The Big Rochester Falcon Haiku Extravaganza - 2012

[Carol P.]

The Big Rochester Falcon Haiku Event

OK, time to have some fun.  When the falcons were on the Kodak Tower and the Kodak Discussion Board was alive with falcon fans, just like our forum, once a year in the off-season, Tom H aka Cornpoppy would start a haiku extravaganza.  What is a haiku you ask?  Well read on dear readers.

1.  Haiku’s – An unrhymed Japanese poem of a fixed, 17-syllable form, usually on a subject drawn from nature.

2.  Examples haiku poems date from 9th century Japan to the present day. Haiku is more than a type of poem; it is a way of looking at the physical world and seeing something deeper, like the very nature of existence.

3.  History of Haiku Poems - A haiku poem consists of three lines, with the first and last line having 5 moras, and the middle line having 7. A mora is a sound unit, much like a syllable, but is not identical to it. Since the moras do not translate well into English, it has been adapted and syllables are used as moras.
 
4.  Haiku started out as a popular activity during the 9th to 12th centuries in Japan called “tanka.â€� It was a progressive poem, where one person would write the first three lines with a 5-7-5 structure, and the next person would add to it a section with a 7-7 structure. The chain would continue in this fashion. So if you wanted some old examples of haiku poems, you could read the first verse of a “tankaâ€� from the 9th century.

5.  The first verse was called a “hokkuâ€� and set the mood for the rest of the verses.  Sometimes there were hundreds of verses and authors of the “hokkuâ€� were often admired for their skill. In the 19th century, the “hokkuâ€� took on a life of its own and began to be written and read as an individual poem. The word “haikuâ€� is derived from “hokku.â€�

6.  The three masters of “hokkuâ€� from the 17th century were Basho, Issa, and Buson.  Their work is still the model of haiku writing today. They were poets who wandered the countryside, experiencing life and observing nature, and spent years perfecting their craft.

7.  Examples of Haiku Poems - Basho Matsuo is known as the first great poet of Haiku. Remember that in translation, the moras won’t be the same as syllables. In Japanese, there are 5 moras in the first and third line, and 7 in the second, following the 5-7-5 structure of haiku.

[Carol P.]

Remember, haiku is more than a type of poem; it is a way of looking at the very nature of existence.

So this is how it works.  A haiku is made up of 3 lines.  Line one has 5 syllables, Line two has 7 syllables and Line three has 5 syllables.

Here’s an example:
Archer and Beauty, (5)
Together with Unity, (7)
Rochester Falcons! (5)

More examples:
Flying high above.
Stoop! On unsuspecting prey!
Beautyful to watch.

Warm, balmy breezes.
Jemison, Callidora.
Welcome young fledglings.

Past Queen, always missed.
Mariah, mistress of wind.
Never forgotten.

Kaver, strong and true.
Extraordinary Father!
Never to be matched.

Rochester Falcons.
Beauty, Archer, Unity.
We need Mr. T!

OK, now it’s your turn to make a haiku!  It’s easy and it’s fun and very addicting!  Since this is the Rochester Falconcam Forum, I think it’s fitting to have our haiku’s be about the Rochester Falcons, past or present.  

Have fun and be creative.  Post your Rochester Falcon haiku's here for all to see.  Enjoy!  

Carol P.

[Donna]

Samples a plenty
Our Carol P has written
Please save some for me

(Kiddin) 

[Bobbie Ireland]

Watching from Ireland,
Always wond'ring what is up.
Checking Falcon Cam.

[Bobbie Ireland]

MAK is back at home,
Checking out the neighbourhood.
PeFas cannot hide.

[MAK]

Back where I belong
Looking for Rochesters' birds
It IS a good thing

[Nonny]

Feathers fall like snow,
Drifting, floating in blue skies...
Falcons on rooftops.

[MAK]

Falcons are fierce birds
But are gentle with their young
At least til they're grown

[Carol P.]

He is the Tiercel
who owns the Rochester sky.
Archer is his name.

Come one everyone!  This is so much fun.  

Try your hand at writing a haiku.  

Like I said, it's very addicting.  Once you get started, you might not be able to stop!  

[Carol P.]

Donna, MAK, Bobbie and Nonny.  That's the spirit!   

Nonny, your haiku made a beautiful picture in my mind.  Lovely.   

[Shaky]

I post my haiku.
Witty, waggish, beautiful,
And not about cats.

[Donna]

High on the statue
watching her food scramble by
awaits the "Beauty"

[birdmusic]

Go see the falcons?
(and Dinosaur Bar-B-Que)
"Yes!" says my husband.

[Carol P.]

I post my haiku.
Witty, waggish, beautiful,
And not about cats.

and not about falcons!   

[Carol P.]

Good ones Birdmusic and Donna! and Shaky too!