A quick lesson on Haiku:

Haiku…three unrhymed lines…5-7-5 syllables…describes scenes in nature.
Senryu…same pattern as haiku…not about the natural world, but about human nature.
Tanka…a five line cousin of haiku…2-3-2-3-3
Cinquain…22 syllables…2-4-6-8-2

The history and definition of HAIKU:

Haiku is a mode of Japanese poetry, the late 19th century revision by Masaoka Shiki of the older hokku, the opening verse of a linked verse form, haikai no renga. The traditional hokku consisted of a pattern of approximately 5, 7, 5 on. The Japanese word on, meaning “sound”, corresponds to a mora, a phonetic unit similar but not identical to the syllable of a language such as English. (The words onji, (”sound symbol”) or moji (character symbol) are also sometimes used.) A haiku contains a special season word (the kigo) representative of the season in which the renga is set, or a reference to the natural world.

In the supreme culture of the East, a tradition, where poetry and spirituality have no distinct boundaries, multitudes of metaphors, feelings and passions are gathered to convey the heart and the mind of the sage, and the wise man to the masses.

The poet writing through the intensity of his mood, often speaks of the weeping of man and the agony of his spirit, trapped in the conditions of the transitory life, playing the voice and the dream in unison. The beauty of a bride, who sweeps her hands through her bed, looking for the petals fallen from the crown of her Prince, lies in this portrait of the soul looking for God.

Anticipating death, Zhuangzi says,

” I shall have heaven and earth for my coffin and its shell,

the sun and moon as my two round symbols of jade,

the stars and constellations for my pearls and jewels,

and all other things assisting as my mourners “.

Yet Su Dong Po writes,

The silkworms have grown old

and the wheat is half yellow.

Around the mountain … the rain falls unrestrained.

And the farmers cannot work the land.

Think “performance poetry” and what comes to mind? Avant garde smoky cafes late at night with beret wearing, goateed youths with black turtlenecks spouting random inchoate messages while throwing about seemingly unrelated objects? Or perhaps you imagine the “slam,” a group of fast talking, finger popping, coffee guzzling competitions where the contestants throw words at each other in a series of poorly written one-upmanship rhymes? Or maybe you imagine an insecure whispering geek who is unable to do more than stare at his feet while he mumbles his way through work that would be a lot more powerful if you could concentrate on anything other than his bad skin and shy execution? Well think again. Although the term may conjure up images which are relatively modern, the performance of poetry is about as old as language itself. Think Euripides, Aeschylus and Homer, with its strophe and antistrophe, its grand characters like Medea, Odysseus, Oedipus and Elektra. Poetry, with its emphasis on the perfectly chosen word; the instant hit of meaning, works well in the grand performance theatre. A well spoken poet can set the pace, the emphasis, and often can bring to life poetry in a way which will reach audiences with the shortest attention spans.

Man, the supreme being has got intelligence, reason, emotions and impulses. Cognition, affection, and cognation are the various aspects of human consciousness. The more conscious he is, the more cultured he becomes. He has constantly strive for mental (intellectual) culture sad aesthetic culture. The fruits of his love for learning and quest for beauty and excellence are the various sciences and art .Cultivation of arts is art and parcel of aesthetic culture.

Prolific and Prophetic Poems to Revolutionize Your World

The love of people must surpass our love of power. We must remember we are all interrelated and interconnected as one. None of us are as strong as all of us. Together we all accomplish more. Divided we fall apart and destroy ourselves.

Paul Davis is a worldwide minister and peacemaker. Paul’s compassion for people & passion to travel have taken him to over 50 countries of the world where he has had a tremendous impact. Paul builds dreams, breaks limitations, and reconciles nations.

A lot of students are expected to write a literary essay based on appreciation of poetry. To make the task enjoyable we need to define poetry. What is poetry? Edmund Clarence Stedman said the following: “Poetry is rhythmical, imaginative language expressing the invention, taste, thought, passion, and insight of the human soul.”

Poetry is the creativity of a person’s imagination. Like any other literary work, it needs to be understood to be appreciated. The writer writes for a reason. His purpose may be to evoke emotion, inform, define, represent something of the world or life, entertain … Whatever the case, a poem is unique to its writer. And each poem can be analysed to be appreciated. Here are some general ideas to help you understand the poem you are reading:

Venomous snakes and spiders spin webs of deception…
spread misconceptions about my identi-tie…
I’m sendin nine…
shots of straight truth to the youth…
so real you can feel it like a boot to yo tooth…
complete flows defeat foes and top them charts…
Tommy Lockhart a rock star u fruity pop tart…while u talk s#!t bout what you gon do to me…
why not revitalize our community…
I’m talkin u and me…have unity…it’s time to unite and fight for what’s right…
and u gotta choose u either with or against…
and you being against just don’t make sense…
don’t be stupid…
facts so undisputed…
they try to confuse it…
and often abuse it…
last comes first and first comes last…
but catz quick to blast for cash and that’s sad…
where did my Love go wrong?…
why u need to cause harm in almost all of yo songs?…
so untrue…no follow thru…I hereby abolish u.…lyrically demolish u…
protected by the Love beyond my dying death…
but I’ll still be around when there’s nothing left…
many men have tried…asked themselves why…
looking up to the sky in labor of futi-li-ty…figure it out if u point missin…I’m rim kissin…on my twenty-third rhyme mission…
my vocal and vocab is so fab u can get the gonads and the bozack…
honeys hunt me down like I‘m lojack…it don’t mean u got skills cause u sold crack or hold gatz…
fake thugs were never told that…I hold catz scoreless…cause they rhymes style so boring…
all these pimp gangsta balla rap stories…Tommy Lock call yo bluff cream puff…
I slept on silk sheets that were way more rough… than u… unskilled no talent doo doo…last name “defecation” and first name “pooh”…I‘m the manifestation of what skills can do…
comes naturally like white boys sayin “dude”…the vintage futuristic… kinda cool and smooth like Kaboom or Mystic…I’ll be very specific…I’m the terrific misfit…going against the grain… changing the game…maintainin the claim to fame…as the nycest that came…remember the name…Tommy Lockhart got flava like now-or-laters…the Hip Hop savior…go tell yo neighbor…

Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking

If your English as a Foreign Language learners are anything like mine, then many of them don’t like to write in English. But since we wish to empower our foreign language learners with all four of the basic language skills, writing needs to be included in our class lessons. So, how can writing be introduced in such a way as to inspire interest and facility to our EFL classes - that is the question.