5-7-5 Haiku?

One of the first things we learn about haiku is that they are poems consisting of 3 lines that follow a particular syllable scheme (5 syllables for the first line, 7 syllables for the second line, and 5 syllables for the third line).

While this is not necessarily a false description, it is not entirely true.  Sure, this is what we're taught in elementary school, and popular references to haiku seem to always follow the 5-7-5 format.  Japanese haiku are written like this, but the truth is "5-7-5 haiku" written in English simply tend to be too verbose compared to their Japanese counterparts.  This is because English words generally have less syllables.

The best haiku utilize the least amount of words necessary to share a particular moment with the reader.  Unfortunately, when a haiku written in English follows the 5-7-5 pattern, it is likely to contain unnecessary (or filler) words.  As a result, the "haiku moment" is degraded.

Luckily, there are several places on the world wide web that explain this better than I can.  For those new to haiku, I suggest starting with this (by Curtis Dunlap):
An Introduction to Haiku & Senryu for New Haiku & Senryu Poets.

Personally, I have nothing against haiku written in a 5-7-5 syllable count.  I actually have enjoyed trying to write them.  I just find it difficult to write one that is truly a haiku.  The vast majority of what is written in this format fail miserably; however, there are a few poets who are very proficient at writing them successfully (Clark Strand, James W. Hackett, and Richard Wright come to mind).

I'll probably post some of my early attempts at 5-7-5 haiku on this page at some point, but in the meantime, check out these links for more information about haiku: