Toward Definitions: Second Approximation

The 17-syllable, 5-7-5 form remains a live option for haiku poets, but it's only one option. An alternative is the "Who's counting?" option. That is, some haiku poets opt for a free form: Haiku, in this alternative, is a 3-line poem consisting of an indeterminate number of syllables up to a total of 17. The 17-syllable maximum is generally respected, on grounds that, whatever freedom we allow ourselves, we should not abandon the criterion of conciseness embodied in the classical form. Indeed, one of the arguments in favor of free-form haiku is that it works against the practice of including unnecessary words for the sake of the "compulsory" syllable count.

In formal terms, then, haiku will follow either the "classical" 5-7-5 form or the "free" form described above. Well, it's not that simple. Again, what we've said is only an approximation. But we're getting closer.

1

overheated bus

passengers sleeping

their way to work

2

brush strokes

expressing abstraction

clouds