A celebration of


Haiku


from around the world



        

        The haiku that you find on the following pages are by haiku 
poets from around the world. Most of it is what I choose to refer 
to as "contemporary haiku"; some, rarely, will be in the classic 
style.  The famous Japanese haiku poet,Shiki, said of haiku that 
"essence is more important than form". Maintaining the classic 
form in English can be very restrictive and difficult and doesn't 
lend itself to the "impressionist" quality that I find in the works 
of early haiku masters such as Issa, Basho and Buson. Purists may 
not like some of the haiku because it doesn't have a  kigo 
(season) word or because it doesn't have to do with nature. It 
seems to me the early haijin were more concerned with the seasons 
and nature because when they were writing, Japan was a largely 
rural society, as was most of the world at that time. Artists paint, 
and poets write about, what they see and experience around them, 
so early haiku would have been more nature oriented. 
As the world evolves and changes, so must all the arts, including 
haiku. The intent of this page, however,  is not to debate the 
merits of any style or point of view. It is my wish, that through 
the poems on these pages, you may find some of the works as 
enjoyable as I found my first book of haiku and, perhaps, even 
try your hand at the art of haiku. 
 Each of the poems here captures a moment with the deft strokes 
of the artists words.  The poets represented here have kindly 
consented to allow me to showcase their works on these pages. 
They retain all rights, copy and otherwise, to these works. I 
have attempted to include their e-mail address with each one, so 
if you have questions, comments, or wish to use or display their 
works in any other venue, please contact them individually.



                                                                        soji
         


                                                 







Haiku Festival 
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*This haiku, by Soseki, is from the Peter Pauper Press
Haiku collection








 
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