Haiku Walk

monarch butterfly
poised on the bicycle path--
sudden flutter of wings

The challenge in writing haiku, in writing anything really, is to master the art, or more realistically, to get better at it by writing more often, and in the case of haiku, by teaching yourself to observe the world more closely. Try to become more connected with the outside world whether that’s a forest nearby, a city park, or weeds or birds by brick row houses or skyscrapers.

Good haiku artists report that you cannot instantly write a good haiku. One technique to develop your haiku (which is also great for your health) is the haiku walk. In his excellent book Seeds from a Birch Tree: The Way of Haiku, Clark Strand suggests that practitioners take a thirty-minute walk as part of the haiku writing process. Here’s what he suggests:

1. For the first ten minutes, simply walk, give in to your thoughts, but notice the plants and animals. ‘Loosen and relax,” he suggests.

2. During the second third of your walk concentrate on the nature around you. Stop and observe things that strike you or that you find beautiful.

3. For the final part of your walk really connect with those items. Take out your notebook and try to record what you see in a haiku. Or as Strand phrased it, “Having relaxed into nature and momentarily set your other thoughts aside, you will know for yourself the proper moment to write a haiku.”

One note: Strand writes almost always about being and writing in nature. Since most of the world’s population now lives in cities and towns, don’t despair--haiku can definitely be written with city subjects and sensibilities. It’s called “urban haiku.”
A style I need to tackle more often.