Haiku Scandal & A Kitchen Reno Part 2
Are you familiar with those “It was all a lie” moments in movies when characters feel an enormous betrayal? Most times, I think these moments are overly dramatic until I had such a moment.
Back in elementary school I was taught a haiku poem was a Japanese form that included an aspect of nature but was divided into three lines. The first and third lines had a total of 5 syllables each and the middle line had 7. Many of us had great fun in making nontraditional haiku about science or a mechanical pencil though the 5-7-5 rule always applied. When I taught 7th & 8th grade English the definition had not changed. But a mere 800 days ago, I had that “LIES!” moment that stunned my brain. With my foray into Poetry Facebook Groups and my daily poems sent to my inbox, I found myself agitated with poems listed as haiku that did not follow the 5-7-5 format. I reached out in a FB group for enlightenment.
Many thanks to Geoffrey A. Landis for the following feedback:
Yes, not everyone writing in English goes with that old definition of haiku.
In particular, the Haiku Society of America points out that since a Japanese kana is not actually identical to an English language syllable, a 5/7/5 syllable poem in English is actually much longer than a Japanese Haiku. "Strengths," for example, is one syllable in English. If you tried to write down how to pronounce that in Japanese, it would be at least five kana.
And Japanese haiku don't actually break 5/7/5 (they have only one break, either 12/7 or 7/12, which is indicated by a "cutting word", not by a line break).
So HSA goes with a definition haiku that are NOT 5/7/5, preferably much shorter.
The grade school definition of haiku also leaves out a lot of what makes haiku different from other short Japanese poems. Haiku, for example, must have a word showing the season of the year. If it doesn't it's a different form (probably a senryu).
It was my turn to be overly dramatic.
I was stunned. Everything I knew about haiku was a lie.
I had perpetuated a lie to my students.
My little poem world was off its axis.
At the same time, we were in the midst of the chaos of renovating our kitchen. I had thought it would be fun to capture the overwhelming craziness in haiku but long and drawn out, much like the frustrations of renovations. I was halfway through Part 3 when the Haiku Scandal broke my brain.
I have yet to return to complete it. No haiku has been written since. What does one do with such lies?
My oldest poetry confidant read my Kitchen Haiku Part 1 and kept waiting for some depth or appreciation for the craftsmanship we were tearing out. Something beyond 5-7-5. Sorry, not here. Not this time.
Renovation is stress, decisions, things gone wrong, disappointment, more overwhelming decisions over minutia, aggravation, disruption to life, and ultimately, hopefully, resulting in beauty, peace, and satisfaction.
I present: Kitchen Renovations Part 2 Overwhelming
Where does one begin? Overwhelming decisions . . . kitchen showroom crawl!
Salesman touts granite. We would be coaster tyrants. quartz? wood? laminate?
Buy appliances first. Cabinets measure to fit. Is the fridge too big?!
Stove disagreements: he wants an eight-burner range in a four-burner space.
Too many options. He declined backsplash tiles for a wall of stainless.
“You need tile flooring!” No - you do not understand we break Corning Ware.
On to cabinets: wood grain, stain color, door style, specialty add-ons?!
Well-water concerns- hard water harms fixtures - desire versus cost.
Two hundred dollar faucet or Wayfair forty repeating purchase?
Big Box clearance wins. A splurge for him. I insist. Two years- it will fail.
Paint befuddles us: semi-gloss, egg shell, satin, or flat like I feel.
Heads spin. We don’t know. More questions than decisions. Choice paralysis.
So how does one continue after such a lifelong lie?
No really, it is my turn to be overly dramatic. How? School me on ‘moving beyond’ by leaving knowledge in the comments. Thank you!
I love the renovations. You've made beautiful choices. Sorry, I only know the 5/7/5 Haiku.