on the practice of writing haiku and the subsequent falling out of
on practice
a few years ago i adopted the practice of writing one traditional haiku a day in hopes of improving as a writer and maybe as a thinker too. i struggled at first with the limitations and with my motivations but over time I grew to look forward to my daily entry. the constraints of the syllables forced me to pare my thoughts and emotions down to the bone. there is something freeing in knowing where your writing will end. i've since fallen out of practice.
over the wintry | Natsume Sōseki
Over the wintry
forest, winds howl in rage
with no leaves to blow.
⋆˙⟡♡
'over the wintry' is probably the first haiku youll come across if you search the word "haiku" ...at least thats how i discovered it. the empty wrath sōseki characterized by introducing roaring winds in this barren snowscape startled me in such an exciting way. reading this haiku now feels like it did reading it for the first time. a simple incantation that transports me back to a time and place and reignites that same carefully procured sensation.
on habitthe difference between my writing when im out of habit vs. in is... ostensible. all of this is to say -- i need to write more! and so do you! write lists and thoughts and record interactions - carry a notepad and pencil with you and scrawl down whatever pops up. the amount of prose ive written with journal scraps glued together is unbelievable.
this isnt to compare the aformentioned practice to journaling. this is short form, scrappy, bits n' pieces. (sometimes i come home from work with 5-10 pieces of reciept paper containing very important information on the back and i keep them all in a pile on my shelf... i encourage you to do the same.) i find that when i practice writing and organizing my thoughts via prose... i tend to think more clearly... more linearly. i feel less like my brain is made of scrambled eggs.
i cant promise that ill keep up with posting here... but i'll be making a point to write a haiku a day - somewhere - no matter how low effort or silly it might turn out. its all in the name of rewiring the brain. if i do end up keeping up with this project digitally, id love to dedicate a tab on my blog to it. note to self!
