© Patrick Jennings | Dig ~ Pic and a Word Challenge #219
Low Tide at Seaside Creek Beach
To dig for clams is why
we are here, beneath this sky.
No clams? No problem!
Two Cheers 😀 😀
The first is for anybody who noticed that changing the haiku’s initial line
To dig for clams … ⇒ Clam digging …
would make the haiku comply with the 5-7-5 rule. The second is for anybody who noticed that the version of the initial line with 6 syllables has a better rhythm. The actual editing change was from 5 syllables to 6. Does that seem like an odd direction to move?
The outside story says that a haiku “is” a 3-line poem in blank verse with syllable counts 5, 7, and 5. While this story is oversimplified, it is still a good place to start. (Some haiku poets disagree.) The inside story is more complex. Various poets bend or break various rules at various times for various (and often good) reasons. Tho messier, the inside story is ultimately the better one. Just ask the clam digger who went home with an empty bucket but a full heart.
Mellow Curmudgeon 
<smile> Fellini, the exuberant and outlandish Italian film director was once asked, “Sir, do you believe in any use of subtlety in film?” To which Fellini apparently answered, “But of course, so long as it is obvious!”
So it is with poetic forms, which are wonderful… so long as the words fit!
Also… my Uncle owns a cabin on the beautiful Lake Tyaughton, in British Columbia’s Chilkotin Range During my visit last fall I took his canoe out to troll for trout in the lake, passing by the neighbour’s dock on the way back. “Any luck?” he asked.
“Oh, no. But that’s OK. The fishing was just an excuse to go for a paddle.”
Of course, you said all that much more beautifully in a Haiku+1.
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Love the Fellini quote, which is reminiscent of Yogi Bera’s knack for saying things that are contradictory (or tautological) on the surface but hint at something deeper. Yes, it does apply to poetry also. So glad U like my haiku.
The thought of fishermen who don’t mind empty creels (like U on Lake Tyaughton) did come to mind when I first saw this challenge. As the bumper sticker says:
A bad day of fishing still beats a good day of work.
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<smile> I have been known to reply to the query, “How was the fishing?” by saying, “Awesome! The fish didn’t bother me at all!”
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