The Gifts of Writing Haiku

So, I’ve been writing for Medium, and writing a lot of haiku lately.

I’m not going to lie. The primary reason is they’re simple and I can write them quickly.

I’ve been traveling a lot lately. Some days I’m slammed and don’t have much time because I have to drive. I can crank out a haiku of multiple stanzas in less than 15 minutes, find a picture, and post it.

Thus my daily commitment of posting to Medium has been met.

Now that I’m trying to get some attention in publications, haiku serves an even more vital purpose in that I can get a piece out there immediately, while waiting to see if a much longer piece will be accepted. And it will be some days before I find out, and before that piece will be out there.

American Haiku will either ride or die within hours. I just found them. Wish I’d known about that publication earlier.

Anyway, I digress.

An unexpected benefit has arisen from writing haiku. I found out that it’s good therapy.

What surprised me the most was that writing haiku made it easy for me to let go.

The precise rules of the 5, 7, 5 syllable count forced me to streamline in a way that my verbose self doesn’t come to naturally.

It’s a relief to write with such precision. It’s actually kind of addictive.

I can write haiku even when I can’t concentrate fully because the process doesn’t require much time or effort.

Having gone through a breakup recently, I have a lot of pent up rage and thus, my attention span suffers.

I’m livid with my ex, but that pales in comparison to the anger towards myself— for staying in a dead-end relationship for too long, for abandoning my values, and betraying the principles I hold dear by being in partnership with somebody who is the anti-thesis of everything I love.

So yeah, there’s lots of feelings, and haiku creates a discipline — whether I want it or not — to focus and whittle and get straight to the point.

From a selfish perspective, I also figured out that other writers will generously read haiku pieces because they know it won’t take more than seconds, yet they still get credit for reading and clapping for other writers.

I wonder if this is a great way to introduce my fiction, and my fictional characters. Maybe I will entice a new audience to my actual work of writing novels.

Here is the haiku I did of Ella Bandita. I must say it would make an excellent synopsis on the back. Would probably sell that novel more than the one that’s already there.

Ella Bandita

Is one tough bitch. Mad, bad, and

Dangerous to know,

She will steal your heart

And leave you cold, bereft of hope,

Without will or scope.

She loves to conquer

The invincible, haughty,

Proud sons of Hubris.

These men who take all,

Who love nobody but their

Precious selves until

They succumb to the

Predator’s stare. Cold blue eyes

That glitter and gleam

Large thick teeth, wide mouth,

Knowing sneer draws conquests near.

No man can resist

The lethal allure

Of the ugly seductress,

Called the Thief of Hearts.

She’s fearless and bold.

She is neither bought nor sold.

Nothing fazes her.

Ella Bandita

Aims their arrogance on them.

Sons of Narcissus

Helpless against her,

This huntress hungers for hearts

They discarded and scorned.

So live from your heart,

Lest you lament the loss of

Your most precious part.

This haiku did really well on Medium. Got a lot of views, a lot of fans; and better yet, readers lingered over this piece. It’s an encouraging sign.

So even though I only earn cents, not dollars, for each haiku I write, I kind of dig it.

No, I more than dig it.

And I’m curious to see how this goes.

 

Haiku for Writing Exercise and Therapy

IMAGE BY INNO KURNIA FROM PIXABAY

“Catharsis Through Haiku”

Haiku is easy.

Haiku is nice. Sanity

Preserved in Haiku.

 

Thanks. Thank you Haiku

To distill my angst in counts

Of five seven five

 

Syllables, three lines,

Gives me some kind of control.

Even if it’s not true,

 

I can believe it.

Five syllables at line one.

Seven syllables

 

At line two. And then

Five syllables at line three.

I have control, see?

 

These are the only

Rules in Haiku. Simple to

Follow, don’t need more.

 

I can say nothing

And make it sound important.

Or say anything

 

Quite nonsensical,

Incomprehensible, yes?

No! What do you mean?

 

You think this makes sense?

I ramble and rant and rave,

Give words to my rage.

 

The quirky timing

Of a five seven five count

Takes the sharp bite out,

 

Eccentric and quaint

Haiku softens the striker

And fools the strikee.

 

For Haiku is cute,

Don’t you agree? Who sees it

Coming? This shot below

 

The belt, No fair fight

Here in the realm of Haiku.

It has power near

 

Or far. The power

Haiku sensibility

Is invisible.

 

Can you hurt from a

Blow you can’t feel the impact?

No offense, darling.

 

It’s all done with tact.

Haiku is graceful, discreet,

and sounds awful sweet.

Condensing my angst in counts of 5, 7, 5 was great therapy. Who knew?

