Haikus: Combining Japanese tradition, French sensibilities, and the English language
- Didier Bahuaud
- May 22
- 4 min read
Updated: Jun 2
My first keyboard was neither a Korg nor a Roland. It was a computer keyboard, because that’s much more practical for a newspaper reporter.
Writing always has been part of my identity, but when I traded my QWERTY keys for a repeating set of black-and-white CDEFGABs, words played second fiddle to music. The writing bug still bites me occasionally, though. In May, it gave me a case of the haikus.
I have a strained relationship with poetry. I won't wax poetic about it here; my literary bias has no rhyme or reason. And yet, here I am writing one haiku a day in May. And dammit, it’s been fun.
I enjoy the format of haiku, and its relative, the senryu. They look so simple on the surface: three verses, 17 syllables, broken out as 5-7-5. That's usually what people remember.
But traditionally, other elements come into play. A haiku is more nature oriented. It needs a kigo, a word or phrase that grounds the poem in a season or time of day; and a kireji, a "cutting word," a pause in the flow of the poem, a contrasting element that announces the closure promised in the last verse.
A senryu follows a similar format, but is centered around human nature, foibles, and behavior. It can be funny, sarcastic, flippant even. Now that's my kind of poetry.
I’ve written other things, too. Longer things. Things that rhyme. Things that follow some kind of meter and form. Please send help. Or better yet, hit me over the head with a keyboard.
2025-06-02: Betrayed
Cogs seize, creak, and groan,
Like organic slabs of aches.
My back betrays me.
2025-05-31: Tapestry
Threads of kindred hearts
weave a cosmic tapestry.
True friends are timeless.
2025-05/30/25: Relief
Deadlines come and go,
like an itchy buttcheek rash.
Relief is a myth.
2025-05-29: Chocolate
When stress keeps rising,
chocolate whispers darkly:
“I’m with you. Always.”
2025-05-28: Daydreams
Daydreams of escape,
trapped in an 8-to-5 straitjacket,
plot timeline heists.
2025-05-27: Filters
A free-flowing mind
adapts to a changing world.
Filters affect tastes.
2025-05-26: Memorial Day
A quiet room grieves,
but even wounds remember
how to bloom again.
2025-05-25: Break all bounds
She smiled through the storms,
defied norms and shattered glass —
Value breaks all bounds.
2025-05-24: Memory
Soft clouds drift away
like a fading memory.
A fog clouds my eyes.
2025-05-23: Where laziness grows
Mediocrity —
a field where laziness grows
thriving on excuses.
2025-05-22: Grind
Jaw clenched, spirit drained—
shoulders bow to crushing weight.
The grind carves its mark.
2025-05-21: Grass
Blades of grass rustle
in the breeze's promise of peace.
Mowers growl nearby.
2025-05-20: Shackles
Lazy minds build walls,
shuttered windows without sight.
Shackles must shatter.
2025-05-19: Flow
I flow like a stream,
Nourished by rain and sunlight —
Soon the dam will break.
2025-05-18: Back to work
Menace taints the dawn,
draining heart and mind of joy.
Time to go to work.
2025-05-17: Allergies
Pollen floats unseen,
a fragrant flowery feat
that clogs up my face
2025-05-16: Family
A UN of laughs—
translating love and gossip
as real-life sitcoms.
2025-05-15: New Day
Light drips from facades
as steam and spices rule the dawn.
The Big Apple hums.
2025-05-14: Strangers
Strangers in a crowd
share a lifetime with locked eyes
until time resumes
2025-05-13: The City
Concrete and rebar
teem with beginnings and ends
as travelers dream
2025-05-12: Packing
Suitcase yawns open,
a shell hungry to be filled.
Thoughts travel lightly.
2025-05-11: Feliz dia de las madres
Fuerza y risa
allanan el camino
que me abriste
Translation:
"Strength and laughter pave the way you opened for me."
I had a hard time writing this one in Spanish, but I'm happy with the way it turned out.
2025-05-10: Fake spring
A cold wind whispers,
stripping leaves of springtime worth.
Limbs ache as snow falls.
2025-05-09: Lovable tyrant
Tiny tyrant snorts,
Judging side eye sharp as nails.
Wieners have big hearts
2025-05-08: Flat feet
Flipitty flippers
flopping, flapping on the floor.
My flat feet at work.
2025-05-07: Lies
Blurry panes of glass
Blanket the world in soft clouds —
Lies come through sharply.
2025-05-06: Stretch
Shrill intruder wails,
filling dreams with morning angst.
You stretch; I forget.
2025-05-05: The Sun Within
Gloomy, rainy day,
Spent with friends, laughing, loving:
Make your own sunshine
2025-05-04: Buttery Sin
Golden flakes of light
bursting with buttery sin —
Croissants damn my soul
2025-05-03: Sleepless
Tossing and turning;
Mental din rips night's promise.
Sleepless seconds stretch.
2025-05-02: Imposter
Doubt, cutting like wind,
strips my worth bare of meaning.
Still, I press forward.
2025-05-01: Ripples of Truth
Moonlit pond mirrors
what my heart dares not whisper.
Ripples blur my truth.
2025-04-21
Kind hearts wear armor
A smile keeps the storm at bay
For your safety, too
2025-04-20
Golden drops of light
Quench the flower's thirst with dew.
I breathe in the dawn.
2025-03-24
Sterile and lifeless
At the office, cold and grey
No croissant in sight
2025-03-22
Leaves whisper secrets
As hills stand tall against time.
The wind has no regrets.
2025-01-01
The slowing of time
Is the gift of the present
Enjoy the moment.
Wow, what a fun read. Never expected to find a site like yours, or enjoy something like that. And English is not your native language? Dude!