Happy Birthday, Baby Bro!

     Senryu is the first cousin to the Japanese haiku. The pattern is the same 5-7-5 syllables over the course of three lines. The big difference is in topic. Where a haiku traditionally deals with a topic grounded in nature, the senryu focuses on a person, usually in a humorous way.
My little brother, Matt, turns 35 today. I thought I would "honor" him with a senryu poem in honor of his birth!

Still Glad

By Melinda Harvey

You came after me

But you have caused more trouble

Still glad that you're here.

     I have learned a lot about haiku by watching Laura Salas work through her NaPoMo challenge.  She is writing a haiku each day this month.  The thing with haiku or senryu is that it seems so easy; we have to really challenge ourselves to say a lot using only a little!  (That might be true in life also!)

     If you have a little brother, a big sister, a mother, father, friend or teacher, consider honoring them with a senryu today!