How to Write a Senryu—Haiku’s Comic Cousin
Most of us are familiar with the three-line haiku, a breath of nature whispered into the in-between spaces of our existence. Senryu is not that type of poem. It looks you in the eye and winks. It’s known as haiku’s comic cousin. Sometimes it’s more like haiku’s sarcastic cousin.
I first wrote senryu in that elementary school class. In Pegasus, I have one senryu about strawberry shortcake and one about the joys of reading — two things I still enjoy. But my poems were too sincere for a proper senryu.
Unlike haiku, senryu does not have to be about nature, although it’s often about human nature. Like haiku, it follows the same number of lines and syllables and does not include a title.
My senryu “Blinded” from Rainbow Crow rhymes, even though rhymes are not generally a part of this form. But it’s your poem. You can rhyme if you want to.
Read more at TS Poetry
