Konichiwa and welcome to Two Dragonflies – Haiku and Music for Children and their parents and educators. The dragonfly, traditionally known as "katsumushi" or "invincible insect," is a symbol of strength, inspiration and good luck in Japan. The website is filled with haiku for and by children, songs, activities, games, book reviews, interviews, and resources to help you on your way to a life-long love of writing and reading haiku.

I was introduced to haiku several years ago when a friend bought me the book Classic Haiku - A Master’s Selection selected and translated by Yuzuru Miura to read during my summer vacation. The first poem in the book is by Yosa Buson and reads:

in the spring sea
waves undulating and undulating
all day long

After reading the first poem, I was hooked. My favorite poem in the book is by Yosa Buson and reads:

coolness
the sound of the bell
leaving the bell

After finishing the book, I jumped into Basho’s frog pond with both feet and have been enjoying the haiku swim ever since. Since I was introduced to haiku as an adult, I was not taught the 5-7-5 method of counting syllables; therefore, I adopted the modern Western approach to haiku which I define simply as:

"Haiku is a short, unrhymed, one breath poem of Japanese origin consisting of 17 syllables or fewer written in three lines or fewer with two images separated by a pause in juxtaposition relating nature to human nature."

Ah, one breath. My kind of poetry!

I hope you are moved to jump into the haiku pond with both feet too! Two dragonflies are here to inspire you, lift your spirits and make your poetry sing!

-Johnette Downing

-Johnette Downing is multi-award winning children’s musician, author and poet performing concerts and presenting workshops, author visits and keynotes internationally. She is the cofounder of the New Orleans Haiku Society and is a member of the Haiku Society of America. Her poem "ripples in the pond" is a Haiku International Association Honorable Mention Award winner. Her haiku have been published in Frogpond, bottle rockets, World Haiku 2006, Nisqually Delta Review, YAWP, Pass It On!, Applause!, Solaris Hill, and the Haiku Society of America Anthology 2002-2006.

Her multi-award winning recordings for children include "Music Time," "From the Gumbo Pot," "Wild and Woolly Wiggle Songs," "Silly Sing Along," "The Second Line-Scarf Activity Songs," and "Fins and Grins." Her books for children include Today Is Monday in Louisiana and Down in Louisiana (Pelican Publishing Company). Visit her website at www.johnettedowning.com for more information about her work, programs, workshops, books and recordings.