Hidden in plain sight — Haiku

It is no coincidence that the inherent nature of the haiku is, well, nature. The founder Matsuo Basho was determined to seek out “divinity in the mundane” (Chu 217) in the last decade of his life through his travels in Japan. His quest for finding the extraordinary in the ordinary inspired a form that delivers refreshment through simplicity. The short and sweet poem follows a 5–7–5 syllable pattern, and often contains “a seasonal reference that grounds the poem in time and place” (Chu 217). Like nature itself, the syllabic measure of the haiku “ is there when you look for it, a governing principle that calls no special attention to itself” (Holley 27). Yosa Buson’s haiku embodies the form’s spirit well: the petals fall / and the river takes them — / plum tree on the bank. The soft words develop imagery that instantly transports the audience to the riverbank where the flower petals flow. The language is simplistic yet powerful, as the lines could arguably stand to hold a deeper meaning. Perhaps the falling of petals into the river serve as a metaphor for one’s life. Once we grow and develop we ultimately pass on like the petals in the water; the proximity of the plum tree to the bank a reminder of our inevitable death. The haiku’s ability for something seemingly plain and simple to hold so much power is synonymous with our relationship with mother nature. Hidden in plain sight, her beauty is there if we just take the extra moment to find it.

Chu, Jean Hyung Yul. “Haiku.” An Exaltation of Forms: Contemporary Poets Celebrate the Diversity of Their Art. Eds. Anne Finch and Kathrine Varnes. Ann Arbor: U. of Michigan Press, 2002.

Margaret Holley. “Syllabics: Sweeter Melodies.” An Exaltation of Forms: Contemporary Poets Celebrate the Diversity of Their Art. Eds. Anne Finch and Kathrine Varnes. Ann Arbor: U. of Michigan Press, 2002.