Hay(na)ku? When I first heard of this relatively new poetry form I had to try it. Poet Eileen Tabios is credited as the creator in 2003. Hay(na)ku is a 3-line poem with one word in the first line, two words in the second, and three in the third. There are no restrictions beyond this.
You can link your hay(na)ku up into chains, and reverse them. It seems limiting, and it is. My experience with the strict forms is they force me to be more creative. So far I’ve only tried one as my response to my monthly Ladies of Horror prompt. I went for a kitschy 50s era sci-fi paranoia feel. The choppy rhythm made me hear Captain Kirk’s voice.
You can read Butterflies Lie, my first hay(na)ku, here. Try one for yourself and share the link in the comments!
For those of you who aren’t familiar with Ladies of Horror, it’s a writing project on Nina D’Arcangela’s Spreading the Writer’s Word blog. Ladies of Horror – all the pieces are picture-prompt oriented with two authors posted per day.
Here are July’s images and the line-up…
Witching Hour
by Ela Lourenco
Paranormal Witness
by A.F. Stewart
The Deal
by Kathleen McCluskey
The Skin Walker
by Elaine Pascale
Into the Blackness
by Erin Sweet Al-Mehairi
When Death Came for Her
by Terrie Leigh Relf
Mater Natura
by Karen Soutar
Mourning
by E.A. Black
Butterflies Lie
by Angela Yuriko Smith
Do-Over
by Mary Ann Peden-Coviello
Under the Blue Night Sky
by Melissa R. Mendelson
Bitter Skies
by Lori R. Lopez
Celia
by Michelle Joy Gallagher
Upgrade
by Christina Sng
Metal Meticulous
by Sonora Taylor
And She Will Live Forever
by Naching T. Kassa
What Gave Them the Right?
by Rie Sheridan Rose
A Nest for the Newlyweds
by Marge Simon
Harvest
K.R. Morrison
Showroom
by Scarlett R. Algee
Appearances
by Suzie Lockhart
Forgotten
by Nina D’Arcangela
