blinking like a blade
of grass before a lake-storm
soft but not asleep
I'm working on a free verse poem that's giving me some trouble, so a short one is an enjoyable break. Haikus are usually not my favorite to read. They're a similar concept to 10w poems, but I find myself liking most 10w's better. Maybe they're hard to do well, or maybe I just don't enjoy the form. When they're "traditional" in content (about nature and stuff,) they're usually bland. When they're more emotion based about feelings, there's not much space for imagery or creativity, so they can sound flat and self-indulgent (to me anyway). So when I find a haiku that I actually like, I love it all the more.
Even though I dislike most of the haiku poems I read (at least compared to other forms) I really enjoy writing them. Short sentences and specific guidelines are therapeutic, and they force you to be extra creative. The traditional focus on sensations is calming.
What are your thoughts on forms? I like to hear how different readers and writers experience things.
There's a balance between writing what you like to write, writing what you would like to read, and communicating in a way that will be effective for your readers. Or maybe the things you think about are entirely different. Either way, I'd love to hear about it.
