Viggo's Haiku on a Chicken Wing

My woman eats rice

fragrant Chinese chicken wings

am not invited

Viggo's Haiku on a Blackbird

Hi there, so nice to see you dropping in again!
You know by now (and if you don't: you'll know by now...lol!)that frequently I ask my cat Viggo to pump his creative streak and think up a Haiku for us.

Blackbird eating crusts

your beady eye watching me

I spotted you first!

Blackbird

The Art of Haiku.俳句

Hiya. Yep, you've read it correctly. This is a post about writing Haiku. 
How erratic can you get, eh?

What? Haiku? You're supposed to blog about music. Or post recipes, for Frith's sake! (Yes, I can hear your thoughts. I'm scary that way)

True, true, I have been known to blurt that I would only write about my love of music... Except I seem to have developed a (temporary I'm sure) writer's block about the music angle. So I reverted to my ordinary stuff about food, Viggo, Birdlife, more food and more Viggo. 

But ever since I made Viggo write a Haiku, I have thrown off the cloak of shyness I have been hiding my Haikus under, and decided to share this secret corner of my frenzied over-stuffed mind with you.

For the un-knowing amongst you: Haiku is a Japanese poetry form, with a very specific rhyme pattern. 

The traditional form is that you write 3 lines; the first line takes 5 syllables, the second line 7 syllables and the third line again 5 syllables. The traditional, classical Haiku is an elegant but simple poem about nature. The author often expresses (almost childlike) wonderment, innocence. It is not an art form to express violence, or huge emotions. Although the more modern Haikus (especially the Western kind) have left the classical path, and only the purists care.

I have first come across Haiku when I started teaching literature, some years ago. Part of the curriculum for my pupils was to make them aware of different poetry forms, and in my research for this I stumbled across Haiku, and was struck by its seemingly simpleness.

Since then I have always made my pupils write Haiku, with glee, but often with immense satisfaction as well. For, after the initial "oh-yuck-no-must-we" reaction, many times I have found little gems amongst the muck of my pile of assignments. 

One year a couple of boys (13 years old) tried to out-do each other in writing Haiku about sex ("well, that's nature as well, right, Miss?), and they had so much fun that I didn't have the heart to stop them.

So. Interested?

Here is a Haiku I wrote especially for you.

wild windy wetlands

reeds bend backwards in despair

clouds chase clouds chase rain

Oh...go on, give it a try. 

Viggo's Haiku on Voles

Cats have their own unique viewpoint of the dark, wet, Wetlands Winter months; at least...Viggo has!

Viggo in his custom-torn take-away bag

Q: You were an Autumn baby. Do you have a special affinity with Autumn?

V: Technically I was a late Summer kitten. And no, I prefer Spring. When the frogs and toads start to jump back to the pool, that's wonderful. And all those young birds that still cannot fly very well. And the butterflies, and the bumble bees, oh...bumble bees! And dragonflies! Poetry in motion.

Q: Do you mind getting wet so very often in Autumn and Winter? You never seem to mind the rain in our wetter than wet Wetlands.

V: Rain doesn't bother me at all. Must be my alleycat background. In fact, it is a great pleasure of mine to come in sopping wet and then curl up on your lap. As you well know. The way that you always dry off Gina, with one of those smelly dog towels...ridiculous. No towel needed here; I simply wait until my fur has dried out by itself.

Q: Most cats lick themselves dry. You don't seem to do that. Can you explain why not?

V: As I said, I prefer to lie in your lap, or your bed, and get dry. I wouldn't mind curling up next to Gina occasionally, but for some strange reason she doesn't want me in her basket. Every time I try, she growls most unpleasantly. Stupid, it's big enough!

Q: She's old. And you are allowed onto the furniture, she isn't, so...

V: So what? 

Q: Now don't get nasty.

  The reason for this interview is your latest Haiku. Would you like to share it with your readers?

V: Well... Yes. I'm quite content with it. It came to me when I was stalking one of those irritating voles near the shed, and I thought about it some, and finished it last Saturday when I was in my take-away bag.

Q: The floor is yours.

V:

Smallish brownish prey

its shivering whiskers twitching

walks into my mouth

Q: Thank you so much, Viggo.

V: Hey, you promised to feed me extra if I shared that poem. Move it, woman!