There is much to praise in modern ELH (English-language haiku to you neophytes), much to admire. (I urge anyone reading this post to check out the work of Hifsa Ashraf, Gary Hotham, Paul David Mena, Alexis Rotella, and Tiffany Shaw-Diaz, among many others.)
That said, nothing shines for me quite like the classics. Like many haiku aficionados, I started out with the Big Three: Bashō, Buson, and Issa, with the last being my favorite and strongest influence. More recently, I have rediscovered Santōka, Shiki, and Chiyo-ni, among others. The deeper my learning gets, the more gold I find even in poets I’ve read a hundred times over.
My advice for anyone seeking to explore and write haiku is to first and foremost adhere to Bashō’s admonition:
“Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Seek what they sought.”
In later posts, I’ll recommend some titles that I found helpful, but for now, just for kicks, why not get a randomly selected Issa haiku?
Meanwhile, here are the week’s haiku, and where I sent them.
haiku 20220926 > Centerville, OH USA
knitted chatter from the neighbors' BBQ someone says "biopsy"
haiku 20220927 > Oakland, CA USA
hotel room TV all the basic cable shows I never watch
haiku 20220928 > Vacaville, CA USA
inspiration point the sun plays peek-a-boo through the fog
haiku 20220929 > El Cerrito, CA USA
bringing in the cat patio grit under my slippers
haiku 20220930 > Gosport, IN USA
distant motors revving beyond the ridge september evening
haiku 20221001 > London, United Kingdom
re-reading shiki I too have spied the garden from a sickbed
haiku 20221002 > Santa Monica, CA USA
my father's birthday I write a haiku about my mother
I hope you enjoyed the haiku and the photos. Remember, I’d be happy to send you one of these cards. Just DM me and I’ll put your name in the hat.
Meanwhile, I gots to skedaddle. So many haiku, so little time…