A chill in the air
Leaves turning amber and gold
Autumn approaches

Naughty me, another haiku that isn’t describing a scene in nature.

Pen

Ink runs so freely
Transcribing the written word
Our thoughts are gathered

I’ve just got to the Daily haiku part in the BRB (I know, I know, I’m behind…) and I was looking forward to this bit as then I could see if what I’d been doing up to now was completely shit.  Well, obviously I knew it was completely shit, but I just wanted it confirmed.

A traditional haiku is one that captures a scene in nature or seasonal change arranged in three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables.

We’re told to focus on painting a picture in words but then the BRB loses my respect by saying not to exceed the seventeen syllables but we may make it less.  Less syllables? LESS?  Surely they mean fewer?  Bah.

Oh well, onto the haiku.  With seventeen syllables or fewer.

No. 1

Curiosity
Green eyes gaze out of window
Black fur meets sharp claws

No. 2

Blue skies and green trees
Clouds floating overhead
Fields are full of sheep

No. 3
Rubber burns tarmac
A distant rumble of cars
Rush hour traffic looms

Hmm.  How many syllables in “hour”?  One or two?  I’m thinking two now, which means my haiku is WRONG.

No. 4

A lonely cottage
Tiles fall and crash to the ground
Only brick remains

Would that sound better as “only bricks remain” rather than “only brick remains”?

This focusing on painting a picture in words thing is quite hard, as I’m trying to think in a deeper, more sensory way, rather than just choosing some words and trying to make them fit into 5-7-5.

No. 5
Treetops whispering
Their silent call to nature
Here it is tranquil

I think there’s too many small words in my haiku, e.g. “is”, “to”, “a”.  I need to cut these down.

No. 6

Bookmark scuffed and bent
A reminder of books read
Many more to come

Well, that’s neither a scene in nature nor a seasonal change but hey ho, I don’t think Bashô’s going to rise from his grave and come after me.

No. 7

White clouds suspended
Movement imperceptible
Like high up sheep

Ok, I’m getting into silly terrority now.  And I was doing so well with the nature thing.

No. 8

Black face peeks through fence
Chomping the grass on the ground
Looks up, says “baa”

No. 9

Mother brings the food
Kids are screaming “that’s my plate!”
Father takes a drink

I’m not sure if quotation marks are allowed in haiku.  Probably not.

That’s the end of today’s haiku.

The fire’s glowing red
Feet up with a glass of wine
Friday evening, ah

Facebook down all day
What am I going to do?
Maybe some work?  Na.

The cars all race by
Thinking they’re in a hurry
Need to relax more

It’s Monday morning
The world outside is grey, bleak
I’m warm in my house

Hungry cat meows
Give me some food please owner
Empty bowl no more

Procrastination seems to be a common theme amongst some of us A215-ers at the moment (and we haven’t even started the course yet).  So, here’s my procrastination haiku.

Procrastination
Leaves me with an empty page
Unnecessary

Is it procrastination if you procrastinate by writing a haiku about procrastination?

I was out cycling in this green and pleasant land, when a horrible little kid decides to shoot at me with a staple gun.  I was not impressed.  However, having unfortunately left my machine gun at home and unable to pump him full of bullets, leaving him a pulpy, bloody mess on the road like a squished bunny, I merely went home and decided to write a haiku about it.  Like you do.

I never got this kind of thing happening in London.

Stupid countryside.

Boy shoots with staples
Acting tough in front of friends
I need a big gun