255 Haiku about Anything and Everything:
A Book of Silly and Somber Poems

Introduction to My Haiku

 

What’s a Haiku?

 

            The haiku is a form of poetry that originated in Japan, the same country that brought us sushi, anime, and emoji.  A haiku is a poem with seventeen syllables, where the first line has five syllables, the second line has seven syllables, and the third line has five syllables.  Or to put that more poetically:

 

First, five syllables

And this line here has seven

And then back to five

 

            Although many poets play with the exact syllable count as they see fit, a haiku is always incredibly short.  Packing a meaningful image or idea into roughly seventeen syllables can be difficult, but it can also be incredibly rewarding.  While other forms of poetry usually take at least a page to make a point, a well-written haiku can move your heart, tug at your smile, water your eyes, or spur your brain in just three memorable lines.  With this in mind, I fell in love with the art form as I started learning about it at the tender age of eighteen.  That’s also the age when I learned that it’s pronounced like “Hi Koo” and that the plural of haiku is haiku.

            Since then, I’ve developed a style that remains faithful to the brief length of historic haiku while experimenting with different twists in both the haiku’s form and subject matter.  Traditionally speaking, haiku only explore nature, whereas a similar form of Japanese poetry called senryū is reserved for describing human nature using witty, cynical humor.  However, my haiku span far more topics than those so that I can explore a broader range of our experiences.  Plus, a conventional haiku doesn’t use punctuation, rhyme, or form sentences.  For my creative purposes, though, I violate those rigid rules as I see fit.  Also, like many other poets, I sometimes play with the syllable count.  Even though there are many variations of haiku, nearly everyone agrees that what truly counts is making a point in a succinct, poetic manner. 

 

Interpreting a Haiku

 

            Since haiku are so short, it’s tempting to read them quickly, take in the basic idea or image, and move on.  However, a well-written haiku can cram tons of meaning into three lines.  Even a seemingly simple or funny creation might have more going on than meets the eye.  If you’re going to capture the full meaning of a haiku, you have to analyze it. 

 

            Now, I don’t like analyzing my own work for people: it makes me feel like a schmaltzy magician revealing his secrets.  But I want to give you an example of how to analyze a poem so you can better appreciate my work.  So, look at this haiku:

 

Trees, meadows, and streams

Buildings, parking lots, and streets

Dyed by the sunset

 

            You could easily read that in ten seconds and be done with it.  You might say, “Aww, pretty image!” and leave it at that.  A simple interpretation like that is okay.  After all, it’s meant to evoke a soothing, beautiful scene.  But let’s analyze it some to get more out of the image. 

            First, go back and read it at least one more time.  Reflect on it.

            Now I’ll tell you what the haiku says to me.  To begin with, notice how the first line is all natural imagery, and the second line consists entirely of human creations.  The specific images were not chosen arbitrarily.  Buildings are like trees in that they’re tall and can be the homes of various creatures.  Parking lots are like meadows in that they’re flat and wide.  Streets are like streams in that they’re long and assist in travelling, even if they can be dangerous sometimes.  The artificial structures aren’t as pretty, but they do correspond to nature.  This suggests that everything made by humans has its roots in the nature that God made, whether or not it’s obvious.  In light of all this, we can interpret the haiku as a means of emphasizing our roles as co-creators, though we’re ultimately inferior. 

            And why am I talking about God so much?  Well, in many pieces of literature, the sun is symbolic of God.  So, the fact that the sun is giving color to everything, to both nature and to human structures, suggests that God plays a role in it all.  His presence is not limited to pretty nature scenes: it can be found amongst mundane human structures.  However, since the sun is setting, it is receding from human view, much as people today are starting to overlook God’s beautiful presence.

            There, that’s one way to interpret one of my haiku!  Now, I’m not expecting you to do nearly that much thinking with the 255 haiku coming your way, but I do want you to reflect on each one for at least a few minutes.  If you need a more concrete starting point than “Think about the haiku!” then I’d recommend pondering these questions (alone or with others):

 

- What were your initial impressions of the haiku?

- In what ways does the haiku resonate with your own experiences or feelings?

- How does the haiku use certain words or images to illustrate its message?

 

            Remember, the seemingly simple haiku contain plenty of meaning as well if you think about them for a moment.  For example, read this one:

 

Girlfriends cost money

And weddings cost even more

But friendship is cheap

 

            At face value, this is a humorous haiku telling the reader that the financial cost of romance isn’t worth it when a person could instead opt for friendship, which is much more affordable.  That’s a perfectly reasonable way to understand the poem.  However, just one word, cheap, opens up many doors for interpreting the haiku in various ways.  On one hand, “friendship is cheap” could mean that it doesn’t adorn itself with frivolous costs such as expensive flowers and rings, making it more genuine than romance is.  On the other hand, “friendship is cheap” could mean that it just isn’t worth as much as romance.  Perhaps it is a shoddy substitute that doesn’t require as much investment as romance, yet doesn’t earn the deep benefits that you find in a loving marriage.  How you interpret that final phrase may reflect how you interpret the value of friendship versus the value of romance.  Clearly, one word can carry a whole lot of weight.

            So remember: don’t blow by a haiku even if it seems straightforward.  Think about what images could mean and how wording could provide subtle nuances.

            With this in mind, I think you’ll enjoy my haiku the most if you set aside a few minutes every now and then to read just a couple.  That’ll give you time to savor them all: you don’t need to rush to the final haiku.  In fact, if you read just one a day, you’ll get about eight and a half months worth of entertainment from this collection.

 

What Haiku Mean to Me

 

            I hope you enjoy reading my haiku every bit as much as I enjoy writing them.  The poems I’ve selected for this collection span over ten years of work, where I’ve drawn inspiration from so many different places, people, emotions, and stories. 

            Sometimes, I write based on my real experiences or feelings, while other times I write based on how somebody else, real or fictional, must feel in their situation. 

            Sometimes, I write an optimistic haiku when I’m feeling despondent, while other times I write a cynical haiku when I’m feeling fine and dandy.

            Sometimes, I write a funny haiku while I’m deep in thought before going to bed, while other times I write a philosophical haiku while I’m on the toilet.

            All the haiku have one thing in common, though.  They’re special to me, each and every one. 

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~ Bobby Miller

 

1

 

As we walk onward,

Let’s make every single day

Our own miracle.

 

 

2

 

The concert lights fade

My car’s engine roars

I merge with traffic

 

 

3

 

Life’s a pendulum.

If it’s swinging one way now,

It’ll swing back soon.

 

 

4

 

Finger, rattle, ball,

Pencil, steering wheel, her hand,

Baby, forms, pills, cane.

 

 

5

 

We are like lightning

Shining brightly one moment

Forgotten the next

 

 

6

 

I’ll teach history

I’ll dress like Napoleon

I’ll conquer the school

 

 

7

 

The white picket fence

The brown lawn, yellow bushes

Boards in the windows

 

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