Information Research Weblog

What's a waka? The haiku, of which most people are probably aware, is a short form of the waka:

Prosodically, the waka is defined quantitatively (there being no basis for identification of "feet," no strict distinction between accented and unaccented syllables in Japanese prosodics) as consisting of 31 syllables grouped according to a pattern of 5 ku or measures of, respectively, 5, 7, 5, 7, and 7 syllables... (Japanese Text Initiative)

An example

A personal example:

Swallows take water
and soar to the sky again
screaming their pleasure
riding on the wind currents.
Dreaming now of Africa?

Readers are invited to submit their own waka - there are no prizes.