Since I began this blog, I've been wondering if any song lyrics fit the haiku poem format without alterations.
The answer is very few do, if any.
And taking the song lyrics out of the context of the whole work really changes their meaning and emotional charge.
This morning, though, I came up with one, through a random moment of I-Pod bliss while walking my dog Marley. "Save It For Later" by the English Beat, a mild 80s hit, contains three lines that indeed fit into the 5, 7, 5 syllable pattern:
Save it for later Don't run away, let me down Sooner or later
Do these lyrics, isolated like that, make any sense?
Not really.
You have to invent a story to go with it, like a jilted boyfriend or girlfriend who know their going to get left. The "save it for later" sounds a bit more hopeful to me, but when you hit the "sooner or later," they know heartbreak is around the corner.
Other haiku lyrics can be found in "Under the Bridge" by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers.
She sees my good deeds And she kisses me windy I never worry.
What does it mean to kiss someone "windy"? Don't ask me; I'm not Anthony Kiedis. But it's great that it's open to interpretation. Since we end on "I never worry," the sort of depressed mood of the song as a whole is totally gone. But if you take these three lines, you get a totally different vibe, closer to the original song's intent:
Together we cry I don't ever want to feel Like I did that day
Same song, a line taken from the verse and two from the chorus, totally different sounding haiku.
Haikus embedded in existing songs are hard to find and totally change the meaning of the lyrics. Find any yourself? Share them here!
My inspiration here is mylittlebecky, who commented that she liked reading haiku poems, but couldn't write them "satisfactorily." My view is that haikus (and all poetry, really) should be fun to write. I wouldn't get hung up on perfection--that's what revisions are for. The beauty of the haiku is the short format allows you to write a complete poem quickly, and syllable limitations lead to unexpected word choices. All fun and games, in my opinion!
Jenn Fenn writes like a whirlwind Fingers just a blur The keyboard is smoking hot.
- written by Nate Tatro
Runs with Scotty dog Starbucks crashing through her veins Trips over her feet!
- written by me about me
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Haiku poems (and all poetry, really) should be fun to write. I wouldn't get hung up on perfection--that's what revisions are for, if you really feel you need to improve upon your original work. The beauty of the haiku poem is that the short format allows you to write a complete poem quickly, and syllable limitations lead to unexpected word choices. Traditional haiku poems focus on nature, but you can write awesome haiku poems on anything from your messy kitchen to your adorable toddler to your mom's lasagna if you feel like it! A twist ending is also a feature of more traditional haiku poems, which is a great way to add comedy to your haiku. Give it a try! Haiku poems written for or about your loved ones also make great gifts! All fun and games, in my opinion!
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