For those of you who've known me for 12 years, my writing anything about a Haiku would be self flagellation, but here goes. Over time here, there has been nothing more contentious than Haiku - knock-down-drag-out fightin' words...I'll meet-ya-behind-the-barn words - yet, after all the hullabaloo - zero,nada,nothing has changed, especially the fact that outside the proverbial boxing ring, except those stubborn and obnoxious few...a consensus about Haiku still is nonexisitent at best and pervasively exasive at least. So...the 5-7-5 contingent is mingling in the lobby with the 17 syllable any-form-max contingent, while the "free-stylers" (lunes) are sliding down the rail into the orchestra pit - snickering! Not a loon, as in crazy as, but a lune, which is "free-style Haiku" - Haiku which uses words instead of syllables (instead of 5-7-5 syllables, it's 3-5-3 words!? (hmm, interesting) but, as if the form hadn't already had too many relatives! So, if you've read to here, you are either a masochist or still as confused as I am - sadly. But...my advice, no matter the configuration (actually, this should apply - perhaps - to all poetry - in a way) keep it as simple as possible, while translating a feeling - a moment in time - an emotion that fires like a rocket, or glows for an instant like a firefly in the bushes...but...when it comes to Haiku, don't make it a continuation of a thought, but a surprise, or, as they say, an "ah-ha" second/moment, or realization that leaves the reader pensive and knowing and wondering and whatever they were'nt before they read your inspiration - if we can do that in 3 lines/17 syllables/11 words - SHOW me - you are the key!
Thanks for your input Inky. truth is actually that contemporary Haiku writers for the most part do not use the 5-7-5 rule because somewhat, well, an old fashioned concept to attempt to mimic Japanese translation, which was found to be truly "lost in both translation and concept". You know that simply by translating your home language to English - there is no set standard because some words require less...and some more, so many omit articles like "a" "and" and "the" etc to adhere to the syllable-per-line rule, so it makes the write very awkward? Instead, now, a more accepted (not rule, but guideline) is to have a 17 syllable maximum with no particular per line rule. Some do it in 12 or 14 total etc. Most classicists insist on no title - why? - because the Haiku should carry its own revelation without further explanation - in Haiku, a long title would become, in essence, a part of the poem - one of the no-no's. To true Haiku writers the "ah ha" is essential , because it is what leaves the spark of thought, a lasting impression other than just a cute 3 line poem which can be forgotten quickly. There are those on the soup that are internationally published like Paul Callus who is from Malta - he's exceptional. There's so very much more that it's nearly impossible to summarize especially for someone like me who is terrified of doing them incorrectly!
One major thing leading or following the "ah-ha" is the juxtapostion