I would like to humbly disagree with the idea of a person/poet and poem being separate in the first place. Borrowing an analogy from Vedanta’s teaching of ancient seers, I would like to state that ‘As one cannot separate clay from the earthen pot, one cannot separate a poem from the person/poet.’
A person is the sum total of their ego which is limited to their experiences in life. It is these experiences of life that nourish thoughts and these thoughts in turn act as the catalyst that germinates a poem. Whether it is melancholy or joy, the degree of it is unique to the person experiencing these and the person/poet expresses these emotions in their unique voice in the form of a poem.
Maybe there is an element of commonality in the themes of experiences experienced by different persons and there is a commonality of emotions that we all experience as humans. Maybe that’s why we perceive a piece of poetry to transcend beyond the person/poet when it gets related by others. But the language used, the selection of words to craft that poem, and the intended meaning conceived within the poem still belongs to the person/poet who chose to express them under specific circumstances of their life experiences. And thus, in my humble opinion, a poem cannot be separated from the person who crafted it. A person/poet and the poem are inseparable as fire & heat. A poem cannot begin where the person ends.

* Published post can be accessed here Fire & Heat – Briefly Write

A lot has been said & written already by the exponents & subject matter experts of Japanese poetry on its origin, its structure, its nature & the philosophy behind the various popular forms such as Haiku, Senryu, Tanka or a Haibun.
I’m taking an audacious step to pen down my thoughts merely as an enthusiast & a self-tutored student of the Japanese poetic form. I must admit, it was this hashtag trend #haiku & #haikuchallenge that intrigued me to explore further on the subject in the year 2018. It introduced me to the much popular & commonly adapted form of Japanese poetry ‘Haiku’ in the multiverse of the social web.
There are other intriguing forms besides haiku as well; be it senryu, tanka or haibun (prose poem), each form has its beauty. Each of these forms has a unique treatment with its subject but the underlying principle of brevity and vivid imagery is intact in all these forms.
What has kept me captivated about haiku is the brevity with which one captures the depth of the subject, being spoken/written about. While there appears a juxtaposition, I feel this form is rather a medium that enables the poet as well as the reader/listener to see the subtle integration of a microcosm into a macrocosm and vice versa. It’s like fitting a universe in an atom and at the same time creating a universe out of an atom.
I came across Zen Koans, while reading The Gateless Gate by Kōun Yamada a few years back and got to learn about the concept of koans. While Haiku is not a koan, a koan deals with a problem and guides the listener (Zen monks) to arrive at the realization. I feel Haiku also does something similar for us commoners. Haiku weaves vivid imagery and narrates the beauty of nature through the mention of seasons or a particular moment in time. But what it tells us is very subtly about the fleeting, ever-changing form of nature and our relationship with it. There’s much more depth to it than what meets the eyes. It leads us from apparent to the inherent, from evident to the subtle.
Writing Haiku is like meditating, you merge with your subject. Observing things from an observer’s as well as the subject’s viewpoint. It lets you experience the very precise moment where time becomes still and at the same instant as you step out of it, you see it fleeting. It’s a beautiful experience. That’s my philosophical take on it.
Why I also like writing in these forms be it haiku or senryu or for that matter, a tanka is their free verse form. It embodies the principle of wabi-sabi, acknowledging imperfection. It is this imperfection that leads to perfection gradually.

Often words are not as fluid as ink, there’s always a struggle to translate your thoughts, your emotions in select few words. Filtering monologues of ever active mind could be a real challenge. The smell of the ink flowing from the pen takes you to a place of calmness. The pause of silence lets you meet your conscious — subconscious thoughts and underlying emotions.
This silence is often ignored for its inert nature, but it is the most powerful yet simple way to explore your thoughts. Silence engulfs all thoughts ever thought and yet to be thought of. It contains all the words ever spoken and unspoken. Silence permeates matter, space and time for it is ever present, it is key to unlock consciousness. It is these moments spent in silence; let you find your inner voice. It is within the depths of this silence, that if you listen attentively, a voice guides you towards the direction you need to take.
Poetry emerges within this space. When you explore your thoughts, underlying feelings, ask questions to self, observe things as they are, you gain a new perspective. Channelizing your thoughts in a guided, structured thinking oblivious to the noise around and spending quiet time with self, you are able to identify root emotions. It is from these roots emerges writing, adorned with choicest of words draped with syllables. Poetry is a progeny of this silence. It is a result of silent contemplation of both melancholy & joy in equal measures. It is a medium to overcome sorrow as well as to celebrate good things in life. It is a process that gets activated from within, this urge from within that drives you, inspires you to churn this silence and to be bold enough to share with others your thoughts, desires, disappointments, successes, expressions & beliefs.
Writing poetry is a healing, rejuvenating process that enriches your soul as well as that of your reader. Poetry is a process to pen down impulses of the mind with an attempt to seek answers embedded deep within your instincts.


Searching within the depths of silence
moving with the currents of thoughts
reaching the underlying corals of emotions
a poet finds the iridescent pearls of poems
hidden in oyster shells , made of dreams & desires