Thousand Petals

American Haiku

This is a book of American haiku. The form is Japanese, forged by the Japanese genius to express the uniqueness of everyday life. The author writes with a refreshing, simple style, capturing the experience clearly in a few words. The reader cannot help but finish the poems with a greater appreciation of the simple things in life.

Structure of the Book

The haiku book is divided into two sections, a large one of haiku and a smaller one of eight tanka. The tanka is a form of Japanese poetry that is two longer than the haiku, the haiku being of three lines and the tanka of five. The haiku section has eight subsections, most of which are about nature; e.g., the first section is entitled "Trees and Leaves." Each poem is self-contained and can be enjoyed even when isolated from the others.