When Web site designer and author Tom Brinck launched his “SciFaiku Manifesto” in 1995, the rules of engagement were simple - to be inspired by haiku's form but not bound by it.

Like haiku, scifaiku is short verse that doesn’t rely on an underlying beat, counting syllables instead.  Where the focus of haiku may be a season or the beauty of nature, scifaiku looks to science for its inspiration. 

For example:

If you were counting, you noticed that scifaiku doesn’t rigidly adhere to the 5 syllables – 7 syllables – 5 syllables structure of haiku. That's mainly because so many technical terms are three or more syllables. Try putting the word "anisomorphism" in a standard form haiku!

Despite its variability in syllables, scifaiku has some defining characteristics - like the use of minimal language to convey a sense of wonder.   Because this sense of wonder is also the sense of possibilities, it's not surprising that scifaiku poets gravitate to science fiction topics.

Although science fiction haiku appeared as early as 1962 in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction (with six haikus authored by Karen Anderson), the poetry enjoyed a resurgence and got a catchy new name when Brinck published his call to verse on his Web site, SciFaiku.com.

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