Hara Kiri Poems | Examples


List of Member Poems

Premium Member chickens commit hara kiri

Those chickens commit harra-kiri daily said Nan
Of free-range livestock with beaks, she was not a great fan
How do they do it? Asked her cousin curious Scar
Easy; they run out in the road, in front of my car

Suicide of Books

For long bookcase-bound,
Some books committed suicide.
‘Few readers were found’,
The suicide note had decried,
Sobered, the rest of books cried.

The shock of the news
Caused many in library
Feel a stiffened noose,
Some of them on poetry
Thought of mass hara-kiri!
_____________________________
Tongue-in-cheek |24.12.2020|
Topic: books, poetry

Poet’s note: More and more books are being printed, less and less, read; too many digital bytes chasing too few readers.

Seppuku :: Diabolo



Enemies won't spare those brave; by
opting seppuku, chose to die
never bothered.

Seppuku was not to commit,
‘twas to perform, ought to befit
ever honoured.

Event was part of more detail
ritual done outdoor; great tale
for rest to learn.

Performed before viewer to spread
the message for future; bloodshed
by best no spurn.
~*~*~
Note:: Seppuku sometimes known as hara-kiri, which is a native Japanese form of ritual suicide by disembowelment.
It was originally reserved for Samurai.


Hara Kiri: a Letter

This summer breeze
upon my menacing blade,
no kaishakunin, only emptiness,
empty mindedness,
unafraid

The Hokkaido seas
restless like a school child,
stir within my cup of tea
empty mindedness,
beguiled

Mountains of Sakura
fill me, nor here nor there,
a million of my memories
empty mindedness,
despair

Bushido, my creed
is like the lotus in bloom,
Nihon hear my cries!
empty mindedness,
doom

My beloved wife
wear your gossamer gown
like the moon wears the night
empty mindedness,
facedown

My prodigious son
sheath your political sword,
this is an age of declaration 
empty mindedness,
soared

Sincerely, truly yours,
the masks I leave behind
are desires now outlived,
empty mindedness,
blind

The final scene
my rising sun, peaceful sky,
and with the absolutely true
empty mindedness,
I die.

Hara-Kiri

valor that taunts, defies danger,
   thumbs its nose even at death,
      makes dying most honorable
         for this wounded war creature;

         life worth living and killing for,
      mind so benumbed by violence,
   inured by pain and suffering,
jaded stiff, deadened by death;

in the face of crushing defeat,
   seething self-pity, quiet rage,
      loathing thoughts of surrender,
         the warrior plunges his dagger!

Looking for the formal definition, structure, and history of this poetry form? Visit the Poetry Dictionary entry below. Then return to explore how PoetrySoup members bring the form to life through their own poems.

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