Youtube Haikus

We tend to think of a haiku as a three-line poem dictated by a 5-7-5-syllable count, but more importantly, a haiku is a short, simple poem that juxtaposes contrasting images in order to evoke a wide range of emotions. In this way, a haiku is not a restrictive poetic form, but is a sort of poem that achieves maximum impact with minimum effort.

The best example of this sort of poem in western literature can be found in the works of Ezra Pound, who wrote, in his 1913 poem “In a Station of the Metro”…

“The apparition of these faces in a crowd

Petals on a wet, black, bough”

In two lines, Pound has allowed us a glimpse into a rich world. We are invited to linger on the words, and follow the tunnels of thought they open up. 

Let us digress now. There is a trend in the meme-rich sectors of the internet to create “Youtube Haikus”: funny or poetic videos no longer than fourteen seconds in length. The premise is not that different from Vine, but I argue that Vine lends itself to personal narratives, while a true Youtube haiku must hinge on an evocative juxtaposition of images borrowed from a wide range of cultural sources. In other words, Vines are an outgrowth of selfie culture, while Youtube haikus are an outgrowth of mashup culture.

As a result, Youtube haikus can surprise, amuse, shock, and frequently confuse viewers. Many play like pointless inside jokes that only make sense when one has seen a great many Youtube haikus already. Others come off as dumb or nonsensical. 

Without further ado, here are some of my favorite Youtube haikus. And since nothing ruins a joke like explaining the joke, each video is presented with a short commentary. 

Actually, this one doesn’t need commentary: 

Here's a "remake" of the sea monstah video, if you haven't seen it go check it out on my page MASSHOLE bored'UM
Posted by MASSHOLE bored'UM on Wednesday, September 23, 2015

This one is a dual reference, one to The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask and the other to (spoiler alert) Rick and Morty. 

Perhaps one of the weirder ones on this list, this video just goes to show that sometimes you should just say “why not” and make what you want to make.

Here we see a brand new twist on the Old Testament.

This one’s a little long, but it’s a fun one. If you feel like you’re missing something, look up the video game Katamari Damacy.

This one might not technically fit my definition of a Youtube haiku, but whatever I can’t not share it.

Perhaps the purest Youtube haiku I’ve ever found. No further commentary needed.

I particularly like this one because of the way the original scene feels so very different, not from the addition of new images or elements, but from the removal of context. The creator of this haiku pared the video down until they got something amazing.

And these last three are presented without commentary:

Hope you’ve enjoyed this digression into the realm of Youtube videos. Perhaps other poetic forms, can translate from medium to medium. Someday soon, you very well may see a review of “Youtube Sestinas”…but I wouldn’t count on it.

Read more of Vernon's excellent work on Floodmark.