History of the Haiku + Haiku

A haiku is a poem that typically portrays and combines an image in nature and an idea. Haikus have seventeen syllables total and are fit into three lines. The first line contains five syllables, the second contains seven syllables, and the third contains another five. Another form of haikus is eleven syllables in three lines of three, five, and three. Haikus originate from Japan and first appear in the 19th century. Japanese poets sometimes have to cut out words to follow the pattern of syllables per line. They follow the aforementioned rules better than modern western poets. Modern haikus usually conform to the seventeen syllable rule, but the number of syllables per line is not as important. As long as it has seventeen or eleven syllables or it is somewhere close to those numbers, it counts. Whether they follow the original or the modern rules, haikus are a beautiful expression of art.

Speak, by Rachel Daniels

Always remember To speak your heart to others

To the ones you love