Moon and Sun Haiku: 3/5/3 syllable format

By: John McQuade

   Generally the Moon and Sun Haiku format follows the way of classical contemplative haiku established by Master Basho and continued through the decades of haiku practice and expression. The classical format includes the poetic structural requirement of a 17-syllable form in a 5/7/5 sequence.

   Much of modern haiku practice has abandoned this formal discipline and opted for a “free form” approach. This is a big topic and issue concerning creativity, self-expression, modernism and so forth.

    I cannot address these issues in this pedagogical missive. In general the contemplative argument is that the discipline of “form” will constrain and put out of play the impulses of ego/self-expression and the call of “poetry” while providing a platform for the clear presentation of the ordinary magic of the “as such as such”

   Here I address a more phenomenological issue of languages: Japanese and English. As it turns out “what counts” as a syllable in Japanese is different than the register of English. Japanese “breath syllables” are more gathered and concise that the English articulations. So, it makes sense to have a more concise syllable count for the English language.

  Of course there is the major issue of perception/expression/ image. Some haiku have a “narrative element” and this works with the 5/7/5 format. However some haiku endeavor to give a pure image of a direct perception. So often, this kind of haiku issues as pure image expression. This is evidenced in some of the Haiku of Master Buson:

white dew -

one drop

on each thorn

peony petals fall –

pilling on one another

in twos and threes

   So the Moon and Sun Haiku School has included another haiku syllable format that allows for a more succinct and direct image expression while maintaining the contemplative discipline of form.

   The form is a 3/5/3 syllable structure. Here are a few examples from the Moon and Sun haiku collective:

splattered orange

on wet black asphalt –

crushed pumpkins

-         John McQuade

one pink rose

among orange hips –

not open

-         Ryl Brock

withered grass

once tall now lies flat –

seed heads scattered

-         Britta Mitchell

Postscript:

   As is noted, this 3/5/3 syllable structure favours and supports an image haiku. Although not poetry, this image style haiku resonates with the style of Imagist Poetry. Imagist Poetry is a movement in the early 20th century that featured precision of images and clear, sharp language. This images style of poetry was a bridge and transition from traditional to modernist forms of poetry.

  In this pedagogical missive we cannot engage the resonate play between image haiku and imagist poetry.  Perhaps Moon and Sun will engage that exploration at another time .Meanwhile here are a few examples of Imagist Poetry:

 In the Metro

The apparition of those faces in the crowd;

Petals on a wet, black bough.

-         Ezra Pound

Red Wheelbarrow

so much depends upon

a red wheel

barrow

glazed with rain

water

beside the white

chickens

-         William Carlos William

Autumn

Upon the maple leaves

The dew shines red

But on the lotus blossom

It has the pale transparence of tears

-         Amy Lowell