What is haikuary?

The term 'haikuary' is a blend of the words 'haiku' and 'diary'. Haiku is a short form of poetry, originating in Japan a few centuries ago.

Haiku normally contain 3 lines totalling 17 syllables, in the order of 5 / 7 / 5

Matsuo Basho, Japan's most famous writer of haiku, will illustrate the form:

Wrapping dumplings in
bamboo leaves, with one finger
she tidies her hair

A simple and beautiful glimpse into a flake of his life.

Here it is again, broken down:

Wrapp-ing dump-lings in (5 syllables)
bam-boo leaves, with one fin-ger (7 syllables)
she tid-ies her hair (5 syllables)

Why did I do it?

I was sitting with a friend in a Japanese restaurant in Auckland, New Zealand. Whilst waiting for our food I wrote a haiku on a paper placemat. It was something about noodles jumping into my belly and that we shall be good friends.

My friend suggested that this kind of simple poetry would benefit the children in her class and help them reflect on their day-to-day lives. I agreed and decided to create something online that would enable that, for everyone.

Taking time to reflect on the tiny and often forgotten moments in our daily lives can be cathartic and it's amazing what you can capture when limited to just 17 syllables; it focuses the mind.

But haikuary is not about Poking and 'I Like This!' so feel free to switch on 'private mode' (in your settings area) and keep your writings personal, or share them with the community and inspire others.

Why the invitations?

This was never going to be a giant project, and I wanted to ensure that the people creating their daily haiku were here for the right reason; to take time out, to reflect. I believe that word of mouth, friends inviting friends, tends to be the best way of achieving this.

It also makes it a little special.

And it's yours

Whilst this is a great place to write and centralise your haikuary from anywhere you have an internet connection, you should ideally download your writings as often as possible.

I will do my best to ensure your haikuary entries are safe, but we all know how technology can let us down. Personally, I download my haikuary at least once a week. Go to the menu inside your account (top right hand corner) and select Download as PDF - I have designed it to look like an old book.

Thanks for sharing

I hope you enjoy adding to your haikuary every day. If you think you know someone who may also enjoy taking a small amount of time every day to create their own, send them an invite (it's in the menu at the top right corner, when you're logged in)

If you have any suggestions as to how I could improve things, do get in touch.

in love,
Gavin Bloemen

Contact

If you have any questions or suggestions, please email me,