I am currently sponsoring a contest for Haiku. For this contest I am accepting both Traditional and Contemporary (or Modern) Haiku formats.
In so doing, I have had a few Poetry Soup poets question the validity of Haiku that are written in fewer than 17 syllables.
Poetry Soup has an excellent definition of Haiku in it's Types of Poems section.
Fewer syllables are used in Modern Haiku in order to better capture the "one breath" moment that is the embodiment of Haiku.
Consider this definition of Modern Haiku:
Many modern western poets do not subscribe to the 5-7-5 pattern any longer. The Academy of American Poets recognizes this evolution, but maintains that several core principles remain woven into the tapestry of modern haiku. That is, a haiku still focuses on one brief moment in time, employs provocative, colorful imagery, and provides a sudden moment of illumination.Here are seven examples of 20th century haiku poems:
From across the lake,
Past the black winter trees,
Faint sounds of a flute.
- Richard Wright
Lily:
out of the water
out of itself
- Nick Virgilio
ground squirrel
balancing its tomato
on the garden fence
- Don Eulert
Nightfall,
Too dark to read the page
Too cold.
- Jack Kerouac
Just friends:
he watches my gauze dress
blowing on the line.
- Alexis Rotella
A little boy sings
on a terrace, eyes aglow.
Ridge spills upward.
- Robert Yehling
meteor shower
a gentle wave
wets our sandals
- Michael Dylan Walsh
Source:
examples.yourdictionary.com