Cat Haiku.

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Cat Haiku.

General Thread ₁ Featured April 30 , 2008

'Cats are the animal embodiment of haiku; subtle, elegant, intriguing, every nuance fraught with meaning - however obscure, they seem to communicate the very essence of haiku verse in every action and thought.'
Deborah Coates.

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You may be surprised to find an obviously Oriental activity within in an Egyptian neighbourhood during an Egyptian fesitval. However, cats reach across the great divide bringing joy to everyone worldwide and with the kind permission of the Oriental Scribes and in conjunction with the Oriental group of The Ten Philosophers Haiku, Bast Fest is proud to present for your enjoyment... Cat Haiku.

What is 'Haiku?' 'A haiku is a short poem that uses imagistic language to convey the essence of an experience of nature or the season intuitively linked to the human condition.'

The majority of haiku in English consist of three unrhymed lines of seventeen words. English haiku consist of three lines of 5/7/5 (5 in the first line, 7 in the second line, and 5 in the third line) totaling seventeen words in all. In traditional Japanese haiku, as opposed to haiku in English, the poem is a 17-syllable verse form consisting of three metrical units of 5, 7 and 5 syllables. (first line 5, second line 7, third line 5). In Japanese, this convention is a must, but in English, which has variations in the length of syllables, this can sometimes be difficult. Haiku are written in the 'moment' turning the ordinary, into the extraordinary. It captures the essense of a single moment in time, and makes us appreciate the simple things in life.

Cat's are simple. From the majestic lion, roaming the savanah of Africa, the tiger hunting in the wilds of Siberia, to the pet moggy waking you up at four in the morning because he's hungry, all cats are cats. All their basic characteristics are the same.

Cat's however they are far from stupid and too many people confuse simplicity with stupidity. Cats are expressive and refined, aristocratic, exquisite in form and movement, ostentatious in play and highly pleasing to be with. The simplicity in this, is that every cat shares the same characteristics, no matter how large or small. They share the very same attributes and they are the epitome of haiku.

Bast Fest challanges you to write cat haiku. For this exercise... put yourself into the cat's mind and write your haiku through the eyes of the cat. Compose a cat haiku from the cat's point of view. Then... write as though you are a cat from the world you represent.