SciFaiku (science
fiction haiku) is
a form of poetry
invented by
Tom Brinck in 1995
and inspired by the
Japanese haiku. Scifaiku explores science and science fiction
themes. They are based on the principles of the haiku but are free to
deviate from its structure. For example:
Next time you hear
crickets fiddling, watch out
for tiny spaceships.
– Yvonne Aburrow
Brinck wrote the The SciFaiku Manifesto in
1995 in which he declared of the principles of scifaiku. See The SciFaiku
Manifesto.
Scifaiku follow three major principles – minimalism,
immediacy and human insight:
Minimalism follows the haiku model, and like much
English
language haiku, the spirit of minimalism is to have a single concept (or
often a comparison of concepts) presented in uncluttered, direct words.
While traditional haiku consisted of 3 lines of 5, 7, and 5
syllables,
respectively, scifaiku may be somewhat shorter or longer according to the
principle of minimalism and understanding the necessity of longer technical
terms, e.g. anisomorphism.
Immediacy is the use of direct sensory perceptions to give a sense of
being in the moment. Concrete, rather than abstract, terms are used.
Metaphor is rarely
explicit though often implied.
Human insight comes from the idea that this is in fact the purpose of
much science fiction: to understand ourselves better through exploring
possible futures or speculative realities.