Also, as Ty’s poem shows, a lot of punctuation is sometimes necessary. Note Raymond’s creative use of the hyphen, whereby the punctuation itself emphasizes what is happening. Here are two relevant haiku examples by Raymond Roseliep and Ty Hadman: Form punctuation marks include hyphens, single and double quotation marks, and apostrophes. These are actually non-punctuational symbols, yet they are worth considering. For example, quotation marks often indicate that words are spoken or quoted, and apostrophes usually show possession or omission. ![]() Both are relatively rare in haiku, but sometimes effective, as in the following examples by Ebba Story and John Thompson:Ĭertain punctuation marks show the form of given text. These marks include the exclamation mark, indicating surprise or emphasis, and the question mark, indicating questioning or doubt. The ellipsis can also indicate contemplation rather than passing time, as in Jerry Kilbride’s fog poem that follows, or can “delay” the last line, like a pregnant pause setting up a punch line, as in Garry Gay’s bald tire poem:Īnother type of punctuation indicates tone or voice. Here is an example of each mark in poems by David Wright, Gary Hotham, and Margaret Molarsky: The ellipsis, though, typically suggests the passing of time (however quickly) in a haiku. In haiku, both the colon and the dash show some sort of spatial relationship between the actuality of what precedes and follows the punctuation mark. The colon, for example, marks expectation or addition-and says, essentially, that this equals that, which is often too heavy-handed. These pauses are also endowed with specific qualities of relationship. These marks include the colon, the dash, and the ellipsis. And, in Patricia’s haiku, the poet chooses to end the poem definitively with a period.Ī second type of punctuation shows relationships as well as providing a pause. In Garry’s poem, the semicolon arrests us in a way different from a comma, dash, or colon (a comma here wouldn’t be grammatically correct). In Margaret’s poem, the comma pauses for us. ![]() The following poems by Margaret Molarsky, Garry Gay, and Patricia Donegan each use one of the three marks of pause punctuation: The first type of punctuation is pause punctuation, which includes the comma, semicolon, and period. I’ll briefly review each of these classifications of punctuation. English, however, is fortified with punctuation marks (rather than words) that indicate pauses, relationships, and form, in addition to tone. ![]() The closest equivalents are kireji, or cutting words, such as kana, keri, or ya, that generally express tone. The use of punctuation is one of many differences between Japanese and English-language haiku. Punctuating haiku may be a chore for neophyte and seasoned haiku writers alike, but by understanding the varieties of punctuation marks and observing their application, perhaps we can better communicate our haiku moments. Because of haiku’s brevity, each punctuation mark can indeed be as important as each word. Many poets rework their haiku extensively, laboring over the punctuation as much as the words. ![]() Oscar Wilde once said, “All morning I worked on one of my poems, and I took out a comma in the afternoon I put it back.” He wasn’t revising haiku, but he might as well have been. One of the more practical but sometimes elusive disciplines of haiku composition is the use of punctuation.
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