Haiku

Posted on May 3, 2008 by Marahm

Night Life

Hushed streets before dawn

The doors of the mosque still closed

Two cats pounce and play

۞¤۞¤۞¤۞

About Marahm

At first glance, I may appear to be a middle-aged American woman with kids, grandkids, retired from a job in a hospital, gratefully relieved from the responsibilities that come with all of that. Behind the image, which is true enough, I am fairly unhinged from much of American mainstream living, having spent twelve years in Saudi Arabia, years that sprung me from societal and familial impositions, and narrow bands of truth. I have learned to embrace my identity as a seeker, an artist, and a writer. I study Arabic and Italian language, because I love them, and I love their people. I still dream of spending more time in the Middle East and Italy, though the dreaming now seems more real than the possibilities. I am a photographer. I write, and sometimes publish, flash memoir, and now a blog or two.

View all posts by Marahm →

This entry was posted in Islam, Memoir, Saudi Arabia, Uncategorized, Writing and tagged cats, Haiku, mosque. Bookmark the permalink.

8 Responses to Haiku

Umm Ibrahim says:

May 3, 2008 at 3:09 pm

Love it! So vivid!

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Umm Ibrahim says:

May 3, 2008 at 3:10 pm

Oh and um… what are the ‘rules’ of a Haiku then?? 🙂

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Unique Muslimah says:

May 3, 2008 at 7:01 pm

I so love Haikus, but I don’t know how to write one! This is a beautiful one, it’s fantastic that you are expressing yourself creatively, loving it!

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Marahm says:

May 3, 2008 at 7:56 pm

The rules of haiku apply to both form and content. Regarding form, the tradition haiku is formed from three lines, the first and third lines having five syllables, and the second having seven syllables. This rule is often fudged in English, but I like to stick to it. It’s a Japanese form, so I don’t know how the rule works for Japanese language.

The image should be one of emotional impact, movement, and/or some fresh scene or perspective on a scene. The image of a good haiku should stay with the reader. It’s generally a single image rather than a panorama or a story.

In the above poem, the first two lines set a scene of darkness and stillness. Then, the third line brings in playful movement– a contrast that brings life into the night scene. I’m so glad you liked it!

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Susie of Arabia says:

May 3, 2008 at 11:28 pm

“Japanese haiku have been traditionally composed in 5-7-5 syllables.”
Lovely!

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TheAngryMuslimah says:

May 4, 2008 at 2:40 am

Nice…………like it………

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~W~ says:

May 9, 2008 at 2:38 am

Now that I know what Haiku is, this one is brilliant. I love it .

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Marahm says:

May 10, 2008 at 3:35 pm

Thank you, Friends.

AngryMuslimah, where are you? I thought you had a blog.

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