Happy Day 26 of my challenge to myself to explore a new poetry form each day for Poetry Month. I can’t believe we are nearing the end of this journey. I would be remiss if I did not feature the Haiku.

We have a lot of fun here on WordPress with the Haiku, assigning interesting topic prompts in our challenges to each other. But the Traditional Japanese Haiku is a three-line poem with seventeen syllables writing in a 5/7/5 count written in the present tense with a focus on images from nature. It should emphasize simplicity, intensity, directness of expression and a sudden sense of enlightenment and illumination.

The haiku’s origins can be traced back to thirteenth century Japan and was used as the opening phrase of 100 stanza oral poems called “renga”. It became its own form in the sixteenth century, perfected by the Haiku Master, Matsuo Basho.

Iris

a goddess rises
graced in amaranthine blush
Iris is her name

kat ~ 26 April 2016