to 'ku or not to 'ku - 5-7-5 discussion

I don't buy into the inability of English to emulate the japanese sensibility. I think English haiku can be every bit as elegant and beautiful and meaningful and affective. 

That said, I think the themes, the 'ahhhh HA!' moment, the soulful quietude of the words is more important than the syllable count. 

I think the seasonal word isn't usually obvious in English - like that article says, in japanese they have entire lists devoted to defining the season of words - generally playing off of those might be a smart way to prevent some of the worry of obscurity. (I know I'm going to be finding me some of those lists)

I approach the seasonal 'problem' by generally trying to include weather, nature, or food items. I usually avoid people in my haiku as well.