JOKERMAN Haibun About Playing Cards Author:Geert Verbeke First thing first: this haibun-book is not a fortune-telling book, and certainly not the prayer book of the devil! No, this book is only written to have a good time. The haiku is a Japanese verse form that relies on brevity and simplicity to convey its poetical message. It developed from tanka and was mainly influenced by Matsuo Bash (1644-1694... more ») who is known as the first great haiku poet. Indeed. a 'modern' haiku can be any length from a few to 17 syllables in 3 lines. The theme of a haiku refers to nature although 'nature' can be interpreted in a global sense. A seasonal word (kigo) is no longer a necessity.« less