Haiku. Tiny poems, big feelings.
I mean, you’d think 17 syllables couldn’t possibly capture a whole universe, right? But these little poems sneak up on you, like that unexpected smell of Walmart’s parking lot rosemary on a humid June day back in 2019. (That memory still haunts me, not gonna lie.)
Anyway, if you wanna get your creative juices flowing, I swear, nothing beats diving into some killer haiku examples. Let me show you why.
What’s a Haiku, Anyway?
Alright, quick and dirty: a haiku’s just three lines long.
5 syllables.
7 syllables.
5 syllables again.
Sounds easy, but man, it’s a puzzle. And the good ones? They hit you like a cool breeze in July.
Traditionally, haiku are all about nature or seasons or moments that flicker and vanish. Think of it like the poetry version of a Snapchat story.
I learned the hard way that cramming big ideas into those tiny slots can feel like trying to shove your whole summer vacation into one Instagram caption. Spoiler: it usually ends up weird.
Why Haiku Help Your Writing Flow (Even If You’re Not a Poet)
If you’re anything like me, your brain’s a mess of tabs open at all times. Haiku? They make you focus. Sharpen your words.
Plus, writing haiku is kinda like yoga for your writing muscles. Slow down, breathe, pay attention.
Here’s the kicker — practicing haiku will make your other writing better. Like, way better. You’ll find yourself chopping out all those extra words you love so much (and yes, that includes “very” and “really”… sad, I know).
Classic Nature Haiku Examples That Stick with You 🌸🍂
Ok, these old-school haiku examples never get old.
Like this one from Matsuo Bashō — yeah, the big kahuna of haiku:
An old silent pond
A frog jumps into the pond—
Splash! Silence again.
Simple, right? But it’s like you can hear the splash in your head. That’s the magic.
Or how about this one I scribbled in my notebook during a hike:
Leaves crunch underfoot
Crisp air bites the autumn day
Fox slips out of sight.
I gotta confess, that was after I almost tripped over a root. Graceful, huh?
Emotional Haiku Examples — Because Life’s Not Always Sunshine
Haiku don’t have to be about pretty flowers or frogs. Nope. They get all the feels too.
Here’s one I wrote after a rough breakup:
Empty teacup waits
Steam vanishes in cold silence
No footsteps echo.
Yeah, I was kinda mopey. My first herb garden died faster than my 2020 sourdough starter—RIP, Gary. But that haiku? It helped me put that sadness in a bottle, neat and tidy.
Seasonal Haiku That Smack You with Vibes 🍁❄️☀️
Here’s a fun tidbit: haiku use this thing called kigo, which is fancy talk for a word that tells you the season.
Like, if someone says “cicadas,” you’re probably in summer. Or “snow” means, well… winter.
Try these on for size:
Cicadas buzzing
Children chase ice cream trucks fast
Pavement shimmers heat.
Sounds wicked hot, right? I wrote that after melting on a New Orleans July afternoon—my face looked like a boiled crawfish.
Or:
Snowflakes on my scarf
Silence falls before the dusk
Lamplight glows alone.
That one’s from a snowy night here in Vermont. The streetlamps gave off that lonely glow you only get when the world’s gone quiet.
Famous Haiku Examples — Learning From the Greats
Look, I’m no Matsuo Bashō, but studying the masters is a good place to start.
Here’s another Issa classic:
O snail
Climb Mount Fuji,
But slowly, slowly!
Their/there mix-ups? Guilty as charged. But Issa’s patience in that little haiku reminds me not to rush my writing—or my life.
Modern Haiku Examples — Breaking the Rules and Loving It
You don’t have to be a traditionalist to write haiku.
I once wrote this one during a late-night city stroll:
Neon reflections
Blur in puddles of sidewalk
Midnight train screeches.
Got a little grit and grind, right? I like to think of these as “haiku for the 21st century.”
Oh, and this tech-themed one? Totally inspired by my phone addiction:
Phone screen in darkness
Blue light flickers on my face
Still, I scroll alone.
Yep, I’m guilty. This is me at 2 a.m., trying to write but getting sucked into memes instead.
Funny Haiku Examples — Because Writing Should Be Fun
Sometimes you just gotta laugh. My cat’s shenanigans inspired this one:
You pet me, then stop
I knock things off the counter
Your tears feed my soul.
I swear, that cat’s smarter than me. And funnier.
Or this food haiku that’s basically my breakfast life:
Avocado toast
Perfect, then it turns to mush
Life in one breakfast.
My neighbor Tina swears her kale patch cured her Zoom fatigue—and she’s not wrong.
Writing Your Own Haiku — No Pressure, Seriously
Here’s the deal:
- Pick something small. A leaf. A smell. A feeling.
- Count syllables. (5-7-5, remember?)
- Paint a tiny picture with words.
- Chop the fluff. Be ruthless.
- Share it. Or don’t.
You need nitrogen-rich soil—wait, no, was it potassium? Let me Google that again… Just like gardening, haiku needs a little care.
Writing Prompts That Don’t Suck
Try these when you’re stuck:
- Write a haiku about the last weird weather you experienced.
- Pick a random object in your room and haiku it.
- Write a haiku responding to one you read.
- Make line three surprise you.
- Write a sad story in haiku form.
Teaching Haiku — Yes, Even Kids Can Do It
I once helped my niece write her first haiku.
She wrote:
Pencil on my desk
Eraser shavings like snow
A quiz waits for me.
I laughed. Then I cried remembering my own dread of tests. Kids get it.
Nature Journaling with Haiku — Old School Cool
Nature journaling and haiku are like peanut butter and jelly.
Here’s one I jotted down while watching dragonflies:
Dew clings to leaf tips
Dragonfly lands silently
Sun climbs without sound.
The cracked watering can from Pete’s Hardware on 5th Ave survived my overwatering phase. That thing is a champ, just like haiku helped me survive my creative drought.
From Haiku to Full-Blown Storytelling
Take a haiku, then ask:
- What happened just before this moment?
- What comes after?
One haiku I wrote:
Midnight candlelight
She opens one last letter
Ink bleeds into tears.
That one turned into a flash story about a lost love letter and regrets.
10 Original Haiku Examples for You to Steal (Or Not)
Wind moves through the trees
Secrets rustle in the leaves
Night listens closely.
First snow coats the street
Silence in every corner
Footsteps fade like breath.
One red umbrella
In a sea of black and gray
Hope walks without fear.
Moonlight on the pond
A koi stirs beneath stillness
Wishes drift downstream.
Broken shell on sand
Once a home, now a whisper
Waves reclaim the shore.
Pages curled with time
Old stories sleep in corners
Dust dreams on the shelf.
Lanterns float at dusk
Each one holds a whispered name
Soft goodbyes in flame.
Coffee rings on wood
Morning papers left unread
The world spins slowly.
Hands brush in the crowd
Nothing said, but everything
Hearts remember touch.
Cracked sidewalk flowers
Grow in places we forget
Beauty finds a way.
Here’s the Wrap (But Not Really)
Haiku are tiny explosions of feeling and observation. They’re a wicked way to keep your writing sharp and your brain sane.
Fast forward past three failed attempts at writing this article (and my third coffee spill), and here we are.
If you wanna get better at writing, try stealing a few haiku examples and making them your own. The practice is like a mini-vacation for your mind.
