Some people ask me,
Why do you write in Haiku?
You’re not Japanese…
No, I am German,
And English, and Welsh, and Scotch;
American mutt.
But sometimes I need
To say something important
That isn’t just words.
And so I want form,
A jello mold for my thoughts
That gives them structure.
The form is simple,
With syllabic restrictions
That force careful choice.
It’s sort of a game.
Like completing a crossword
Or jigsaw puzzle.
It cannot be forced.
One must breathe deep and relax;
Let the rhythm drive.
So sometimes at night
When my mind starts to wander
The thoughts find this form.
And it makes me smile
To hear my brain write Haiku
And I don’t resist.
If I’m ambitious,
I get up and write it down
In stray book margins.
Those are the best ones.
Totally spontaneous;
Coming from nowhere.
So I write Haiku.
Maybe because I want to
Maybe I just do.
