| Ah poetry and nature. Two things that | | | | thousands of words but for sheer size and |
| naturally go togther. But if you're looking | | | | power, nothing beats the haiku! Here's |
| for nature poems that really get it so to | | | | another example of a nature poem: |
| speak, you should look into haiku. Why? | | | | |
| Because haiku is especially suited for | | | | Nature Poem #2winter shoreline --sandpipers |
| describing nature. For example, take a look | | | | dartinto the water |
| at these two nature poems by the author: | | | | |
| | | | In this nature poem we have the fragment |
| Nature Poem #1egrets movethrough the | | | | first instead of the phrase. The fragment is |
| marsh...morning clouds | | | | like the background of a painting...it sets |
| | | | the mood of the poem. The words "winter |
| Here we have "egrets" as our subject. A | | | | shoreline" conjure an image of a quiet beach |
| beautiful bird that most people either have | | | | perhaps. Or it could be something else |
| seen in a picture or are familiar with. In | | | | entirely. This is the beauty of haiku. It |
| just 7 words a picture is created. And not | | | | doesn't tell you so much as show you what is |
| just any picture but a complete scene! First | | | | happening. Interpretation is left to the |
| we have the phase "egrets move through the | | | | reader's imagination. The phrase that follows |
| marsh." Nothing special in itself. But, when | | | | - "sandpipers dart into the water" complete |
| we combine this with the fragment "morning | | | | the picture. It's like background and |
| clouds," we get a picture of place and time - | | | | foreground in a painting. Only here we are |
| a sense of something happening. | | | | using words to color with! |
| | | | |
| What economy and word pruning this is! Nature | | | | Nature poems and haiku are a natural fit and |
| poems by western writers may contain | | | | have been for hundreds of years! |