Haiku / Senryu

I have a personal interest in Haiku and Senryu. Both Haiku and Senryu are a poetic form, consisting of three lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables each. Although Americans tend to call anything with the 5,7,5 syllable form "Haiku", technically, a Haiku must contain reference in some way to the cyclicality of life seasons and have a certain poignancy. If not, it is considered a Senryu.

For more information than you probably wanted (:-) plus lots of links, see my information page.

Senryu I Have written

Several years ago, I forwarded a set of "error message haiku" to a friend. He wrote back, reminding me that I had sent the same set before. I apologized thusly:

Haiku in my mail
Looked like something new to me
I was mistaken

My friend thought that was fun and responded:

You mailed me a joke
It was funny the first time
I got it last spring.

I belong to a Yahoo list group called Writer Friends. Every couple of weeks, they publish a new set of writing prompts, including a topic, and a "poetry word". I've decided to respond to the latter in Senryu.

Word: Blanket
Blanket on my bed
Cats sleep in warm swirls on top
I sleep underneath

Word: Sleeping
Sleeping with the cats
Rain pattering on the roof
I snuggle closer

Haiku / Senryu

Senryu I Have written

Word: Blanket

Word: Sleeping