The Tale of SokkaHaiku Slam Transcript

Scene changes to Sokka walking down a candle-lit street at night. Bored, he pulls his boomerang from its sheath, throws it into the sky, and catches it as it comes back. Shot cuts to him walking past a building and into the alley beside it. Sokka passes through some men struggling with their ostrich horses, and by the windows of the building, as he hears voices from inside. Intrigued, he turns and sticks his head inside the window.
Sokka / What's this?
The shot cuts to show that the room is the 5-7-5 Society's classroom. There is a lady on the stage reciting her haiku to the rest of the ladies.
Lady on stage / Through all the long night, winter moon glows with bright love, sleet her silver tears.
Sokka / [Looking pleased.]Ahh, poetry.
Shot cuts to the alley, as the ostrich horse, who is still struggling with his handler, kicks backward and hits Sokka in his back, sending him through the window, and inside the room. The ladies look at him and shriek, startled.
Sokka / [Collecting himself and removing the window frame.] I am so sorry. Something struck me in the rear. I just... wound up... here.
The ladies laugh, and clap at Sokka's unintended haiku. Sokka first looks surprised, but grins widely. Their teacher, Macmu-Ling, gets up.
Macmu-Ling / Five, seven, then five, syllables mark a haiku. [She bows her head.] Remarkable oaf.
Sokka / [Thinking for a moment.] They call me Sokka, that is in the Water Tribe. [Counting five syllables on his fingers.] I am not an oaf. [The ladies laugh at his haiku.]
Macmu-Ling / Tittering monkey, in the spring he climbs treetops, and thinks himself tall. [She narrows her eyes.]
Ladies / Oooooh!
Sokka / You think you're so smart, with your fancy little words, this is not so hard.
Ladies / Oooooh!
Macmu-Ling / [She walks up to the stage.] Whole seasons are spent, mastering the form, the style, none calls it easy.
Ladies / Oooooh!
Sokka / I calls it easy. Like I paddle my canoe, I'll paddle yours too! [Turns around and paddles his behind, as the ladies laugh.]
Macmu-Ling / There's nuts and there's fruits. [She takes a plum from her sleeve, drops it to the ground, and squashes it.] In fall the clinging plum drops, always to be squashed.
Sokka / [Making arm movements.] Squish, squash, sling that slang. I'm always right back at ya, like my... [He drawing his boomerang.] boomerang! [The class laughs.]
An annoyed Macmu-Ling walks off the stage and back to her seat as Sokka turns to the class again and raises his arms up to silence the laughter, as he unsheathes his boomerang.
Sokka / That's right, I'm Sokka, it's pronounced with an "okka", young ladies, I rocked ya!
This time, however, his "haiku" is not cheered at, and is met with silence. Sokka stares as the class, as the annoyed and angry class does the vice versa. Cut to the ladies' angry face. Cut back to Sokka, as he counts the number of syllables in his haiku, and realizes that his last line contained six syllables instead of five, by counting on his fingers. A large security guard catches him by the collar, and throws him out through the door.
Guard / Uh, that's one too many syllables there, bub.
Outside the room, Sokka falls to the ground with a loud noise. He sits up.
Sokka / Poetry...

Generally speaking, haiku in English uses

  • 5-7-5 syllabic pattern
  • images/references from nature
  • one or two strong images in the first two lines
  • an unexpected turn or surprise in the third line
  • descriptive writing methods (REMEMBER: SDT = VV, SN, SM, SL)*

Your haiku should follow these guidelines. You don’t need to title your haiku.

Kigo (季語,"season word"?) (pluralkigo) is a word or phrase associated with a particular season, used in Japanese poetry.

You can do your homework here:

  1. ______(5 syllables)
  1. ______(7 syllables)
  1. ______(5 syllables)
  1. ______(5 syllables)
  1. ______(7 syllables)
  1. ______(5 syllables)
  1. ______(5 syllables)
  1. ______(7 syllables)
  1. ______(5 syllables)
  1. ______(5 syllables)
  1. ______(7 syllables)
  1. ______(5 syllables)

*SHOW, DON’T TELL = vivid verbs, strong/super nouns, strong/super modifiers, sensory language (taste, touch, see, hear, feel)