HAIKU HAWAIIAN STYLE by Gail Baugniet



Twin hibiscus smile
Queen Kapiolani Park
Sunshine lights their face



Pikake surprise
Feathers tipped with many eyes
Paradise alive

My Haiku-esque word descriptions follow the basic rules of traditional Japanese Haiku. Each is strictly composed of three unrhymed lines of poetry. The 17 syllables are distributed among the three lines as in Japanese Haiku: the first and third lines having five syllables each and the middle line consisting of seven syllables.

The illustrative poetry I have written, however, less rigorously contains the requisite “Kigo” for traditional Japanese Haiku. Among these in my poetry are words such as twin hibiscus and pikake* surprise, monkey pod tree, mighty seas, plumeria fragrance, array of poinsettia, and sun-washed ferns. Over the next few months, I wish to share my haiku poetry with you.

*Pikake is the Hawaiian word for peacock and for the fragrant flower.

The narrative haiku for each of my photographs aims to create a more compleat awareness of the image displayed, pointing out less evident details or focusing on implications of a scene. Hawaii, while having subtle versions of the four seasons common to most other locales, does not have sharply defined seasonal conditions and I have only loosely applied the distinguishing “Kigo.”

This, then, is my variation of haiku, where the seasons blend and changes in weather are more apparently demonstrated by the shifts in wind: cool, refreshing Tradewinds from the East and hot Kona winds from the South; and by modifications in rainfall and threats of impending tsunami.

Please also view these other sites for the beautifully illustrated haiku of:
Reka Sang:
A haiku for a fitting end
and
MagicalMysticalTeacher
Chinatown Honolulu