How to write a Haiku…

I am not that much of a purist with poetry. But I get a bit of a sinking feeling when I see a three line ‘poem’ with seventeen syllables and capital letters on each line.

In Japan, a Haiku is almost like a prayer, such reverence they have for the form. However, in most poets views, the seventeen syllables are not as important as the content of the lines, which are not capitalised. So,

blossom on the tree is bright
the breeze chases petals
my thoughts are scattered

is a Haiku. Each line is stands alone. The first two are poetic, the third is a thought.
So let’s do another,

stormy waves break on the shore
sand is swirled in patterns
arms embrace me

The pattern is clear. Two lines of throw away poetry, and one of a thought. The thought often is in contradiction to the first two lines.

Haiku are always about nature. If you write one about people, cars, streets, planes etc, it’s called a Senryu.

I hope this is helpful.