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Using Haiku To Dig Beneath The Surface Of Life
Creating poetry in the dim haze of morning
*Much of my talk about haiku moving forward will be inspired by Margaret D. McGee’s book, Haiku- The Sacred Art: A Spiritual Practice in Three Lines(Spiritual Living). Other inspirations will be noted if needed.
Margaret touches on the power of haiku. She understands that through the images seen and obtained, we can then really “see” what was hidden. The book is a breakdown of the art of haiku, along with some exercises, and one exercise in particular, helps to conceive a haiku and does not necessarily have to be incorporated into a daily haiku practice, but so far it is tremendously helpful.
First, you would get comfortable for a few minutes and just take in your surroundings. It will be helpful to have a notebook and something to write with.
Next, write down what you see, hear, smell, touch, and taste at the moment.
Afterwards, Margaret tells us to think of movement and balance.
That part was difficult to understand because usually I create a haiku organically using my senses. So after a few more readings, I decided to try and find balance and contrasts around me instead of just movement. It was an either or deal anyway.
