People ask what inspires the senryus that I write. Not with humility, but with the truth, my senryus are to some extent inspired by a basic ineptitude that I have.

CATHEDRAL – original watercolor by Don Fay

My high school English teacher graded my essays and creative writing with two grades: one for content and the other for spelling and grammar. She once told me I was the only student she’d ever had that consistently got A’s for content and C’s or D’s for spelling and grammar. Actually, the problem stills exists to this day and I’ll soon be 97.

During my first years in school, teachers were being lauded for practicing new creative methods. Traditional methods that history proved had worked in the past were not part of the new more psychologically based methodology.

I had learned to draw and paint from greeting cards and newspaper comics. My efforts amused my parents and increased our tie-bind. At elementary school, my teacher displayed my turkeys at Thanksgiving, Santa Clauses at Christmas and Easter bunnies at Easter on the hallway bulletin boards outside our classroom. I suppose her reputation as a creative teacher was enhanced. Taking me out of spelling and other classes to do these pictures eventually resulted in my problems in high school English class.

Later in life as a government administrator, my secretary was tasked with “saving my bacon” because of my many spelling errors in what I needed to write.

My saving grace, as my high school teacher discovered, was my ability to develop convincing written content.

WILD LILACS – original oil on mylar-surfaced birch panel by Don Fay

Since early days, writing has been a factor in my education, career and a way for self- expression. Still, from grammar school through college, art became my main concentration and career. I’m now realizing writing had to come second because of my embarrassing lack of spelling skills. At least the ability to use grammar correctly came along with experience.

Happily, my wife excels in English and now edits my efforts on the computer for all my shotgun writings. The two of us have a motto that “we must not steal each other’s lives.” As a busy musician, she finds time to help me. I’m retired, but she is not. I must watchdog myself. If I wrote a novel, it would cause a terrible interference with her activities.

She is happy to hammer out my three-line senryus. Do I have an essay or novel in me? Maybe, but not with the aforesaid constraints. Also, I’ve come to enjoy the discipline of saying something very concisely in my brief senryus. Perhaps it’s good that my audience of friends and family won’t be bored to any real extent if my little poems don’t hit the mark.

My inspirations to write are eclectic and come from anywhere. Sometimes it’s a word, picture or idea. I pull out my magic pen, scribble my ideas on any paper available, and count syllables on my fingers. They can be done at the drop of a hat at any time or location. Spelling never hinders my spontaneity and senryu explosions.

Don Fay

A senryu is a three-line Japanese poem structurally similar to haiku. It is unrhymed and the subject is based on human nature.
It is usually satirical or ironic. line 1 – 5 syllables; line 2 – 7 syllables; line 3 – 5 syllables

MY SENRYUS and other senryus by Don Fay

ITS FUN and other senryus by Don Fay

100+ SELECTED SENRYU POEMS BY DON FAY