’m sorry you feel

Caroline where is the

Caroline do we have

Caroline have you seen

Caroline stop saying

Caroline you’re so lucky you

Caroline where do you keep

Caroline why is your name

Caroline did you receive

Caroline where are you from

Caroline why did you

Caroline when will you

answer

*Inspired by Destiny O. Birdsong’s poem “Bandwidth” which was inspired by a poem dedicated to Wanda Coleman (Wanda Why Aren’t you Dead”)

My Students’ Haikus

Padlet is a quick way to share work.

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Listen to Nature

Plight of the 2nd Gen

We learn dual languages: one for home and one for “out there”

and we take our strange scents to school

and they pinch their noses: What’s that?

kimchi

we like jeans, rock music, movies, and slang

and we are scolded for peculiar haircuts and behavior

and they grab us and ask: who are you?

Korean-American

What do we owe each other?

Reflection

Because your father and the Korean War

treated you mercilessly

you swallowed the hate, anger and resentment

with tiny grains of rice and near-clear broth

You read books and taught yourself

math – the universal language

you patched holes in your shoes and clothes

sewed extra material to your pant legs

With marriage and children, hunger multiplied

your craving for recognition and love

were bottomless pits of self-doubt

and utter darkness

You lashed out and your fears

masqueraded as control and power

launched your family away

but your heart cried

come back

Delight

toa-heftiba-qxvWnfHb3-M-unsplash — Toa Heftiba

“And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.”

The final line of his poem, “On Clothes” by Kahlil Gibran

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Response to art prompt

On the Daily

I take one every morning

sometimes they go down easy and

sometimes they’re hard to swallow

but poems are my vitamins

Body as Water

mrjn-photography-1079575-unsplash — Mrjn

I ran across this poem and it spoke to my heart:

Nearly

Idra Novey

When we slid out of the lane.

When my sleeve caught fire.

While we fought in the snow.

While the oncologist spoke.

Before the oil spilled.

Before your retina bled.

Beyond the kids at the curb.

Beyond the turn to the forest.

After the forest turned to ashes.

After you escorted my mother out.

As I led your father in.

As the dolphin swam the derelict canal.

While the cameras filmed it dying.

While the blackout continued.

When the plane dipped.

When the bank closed.

While the water.

While the water.

And we drank it.

Kismet

Daily Practice

poetry