“Single Mingle Without a Jingle - The False Love Meet and Greet”

I’m not ready yet,

But I put myself out there.

What is there to lose?

 

There is true freedom

Doing the single mingle

Without a jingle.

 

Do that meet and greet!

Brush up on your people skills,

You have time to kill.

 

No need to invest,

Practice active listening,

Relearn how to charm.

 

Charm on you, charmer!

Be sincere or be guarded,

Or both. You’re free now.

 

It’s nice to go out,

With no agenda to find

That special someone.

 

You were once hungry,

Then you got fed, fed upon.

You learned a lot, yes?

 

Now it is your time.

Nourish yourself this go ‘round.

Guard your treasure chest.

 

I’m not ready yet.

True freedom to socialize

Yet need nothing more.

 

Time to go inward

Fill up my well of being

Relationship free

 

My time is my own.

No pressure demands my way

I’m me. I am free.

 

Speeding up the grief.

I lost time, but not true love.

Time to heal is now.

 

Yet in the meantime,

I meet and I greet new peeps

And I want nothing.

 

No numbers, no texts.

Simply hello, how are you?

And then I move on.

 

I want nothing more,

When we part, we part as art.

I my way, you yours.

 

Simplicity, yes!

Brief connects is best for now,

I’m not ready yet.

Image by 955169 from Pixabay

“Hot Haiku About My Shower”

Soak the hair dripping

With warm droplets down my back

Running the gauntlet.

 

No dry shampoo here!

Frothing and circling fingers

Hair now free of grime.

 

Conditioner in,

Leave it be for duration

of luscious shower.

 

Gentle strokes neck face,

Don’t forget your ears! The back

Or the inside swirl.

 

Soap up massage,

Lather the arms, remember

The pits. Cleanse that smell.

 

Across the chest, under

The breasts, soaping, rubbing,

down over belly.

 

Around stretch the back,

The shoulders and the haunches,

Diagonal strokes

 

To reach the hard spots.

Down the legs and over the feet,

The soles need some grit.

 

Get the dead flesh off.

Rinse, linger, savor water

Running head to toe.

 

Shower completes me!

Ready to begin the day,

So hot, nice, and clean!

********

So I challenge you,

Darling readers and writers,

To write a haiku

It does make the most marvelous therapy, and is a

good stretch for your writing muscles. Efficiency!

Give the art of Haiku a try!

 

Whirl a Girl

Isn’t it fabulous when love is fair?

There once was a girl

Named Sally. She met a girl.

We’ll call her Halley.

 

Sally and Halley

So loved to dally. So much that

Halley left Sally

 

Back in the alley.

Yet Sally found gay girl whirl,

Where she loved to twirl.

Image by Myriam Zilles from Pixabay

 

The party was hot.

The fete made a raw tempest

Of yearning and pain.

 

But Sally? She danced and

Sang at the gay girl whirl. She

Turned grief to gladness,

 

Or so it seemed. No?

Sally put up a brave front,

Hid her heart broken

Image by Alexandr Ivanov from Pixabay

 

From Halley, who came

Later to the gay girl whirl.

Halley saw Sally

 

In the arms of Cal,

Short for Cally. And she swirled

Sally into a twirl.

 

Sally savored the

Illusion of liberty.

The sight of Halley

 

Made her flibberty.

Her heart pounded, her belly sank.

She blinked back the tears,

Image by Ulrike Mai from Pixabay

 

But Halley was near.

Halley saw Sally sobbing,

And went for the jeer.

 

High drama ensued.

Halley shooed the contender

Cally to the alley

 

Where Halley had left

Sally. At last, Sally came

back to her senses.

Image by inno kurnia from Pixabay

 

Dignity restored,

Sally told Halley to go

Rot in the alley.

 

Sally met Cally

And gave her shero a much

Deserved kiss, kiss, kiss.

 

Sometimes it’s so nice

When life is fair and love goes

To the deserving.

If you enjoyed this, and would like to see more of my pieces on Medium, go to my profile page HERE.

Haiku About the Random and the Glorious!

Photo by yours truly…

Button jacket spins tale tale

A gag gift from my birthday

Fascinates as ART

Image by mac231 from Pixabay

Mismatched socks make me

Wonder if the washer dryer

Ate them to spite me

Image by Glegle from Pixabay

Tarot tells time test

Look to past and predict a

Future feeding hope

Photo by your truly

She took her ma’s gifts

All but the brass candle sticks

I miss Mama Sue

Photo by yours truly

You need to heal, said

My friend with conviction, let

Me scatter your space

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

I’m grateful for friends,

Amigas are loyalty

Beats false royalty

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

Pick your line, he said,

And ride the nipple deep pow,

It’s better than sex