A TRADITIONAL form of Japanese poetry which consists of three short lines with the first and third having a matching number of syllables, the haiku first came into being in its modern form in 17th century Japan. This small book, containing 100 English language three-line haiku poems, was first published in 1992 and through six reprints sold more than 10,000 copies.
To give non-Haiku readers a flavour of these poems, here is one example, by Tom Earley:
The star that wanders
Out of its constellation
Is an aeroplane.