SENRYU

       Senryu are short, humorous stanzas in haiku form.  The senryu poem aims directly at human nature.  His language is direct and to the point, sometimes sarcastic, always humorous.  Here are some examples:

crazy for me, she was
I find out
fifty years later

the cheap kite--
flying only when
he runs with it

her name forgotten. . . .
the sweetheart my father said
I would forget

The examples are translations, which probably accounts for the seeming discrepancy in syllable count.  American versions seek a syllable count of 5-7-5 in haiku and senryu.   Certainly in contest poetry, you would have to take care with syllable count.


F. Bruce, the blogger

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