Haiku Monday: Independence

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Our Foam hit the Haiku birdie over the net, it landed it in Aunty's backyard. 

My gracious.

 

Y'all is such experts now, I ain't sure I need to go over the  rules but jes' in case we has a newcomer ( hope so!!) here be the basics:

 Traditional Haiku  be a three line poem of 17 syllables, divided into a 5-7-5 format, so that the first and third lines have five syllables, the middle line carries seven syllables.  Haiku does not require or expect words to rhyme.  The goal of Haiku is to elicit from the reader a moment of recognition or an insight: It's yore unique take on a universal experience.  In traditional Haiku, something in nature is noted, often related to yore inner landscape. A season is usually given (kigo) --not necessarily stated, such as "When summer rains fell...", but as an inference.  The inference may be subtle, as Aunty's Haiku for "yield" at Foam's:

Dewfall's silent jewels Yield to barefoot contessa Dancing on the dawn.

Thar'  ain't no season given, but reckon folks knowed it be spring or summer or that barefoot dancer would be shiverin', not dancin'.  An' the dancin' is a sort of  a primal ( i.e. nature -based) response to a new jewel of a day, fresh with dewy possibilities.  

 For that one moment, the dancer is elevated to a sort of royal (Contessa) possessor of the day.  The physical act of dancin' says more than any spoken words ever could about the subject's reception of the the new day dawning.  I point this out jes' to underscore that what we wanna git to, iffin' we can, is that automatic/ intuitive response. How different the dew dancer is from the observer at the window exclaiming, "It's pretty new day."   The observer is noting the felicitous moment, but the dancer is in it.

Most of y'all already does this wif' your Haiku, wif'out all that pick-it-apart-thinkin'.  It jes' seems to come wif'' the territory. I note it heah to show how Aunty will be  most charmed by yore entries--give us a moment of bein' utterly present.  

One other thang, Haiku written by masters have a kireji, a word or punctuation, that divides one thought or idea from another, or is a rhythmic pause that gives emphasis to the final thought.  Iffin' that kireji thang  intimidates ya', doan worry. It ain't that easy to do in English.  So Aunty doan expect it--if it's thar', great. But to shoehorn it into an English Haiku akshully detracts from the verse, to mah way of thinkin'. If it can be done naturally, do it, but if it doan fit into what youse sayin'  it ain't no disqualifyer.  

This week's theme is drawn from Independence Day, the 4th of July.  But yore Haiku ain't needin' to be associated wif'  this day or moment, but wif' the spirit behind it--independence is personal long afore it is national.  

Independence is distinct from freedom-- an' indulge me wif' a preachy moment-- thar' ain't no freedom that can survive whar' the independent spirit is flaccid.  A bunch of dependent folks sure din't make us an independent nation.  The goal for this theme may include our national day, but can also be other evocations of INDEPENDENCE.  Even a take-down of dependency bespeaks the  yearning for independence. So, I hope thar's plenty of room fer unique expressions from all y'all. 

As fer visuals, they ain't required, but we all like them. If ya' use one, please post it, along wif' the Haiku on yore blog an' link to it, an' be sure to say "I'se Up" when ya' come heah to post yore Haiku.  Aunty will use a visual as a tie breaker in case two of y'all is so stellar that a tie-breaker is needed. BUT, heh heh, thar's a catch to the visuals.  Yore visual must be taken from Aunty's Pinterest board, "Photo Haiku" which is heah:

http://pinterest.com/auntybelle/photo-haiku/


Please post yore entries heah on the Front Porch by midnight, Monday July 1st, PDT.  ( we like to give our West Coast folks enough time) .

Good luck to all!