Occasionally I think in haiku form, deliberately, as a fun way to distill the important aspects of an idea. Many times these short poems are lost to the moment before they can be recorded.

For those of you not already familiar with haiku, or for whom once learning about them is a distant and fuzzy memory, here’s a brief description:

Haiku is a three line form of Japanese poetry, most commonly with a syllable count of 5-7-5, totaling 17 syllables. Most traditionally, the content observes something in nature, though that is not a modern requirement.

I’ve decided to stick to the 3 line format and traditional syllable count, and often reflect on nature. But you’ll see I’m pretty flexible about content, which might horrify a traditionalist.

Shortly after I started this blog, I challenged myself to determine how many I could capture in the period of a week. That week has passed, but the haiku keep coming.

It’s been fun to pair photos or other artwork with the haiku. Usually I write the haiku first and then go through my photo archives to find a good match. Sometimes I’ve been inspired to  compose a haiku in response to a photo or while on a walk outside. I hope you’ll enjoy the haiku and my visual representation of their content!