HAIKU

According to the Academy of American Poets,

A traditional Japanese haiku is a three-line poem
with seventeen syllables, written in a 5/7/5 syllable
count. Often focusing on images from
nature, haiku emphasizes simplicity, intensity, and
directness of expression.

Criteria:

It is focused on a simple moment or

vision of nature
It is 3 lines long and 5-7-5 syllables =
Excellent word choice and rythym
It seems simple, but is intense and
expressive; it delights the reader!

HAIKU HINTS

Get into the moment!

Create a brief but intense snapshot of a moment or
vision of nature.
Write about something you have seen or experienced,
so you can convey this beauty or power to your reader.
BRAINSTORM great words first, then deal with the
syllables.

Great haikus often have a

twist or aha moment at the end.

HAIKU EXAMPLES
An old silent pond...
A frog jumps into the pond,
splash! Silence again.
-Basho Matsuo, the first great poet of haiku in the 1600s

Over the wintry

forest, winds howl in rage
with no leaves to blow
By Natsume Soseki who lived from 1867 - 1916. He was a novelist and master of the haiku.

In tall white aspens

green leaves rustle and tremble.
They cant stop laughing.

-Julia Hakstian, beginner haiku writer