What is Ed-ku?

Always wanted to do editorial cartoons but couldn't draw? Think it's too much work to write commentary on current affairs? Well here's the perfect solution: Ed-ku (Editorial haiku)! An example:

Bill Gates sips Java
Watching Web surfers from beach
Mindful of Sun burn

Count the syllables in each line. 5-7-5. See? It's simple. It can be funny, or tragic, or both. Just think about anything that's happening in the world on which you'd like to comment.

To submit an entry (or entries), just e-mail it to me (jync@mit.edu). Please attach your name and e-mail address after the haiku; I will not accept anonymous submissions. Send as plain text. You can submit as many as you want, but I reserve the right to edit for spelling, punctuation, and syllable count, or to reject any entry.

Note: The definition of orthodox haiku is more complicated. For example, check out one aficionado's haiku definition. Also, technically, editorial senryu is closer to what we are doing than editorial haiku, although the definition of haiku has been broadened by the Matsuyama Declaration. Besides, "ku" means "verse" in Japanese, so Ed-ku is not at all a misnomer.

Return to the Ed-ku Home Page.

John Cho / jync@mit.edu