Haiku art installation, Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, London, England
© Guy Bell/Alamy Live New
Poetry in suspense. International Haiku Poetry Day
Get out your pen and paper—it’s International Haiku Poetry Day! Haikus originated in Japan as the opening segment of a larger poem called a renga. Eventually they became individual poems of their own. A traditional haiku consists of 17 phonetic units—similar to a syllable—in a 5, 7, 5 formation. Though simple, a great haiku creates a sense of simple beauty and a connection to nature. That connection was captured in today’s image at London’s Kew Royal Botanic Garden by artist Chiharu Shiota for their Japan Festival.