Long before they turned their skills to the manufacture of miniature electronic equipment, the Japanese had begun downsizing poetry. The traditional founder of the art is Basho, who excelled in tiny and elegant pieces, with an air of melancholy: No one travels / along this way but I / this autumn evening /   With just three lines of five, seven and five syllables, the poet must convey much with very little. It is an art perfectly suited to the culture of Zen - a simple sketch of nature conveying a deeper spiritual insight. Although the rules are strict and suited to Japanese, haiku can be written in any language. There are even haiku computer error messages: With searching comes loss / and the presence of absence / "My Novel" not found / RB

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