Matsuo Basho Yosa Buson Kobayashi Issa Winner and Runners-up of the Society of Classical Poets 2021 Haiku Competition
For this to work, you need all of your senses present—don’t take this walk while playing music through headphones. Take a notebook and a pen with you so you can write down your observations. You can also record your observations using the notes app on your smartphone. If you go that route, turn off notifications first so you don’t have any distractions. Don’t want to write about nature? That’s technically a senryu, which follows the same basic structure, but is more about humanity than nature. [2] X Research source
It can help to look at the big picture and then think of “zooming in” on a single thing and capturing every possible sensory detail associated with it. For example, you might be looking out at a forest and focus on a single leaf falling.
For example, if it’s fall, you might notice that the leaves are falling from the trees around you. Go smaller! A single leaf falling. A single leaf quivering on a branch before getting taken to the ground by a gust of wind.
For example, if one of your moments is a single leaf falling, you might list words such as “brown,” “crunchy,” and “dry. " Haiku poems aren’t supposed to rhyme, so you don’t have to worry about that as you’re trying to think of words.
For example, if it’s currently fall, you might write down words such as “crisp,” “cool,” “harvest,” and “dusk. "
For example, you might choose a leaf falling to the ground and a gust of wind as your 2 images. The second line of a haiku typically includes a “cutting word”—this is a Japanese concept that doesn’t really exist in English, but you can think of this as a moment that pivots, or changes, your scene.
For example, if your haiku is meditating on a single leaf falling to the ground, you might think about how beautiful the leaves are in the fall. They only get their colors because they’re dying, though, and death is not something people normally consider beautiful. There’s your surprise. You can also use wordplay to create your surprise. Throwing in a pun takes your poem beyond its literal meaning to surprise and amuse your readers. [9] X Research source Nothing in a haiku has to rhyme, but an unexpected rhyme could also fit the bill for the third line.
In the first line, the leaf is still clinging to a branch of the tree. You might write, “Dry brown leaf quivers. " That’s 5 syllables, so there’s your first line. The second line features the moment of the gust of wind, which also serves as your “cutting word. " You might write, “A sudden gust of wind blows. " Your third line surprises your reader by equating death with beauty. You might simply write, “Beauty in dying. "
What is this word showing my readers? Is there another word that would do a better job of showing the same thing? Are there any words that tell readers what to think or feel, rather than showing them? How can you show them the moment more directly?
In the first line, the word “quivers” is really evocative, so you definitely want to keep that. “Dry” and “brown” aren’t exactly inspired, though. Perhaps if you changed the order? “Brown leaf dry quivers” seems more interesting and poetic. The second line definitely has problems. “Gust of wind” is somewhat redundant, and “blows” seems totally unnecessary—what else does a gust of wind do, but blow? Try instead “A sudden gust; branches snap,” which enables you to use the semi-colon as your “cutting word. " The third line cleanly conveys your surprise, so you could leave it as it is.
Other people often come up with things you wouldn’t have thought of on your own. They can really inspire you and give you fresh insight into your poem. Feel free to revise your haiku even further based on the feedback you receive.
Haiku traditionally don’t have a title. You might add a short one for clarification, but it’s usually not necessary and will only detract from the impact of your poem. To follow through with the example, the final haiku would be:brown leaf dry quivers a sudden gust; branches snap beauty in dying
