The haiku poem is a Japanese traditional form. It was given its current name by the Japanese poet Masaoka Shiki (1867-1902), who was a reformer and revisionist near the end of the 19th century. Traditionally, the lines are 5-7-5. The first line has five syllables, the second seven syllables, and the third five syllables. The total syllable count is seventeen. The haiku is similar to the senryu poem; however, the haiku addresses nature while the senryu addresses an emotional state of being or relationship. Unlike a senryu poem, the haiku poem has a Kigo word which relates to a season of the year. The haiku poem was first named the hokku poem by Japanese poet, Matsuo Basho (1644-1694). The modern contemporary haiku poem takes many forms and does not subscribe to the traditional form of syllable count and Kigo word. The following is a series which shows the essence of the contemporary haiku poem:
Walking Streets of Paris-Hurting Feet
Streets of lovely Paris
golden to my tired feet
feeding the birds.
Walking the great Louvre
museum of great history
sweet Mona Lisa.
Under the arch
touting my horn very loud
triumphantly.
Natural site in spring
Montmartre Cemetery
Edgar Degas rests.
Harry’s New York Bar
on Rue Daunou Paris, France
Ernest Hemingway.
French Moulin Rouge
pretty can-can dancing girls
Cabaret of Paris.
Ramses The Great
Paris Egyptian obelisks
Cleopatra’s Needle.
Partying students
Latin Quarter and Voltaire
Moliniste.
Bad guys inside
De la Bastille Paris
Bastille prison.
Cowboy canine
Rin-tin-tin adventures
Cimetiere des Chiens.
Napoleonic wars
tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Arc de Triomphe.
King Louis XVI
Queen Marie-Antonette
Chapelle Expiatoire.
Crown of thorns buttress
Notre-Dame de Paris
saving grace above.
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