One, Two, Three

The “hay(na)ku” is a tercet-based poetic form invented by Eileen R. Tabios and named by Filipino-American poet Vince Gotera. The basic tercet presents the first line as one word, the second line as two words, and the third line as three words. The words can be as long or short as desired by the poet. The “1, 2, 3” aspect of the form relates to a Filipino nursery rhyme: isa, dalawa, tatlo, ang tatay mo'y kalbo. The rhyme translates into English as "one two three, your dad is bald.” Advance words: I find the word-based formal constraint of hay(na)ku (as opposed to a syllable or metrical foot based constraint) leads to poems that are in many ways more natural, and that, in particular, the 1-2-3 structure is a pattern that comes up continually in the course of the daily. Poetry lives and breathes in the daily, and hay(na)ku has the ability to capture profound and delightful pieces that might otherwise be missed. —Dan Waber

Eileen R. Tabios loves books and has released over 50 collections of poetry, fiction, essays, and experimental biographies from publishers in nine countries and cyberspace. She is the inventor of the poetry form hay(na)ku whose 15-year anniversary in 2018 was celebrated with exhibitions and readings at the San Francisco Public Library and Saint Helena Public Library. Translated into eight languages, she also has edited, co-edited or conceptualized 15 anthologies of poetry, fiction and essays as well as served as editor or guest editor for various literary journals. Her writing and editing works have received recognition through awards, grants and residencies.