11.20.2006

19. Dictionary Haikus


by Magister Spencer Boegeman.



If you're a word geek like me, you usually have a dictionary handy, so that whenever you come across a word with a curious tone to it, you can flip open your dicationary & look up, not only its meaning, but its etymological roots.

Why not try this:

    Randomly flip open your dictionary & point to a word (or just choose a word on the page that you are drawn to)
    Write the word down, and its definition or etymological root.
    Keep doing this until you have enough words to inspire a Haiku.
      General rules for Haiku:
      • 3-short lines
      • 1-season word (any word that might allude to the time of year)
      • 1-cutting word
      • no rhyme or metaphor
      • (17 syllables, usually 5-7-5, although in the English language this is less stringent)

      If you're unsure as to How to write a Haiku, check out Haiku for People.


    Examples:
      One day of early spring
      A snowman melts
      I drink it
      - Kenjiro HIgashi

      After the storm
      A boy wiping the sky
      From the tables
      - Darko Plazanin


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