Haiku...Kerouac moon--watched by my imaginary cat

I discovered the joy of writing haiku this last March from my friend Imp, and I love it! I started writing them in 17 syllables, but then found this inspiring "Book of Haiku", a lifetime collection written by Jack Kerouac, written mostly in the 50s and 60s . His American haiku or "pops" appeal to my rebellious nature, with the only rule being that they are written in 3 lines, and he breaks that too sometimes. Haikus are suppose to reflect the seasons, and often mention fall, summer ect. directly or with an image of rain and wind. I would rather just express a thought that is on my mind, but try to tie in a season when possible. Reading his book shed a glimpse of his whole life and what was importantant to him...his cat, the moon, the birds, Buddha, and reading. Perhaps my haiku can shed a light on my life in the same way, and even I can learn more about myself. I'm not trying to be brilliant or artistic, I just like the relief I feel when I can write what is on my mind into a short poem, "pop", or haiku with intimate focus. I'll share my favorite Kerouac poems below, then a few haikus and pops that I wrote in the next blog.

Kerouac:

frozen
in the birdbath
a leaf

...and in his drinking days he wrote this...

Walking down the road with dog
----a crushed leaf

...I love how he stopped only seeing what was beautiful, the first half of the book started making me sick, filled with perfect pictures...

The fly, just as
lonesome as I am
In this empty house

The other man, just as
lonesome as I am
In this empty universe

In back of the Supermarket
in the parking lot weeds
Purple flowers

And the quiet cat
sitting by the post
Perceives the moon