Tuesday, April 17, 2012

National Haiku Day: Maybe you’re a poet, and don’t know it

By Will Collette

The Haiku is a Japanese literary form, a poem done with 17 “on.” An “on” has generally been interpreted in Western culture to be a syllable, but that is a simplistic explanation. The haiku is a serious art form and many poets have devoted a great deal of study to learn how to use the form. 

The “on” or syllables are arranged in three lines with 5 syllables, then 7, then 5, like this:

April 17
Is National Haiku Day
Enjoy one today

See if you can compose a haiku about Charlestown. Send it to us at progressivecharlestown@gmail.com. Who knows? This could be bigger than Peeps®.

Here’s one to get you going:



Boss Gentz, Dep’ty Dan
The sputter and the giggle
Let’s give them the boot

And another:

CCA says feds
Will take back Ninigret Park
Let Dan go instead