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<\/a>Many of us learned haiku in school as a way of creating poetry with little pressure.<\/strong> The pattern is simple: three lines of simple verse. Five syllables in the first line, seven in the second line, and five in the third line. That\u2019s it. As an exercise in creative writing, it stretches the imagination. But have you considered how haiku can benefit Christian spirituality?<\/p>\n In the United States, April is National Poetry Month<\/a><\/span>. It\u2019s a good time to read poetry and, if you\u2019re adventurous, try your hand at writing verse.<\/strong> But where to begin? You might start with perhaps the simplest form, haiku. According to Poets.org<\/a><\/span>, haiku got its origins in a more complex form of poetry:<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Haiku began in thirteenth-century Japan as the opening phrase of renga, an oral poem, generally a hundred stanzas long, which was also composed syllabically. The much shorter haiku broke away from renga in the sixteenth century and was mastered a century later by Matsuo Basho, who wrote this classic haiku:<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 An old pond!<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A frog jumps in\u2014<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 the sound of water.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n If you\u2019re reading carefully, you may be saying, \u201cWait\u2014that isn\u2019t 5-7-5!\u201d <\/strong>Look how observant you are! But it does follow this pattern in the original Japanese:<\/p>\n furu ike ya \u00a0<\/p>\n This form expects nothing from you but simplicity. It asks you to carve away extraneous thoughts and focus on the bare essence of what you\u2019re trying to say. In seventeen syllables, there\u2019s not a lot of room for blabber. While Bash\u014d\u2019s poetry blended natural themes with elements of Zen Buddhism<\/a>, Christians too can find depth of meaning in haiku\u2019s minimalism and grace.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Thumb through the pages of any Bible and you\u2019ll notice the prevalence of poetry.<\/strong> It\u2019s a form of art, a way of expressing human emotion, and a spiritual practice that connects human hearts with the Divine. Here are a few genres of poetry you\u2019ll find in the Bible:<\/p>\n While English poetry relies primarily on rhyme and rhythm for its catchy nature, Hebrew poetry employs parallelism for its artistic turns of phrase. (Click here for more than you ever wanted to know about understanding Hebrew poetry<\/a><\/span>.) Haiku, on the other hand, does not need rhyme, rhythm, or parallelism. Instead, simplicity makes this poetry form clean, modest, and effortlessly elegant. <\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n If the Bible\u2019s Hebrew poetry were haiku, it might look something like this:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Genesis 2<\/em><\/strong> Exodus 14<\/em><\/strong> Leviticus 19<\/em><\/strong> Psalm 23<\/em><\/strong> Isaiah 40<\/em><\/strong> Micah 6:8<\/em><\/strong> If you turned New Testament passages into haiku, it might look like this:<\/strong><\/p>\n Matthew 5:3\u201310<\/strong> Mark 4<\/strong> Luke 15<\/strong> John 1<\/strong> Hebrews 11<\/strong> \u00a0<\/p>\n As a spiritual practice, you might consider writing your own haiku.<\/strong> You could base these on scripture, your observation of nature, or your own experience of the sublime. The beautiful thing about haiku is you don\u2019t need to be a poet to try it. Haiku doesn\u2019t rely on rhyme or rhythm, but just needs depth of insight and simplicity. Here are a few examples:<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n If rocks would cry out<\/em><\/p>\n when we cease to praise him,<\/em><\/p>\n what else has a voice?<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Or<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Angels shine like stars.<\/em><\/p>\n We are made of vulgar stuff.<\/em><\/p>\n He became like us.<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Or<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Toddler clutching bear<\/em><\/p>\n needs mother\u2019s love to ground her.<\/em><\/p>\n Fear fades with a touch.<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Or<\/em><\/p>\n Death rattle as life fades.<\/em><\/p>\n Nothing will be the same\u2014but<\/em><\/p>\n He makes all things new.<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Or<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Sand between my toes<\/em><\/p>\n Is what my weary heart needs\u2014<\/em><\/p>\n Beach is therapy.<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Haiku can be anything you want it to be.<\/strong> It can be funny, profound, or a reflection on everyday life. The 5-7-5 pattern allows you to trim the fat of overused words and reduce your thoughts down to what matters most.<\/p>\n You don\u2019t need to wait for International Haiku Poetry Day to give it a try. Get a pen and some paper, and write some haiku today. You\u2019ll be surprised how liberating it feels.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n April 17 is International Haiku Poetry Day. What is the history of haiku? How can Christians benefit from this simple practice? Many of us learned haiku in school as a way of creating poetry with little pressure. The pattern is simple: three lines of simple verse. Five syllables in the first line, seven in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4628,"featured_media":8356,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[5413,5410,5416,5419],"class_list":["post-8353","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spirituality","tag-biblical-poetry","tag-haiku","tag-haiku-poetry-day","tag-spiritual-poetry"],"yoast_head":"\n<\/h2>\n
Haiku\u2019s Origins<\/h2>\n
\nkawazu tobikomu
\nmizu no oto<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\nPoetry in the Bible<\/h2>\n
\n
If Biblical Poetry Were Haiku<\/h2>\n
Dust opened its eyes.
God bent low and shared a breath.
Earth became a soul.<\/em><\/p>\n
Water stood aside.
Fear became a road of mud.
Slaves walked into dawn.<\/em><\/p>\n
Leave grain on the edge.
Holiness looks like enough
left for someone else.<\/em><\/p>\n
Through shadowed valleys,
love prepares a quiet feast\u2014
I fear no dark night.<\/em><\/p>\n
The tired rise up,
borne on more than feathered wings\u2014
strength comes while we wait.<\/em><\/p>\n
Do justice with love.
Walk humbly, step after step.
Mercy knows the way.<\/em><\/p>\n
\n<\/em>Blessed are the bruised,
\nthe hungry, the peacemakers\u2014
\nheaven grows in them.<\/em><\/p>\n
\n<\/em>Teacher still asleep.
\nYet one word stood up in wind
\nand the sea grew calm.<\/em><\/p>\n
\n<\/em>Dust on his bare feet.
\nThe father runs before shame
\ncan finish its speech.<\/em><\/p>\n
\n<\/em>Before breath and light,
\nthe Word leaned into the dark\u2014
\nand the world awoke.<\/em><\/p>\n
\n<\/em>Faith walks toward what is
\nnot yet visible, but felt\u2014
\nlike dawn behind hills.<\/em><\/p>\nWrite Your Own Haiku<\/h2>\n
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