Cadets in the Honors English II class taught by Ms. Nicole Hackenberg took on the challenge of creating haiku poems in preparation for International Haiku Poetry Day which is celebrated around the world on April 17th.
Haiku is a form of short Japanese poetry that evokes images or emotions within a very small structured piece of creative writing. In the English-speaking world, the form of the haiku has been defined as a short, unrhymed poem written in three lines. The entire poem should contain only 17 syllables, with 5 syllables in the first line, 7 syllables in the second line, and 5 syllables in the third line. Within this limited physical structure, the writer crafts a brief but very evocative poem. Nature and the seasons are a common theme of traditional Japanese haiku, though as haiku has spread across the world, the themes addressed in haiku has broadened. Haiku is typically very gentle in nature, as described by the late Japanese poet, Santoka Taneda, who said, "Haiku is not a shriek, a howl, a sigh, or a yawn, rather, it is the deep breath of life."
Here are the haiku poems written by the Honors English II class this week:
Life of a Flower
by Kendall Coard
A flower sprout grows.
A flower withers and dies.
A new sprout comes up.
Water
by Ousmane Dieng
Water, all over the place
Beautiful, yet dangerous
Giving life to all.
The Sounds of Nature
by Wesley Lay
The sounds of nature,
Branches and leaves in the wind –
Life is one big song.
Sun’s Mark
by Mark Boyd
The sun marks the day.
As the sun runs, mankind works…
Until night falls on them.
Tennis Days
by George Boitano
My racquet hits the ball,
The ball zooms through the air – swoosh!
Just on the edge, my point.
Souldrops
by Nicole Hackenberg
Raindrops trickling –
Carving paths into the heart,
Freeing the soul.
Carpe Diem
by Peter Signorino
New day, trumpet sounds.
Clean slate – opportunities.
Your chance! Seize the day.