A haiku is a short Japanese poetic form, traditionally associated with nature, observation and the passing seasons. This blog will show you how to write a haiku, not concentrating on the number of syllables, but on the “haiku moment”.
A lot has been written about haikus, and this blog will focus on a practical process to actually write one, rather than on the theory. There are many definitions of the haiku moment. I have chosen to use the description by the poet Masaoka Shiki.
He revolutionized haiku by comparing it to Shasei—which simply means “sketching from life.” He argued that writing a haiku isn’t about chasing a profound, mystical revelation or inventing clever metaphors.
Instead, think of a haiku moment as if it is a casual photograph. It is that split second where you notice something completely ordinary—a wet leaf stuck to a car windshield, or the sudden sound of a gate swinging shut—and you isolate that single frame.. Your job as a writer isn’t to explain what that moment means or how it makes you feel; your job is just to point the camera.
Writing a haiku is the act of pinning down that sensory snapshot using plain, clear language.
Lines 1 and 2
Lines 1 and 2 represent observations by you, the poet.
Line 1: Notice something. Establish a concrete image or moment
Line 2: Deepen. Add something. Introduce another detail, movement or contrast
These are not rules of writing a haiku, but a process to start writing one.
For example, I am sitting in my office with my dog and I wrote: Black dog on a blue blanket; watching pedestrians walk past.
Now you try Line 1:
What have you seen the past few days that made you stand back? Introduce something concrete that you noticed or notice now. An image, sound, movement, place or object. What is happening? What catches your attention?
You see something that others might overlook. There is a sound coming from… Something small is moving… The first thing I notice about this place is… Something has changed since yesterday… Notice texture.
No adjectives that describes emotions. You are aiming a camera at a scene.
Write Line 2:
Now add, introduce detail, movement, contrast. Add something that makes the first line more interesting. What is happening beside, behind or underneath it? What sound, colour or movement can you add? Is something changing or disappearing? Is there something that does not belong? What small detail would someone else miss?
Ask yourself:
What is the very next thing that moves, shifts, drops, or flutters within your view? If an object in the room or outside could make a sudden sound right now, what would it be? (e.g., a phone buzzes, a page turns, a car door slams).
If the first line used a wide-angle background, then line two is zooming in on a detail.
Look closer at the scene your first line created. What is one small, unglamorous imperfection or detail you missed at first glance? (e.g., a crack in the pot, a speck of dust floating, a torn hem).
Line 3
The third line is what will make your poem a haiku,
For my dog poem I added:
black dog on a blue blanket
watching pedestrians walk past
no one is welcome
Nothing profound yet, I know. Maybe you can do better.
Line 3 – Reveal a surprise
- What unexpected thing happens?
- What is suddenly different?
- What remains when everything else changes?
- What small detail changes how we see the first two lines?
- Can you end with an image instead of an explanation?
- Leave the reader with something to discover. Do not explain the lesson or moral.
Look down from your scene: What has been left behind?
What bigger picture is swallowing up the scene you have created?
Here are a few examples
Comment with your haiku
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