haiku_parag2

<h1>Haiku Introduction</h1>

<p>In Japanese haiku, a <i>kireji</i>, or cutting word, typically appears at the end of one of the verse's three 
phrases. A kireji fills a role analogous to that of a caesura in classical western poetry or to a <i>volta</i>
in sonnets. Depending on which cutting word is chosen and its position within the verse, it may briefly
cut the stream of thought, suggesting a parallel between the preceding and following phrases, or it may 
provide a dignified ending, concluding the verse with a heightened sense of closure.</p>

<p>The kireji lends the verse structural support, allowing it to stand as an independent poem. The use
of kireji distinguishes haiku and hokku from second and subsequent verses of renku; which may employ 
semantic and syntactic disjuncture, even to the point of occasionally end-stopping a phrase with a 
sentence-ending particle (終助詞, shūjoshi). However, renku typically employ kireji.</p>