Order of Perception in Poetry

By Fiercebuddhist @fiercebuddhist

In my readings I just noticed something profound and important in composing poetry, especially Haiku.

What I am speaking of is “sensory perception” order. I noticed that in some of my weaker works I had not paid attention to the order of perception. I think I did this to create a sense of surprise but in doing so I set up an unnatural feeling.

For example when I first met my wife saw her from afar and noticed her confident walk. As she approached I then saw, in detail, her attire. It was not until we were in close proximity that I picked up the scent of her perfume.

So if I wrote a haiku and started with the perfume then moved backwards in describing the moment the poem would feel stilted and odd.

As I continue to write I will make sure to follow this observation and now that I am aware of this rule I can now break it.

Hope this helps in your writings.