I wrote haiku when... I'm Feelin' blue and when love and... pain make me want to. We love the traditional Japanese haiku format of 17 syllables on 3 lines: 5-7-5. It is very symmetrical, terse and disciplined. However, these are not your great grandfather's haiku. This is Modern American Illustrated Haiku. We do keep the fundamental format, but that's all. For one thing, we give them titles, which we believe helps the reader focus on the punch in each haiku. Second, there is word play. Third, there is the extra dimension of the images in which the haiku are embedded or by which they are framed. We believe the reader will be amazed at how well the illustrations deepen the haiku. Originally Published in The Haiku Blues: Haiku That Take You on a Journey Through Pain, Love, Politics and Soul. Other Books by the Authors: The Haiku Blues, Deluxe Limited Edition; The Haiku Blues, Trade Edition; Full Spectrum of Blue; The Constitutional Blues; The Divorce Blues