Poetry Lesson 1
There many different types of poetry: Haiku, Ballad, Sonnet, Blank Verse, Free Verse, Ode, Limerick, Sestina, Narrative, Dramatic Monologue and Villanelle. 
Haiku
Today we are going to talk about the Haiku. Haiku is a type of poetry that doesn't rhyme from the Japanese culture. Haiku combines form, content, and language in a meaningful, yet compact form. Haiku poets write about everyday things. Many themes include nature, feelings, or experiences. The most common form for Haiku is tree short lines. The first line usually contains five syllables, the second line seven syllables, and the third line contains five syllables (5,7,5). Haiku A Haiku must "paint" a mental image in the reader's mind. This is the challenge of Haiku - to put the poem's meaning and imagery in the reader's mind in just 17 syllables over just three lines of poetry! You can also write Haiku with three syllables in the first line, five syllables in the second, and three again in the third (3,5,3); for those who think they can be more concise.
Here are some examples of Haiku:
The Rose by Donna Brock
The blossom bends
and drips its dew on the ground
Like a tear it falls.
By Natsume Soseki
Over the wintry
forest, winds howl in rage
with no leaves to blow.
Exercise:
1. See if you can find some Haiku poems (look for about 3).
2. Write a Haiku poem yourself, one with 3 lines of 5,7,5 and other with 3 lines of 3,5,3.
