Guidelines for the Submission of Haiku

Haiku and related classical Japanese forms are warmly welcomed from all cultures. 

The editor acknowledges that the definition of a haiku is subject to debate.  For the purpose of publication in Plum Tree, bear in mind the following.

Abstract constructions, introspective meditations, philosophical excursions, overt political commentary and work without a specific, central image in nature offend the Tavern’s sensibilities and will not be accepted.

The personification of nature seriously offends the Tavern's sensibilities.

The editor is not interested in the writer’s thoughts, interpretations or conclusions of an image.  The job of the haikuist is to present an image, not to try to explain it.

The editor emphasizes that all work should be generated from direct, personal observation or personal experience of the natural world.  Derivative or imaginative works ringing false will not be accepted.

The editor considers urban ecology to be as valid a nature as wilderness.  Not so the manufactured and manicured lawns and gardens of the subdivision.

Just because a work consists of 17 syllables arranged in three lines does not mean the piece is a haiku. 

Again and again:  if you say a tree, name the species.  Ditto for leaves and branches.  If you say a bird, name the species.  If you say river, name it.  Ditto for lake, ocean, and gulf.  If you say village, name it.  Ditto for desert.  Don't make me list everything:  be specific.

In general, The editor subscribes to the suggestions of James Hackett for the writing of haiku in English:

1.  The present is the touchstone of the haiku experience, so always be aware of this present moment.
2.  Remember that nature is the province of haiku.  (Carry a notebook for recording your haiku experiences.)
3. Contemplate natural objects closely. . . unseen wonders will reveal themselves.
4. Interpenetrate with nature.  Allow subjects to express their life through you. “That art Thou.”
5.  Reflect upon your notes of nature in solitude and quiet.  Let these be the basis of your haiku poems.
6.  Write about nature just as it is . . . be true to life! 
7.  Choose each word very carefully.  Use words that clearly express how you feel.
8.  Use verbs in the present tense.
9. For added dimension, choose words that suggest the season, location, or time of day.
10.  Use only common language.
11.  Write in three lines which total approximately 17 syllables.  Many haiku experiences can be well expressed in the Japanese line arrangement of 5, 7, 5 syllables—but not all.
12.  Avoid end rhyme in haiku.  Read each verse aloud to make sure it sounds natural.
13. Remember that lifefulness, not beauty, is the real quality of haiku.
14. Never use obscure allusions:  real haiku are intuitive, not abstract or intellectual.
15.  Don’t overlook humor, but avoid mere wit.
16. Work on each poem until it suggests exactly what you want others to see and feel.
17. Remember that haiku is a finger pointing at the moon, and if the hand is bejeweled, we no longer see that to which it points…

In reference to bullet 11:  "Write in three lines."  Three lines is a western construction.  Japanese haiku are written in a single vertical line.  Some western haiku will work best as a single line, or as two, or as four.  Don't be tied to three.

Also in reference to bullet 11:  "Many haiku experiences can be well expressed in the Japanese line arrangement of 5, 7, 5 syllables—but not all."  But not all leaves open a big door regarding syllable count and order.  Use it.

 
The editor encourages submitters to review some of Plum Tree’s favorite previously-published haikus here:  https://plumtreetavernhaikuone.blogspot.com/

Truly unique voices can get away with ignoring a lot of suggestions.

The editor greatly prefers that the subject of a haiku be an object as found in nature rather than a description of human activity.

Similarly, the editor cautions against the observer portraying him or herself as the central subject in a work.

As stated elsewhere, and per Health Department regulations, no cats.

The Tavern's general guidelines apply.

 
Exceptions to stated policies may be made at the discretion of the editor, or by the generosity of the same; or by oversight, deliberate or otherwise.

Two cents from the editor:

A person can write a version of haiku all day long off media news stories, but to me, haiku derives from personal observation and personal experience.  That's what made the Japanese haiku masters so good--they were out and about tramping the villages and fields and mountains and were seeing and experiencing at first hand the joy and sadness and wonder of life all around them.  Today, as we sit in our air-conditioned cocoons with our mobile devices, we have abandoned the natural world.  The pale haiku we write from our apartments and subdivisions lack the presence of nature and thus lose the essence of the art--the immediacy, credibility and marvel.  Being a commentator is a waste of time and whatever little energy it requires for the writer, and it doesn't do much for the reader either.  The writer would be better off to get into the car and drive off to some wilder place, as John Fogerty sang, "where the neons turn to wood" and personally see and experience something.  Or, for the dedicated urban dweller, to wander new streets.  I see so many pieces that are just 17-syllable thoughts.  Haiku is meant to be more.