Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry with three lines and a 5-7-5 syllable structure. Many have struggled with how to write a Haiku about a person. Due to its simple structure and minimalist form, it’s a form of poetry that is loved and appreciated by many.
But writing a haiku is not as simple as it looks. It is tough to express all your feelings and emotions about a subject in such a short and crisp form. You have to be selective about the words you choose.
How to write a haiku poem?
Here are five steps you should follow:
- Read classic haiku for inspiration
Pick up some of the best classic haiku works and binge-read them until creative inspiration hits you. It will help you get acquainted with the form, structure, and flow of Haiku. Read both classics like Matsuo Bashō, and Kobayashi Issa and modern haiku poems from Nick Virgilio; Richard Wright, etc. Also, read about the haiku rules.
2. Focus on your senses
Haiku is a sensitive art form that requires you to be aware of your emotions. Learn to find the “extraordinary” in the ordinary things before you. There is no scope for blabbering in a poetry form as precise as haiku. So you have to learn to capture your emotions and feelings about the subject of your poem.
3. Capture the key images
The best haikus stimulate the reader’s senses with imagery painted with words. Give the readers the exact feel of the poem’s setting. What season is it? What occasion is it? So visualize the main images associated with your feelings and pen them down.
4. Create a relationship between the key images
The more vividly you can string your key images to create a connection, the better impression your poetry will leave on your readers. Play around with your mental images in different contexts to figure out how you can link them up impactfully.
5. Edit your Haiku
Once you are done with your poem’s final draft, further distill it to make it as crisp as possible. Use punctuation wisely and read your poem aloud to check if the poem resonates with you.
How to write haiku about a person?
You can easily write a haiku about any person with these steps:
- Select the person you want to write the haiku about
- Think deeply about that person and your relationship with that person. How does that person make you feel? What are their flaws and qualities? Get your ideas flowing.
- Pick words that strongly reflect your emotions about that person. What words will you use to describe that person or their bond with you?
- Now try to craft meaningful sentences around these keywords. Do not be too judgmental about your poetry in this step.
- Brainstorm how you can shorten your sentences and make the emotions more expressive.
- Finally, edit your piece to ensure your poetry follows all the haiku rules.
Haikus are one of the most beautiful poetry forms to exist. If you want to master the art of writing a haiku, follow all these steps and keep polishing your skills. You can also do further research from other sources. So, try your hand at haiku and get the chance to publish it in our poetry guest section. You can email us at poeticiapoems@gmail.com, and if our review team approves of your haiku, your poem will get published on our website for free.
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Want to try your hand at poetry? Email me at poeticiapoems@gmail.com
